The Liverpool Echo was today celebrating its 125th birthday.

It was exactly 125 years today – on October 27, 1879 – that the first issue of the paper was published on Merseyside.

Deputy editor Jon Brown said: “The first headline was ‘Murder in Widnes bedroom’ – which goes to show that the news agenda hasn’t changed in 125 years.”

As part of celebrations to mark the milestone, senior staff from the newspaper were today due to welcome local celebrities, city business and community leaders and former editors of the newspaper to a VIP champagne reception at the Echo’s offices.

The Echo’s archives have also been trawled for an exhibition of front pages and photographs which will be on display at the newspaper until Christmas.

A week-long series of eight-page pull-outs is also being published each day this week, each looking at 25 years in the Echo’s history and the news events of the day, from the sinking of the Titantic to the shooting of John Lennon.

Jon said: “Doing the supplement was great fun. Every day is a great news day.

“Looking back there is such a wealth of archive material which is a fascinating reflection of real life and real people.”

The Liverpool Echo was founded by Alexander Jeans, and was produced alongside its older sister title, the Daily Post, at new premises in Victoria Street.

Ten editions a day were printed and the paper cost just one halfpenny – a price it stayed at for nearly 40 years until it was doubled to one penny in 1917.

The Daily Post and Liverpool Echo were, initially, unashamedly Liberal, although they were published in what was then a strong Tory city.

The 1980s saw the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo undergo major changes, with both newspapers relaunced as tabloids, and as well as the change in format, the editorial policy of the Liverpool Echo also changed, making it a more campaigning newspaper speaking up for the people of Merseyside.

The newspaper was instrumental in securing Freeport status for the Port of Liverpool, uncovered a massive charity fraud scandal, investigated the Militant Tendency and campaigned on topical issues such as drug trafficking and child abuse.

The Echo has continued that strong campaigning and investigative style into the new millennium, with staunch support for the Hillsborough families’ long fight for justice and major inquiries into issues of public concern.