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What is the origin of the use of the object (it) in the following sentences, and what is its purpose?

"I like it here!" 

and

"Did you like it there?" 

In essence, the things we are saying we like are really here (this place) and there (that place) themselves - whence the insertion of the antecedent-free pronoun?

Note: I can think of plenty of antecedents you could replace the "it" with, so that's not the answer I'm looking for.

What is the origin of the use of the object (it) in the following sentences, and what is its purpose?

I like it here!

and

Did you like it there?

In essence, the things we are saying we like are really here (this place) and there (that place) themselves - whence the insertion of the antecedent-free pronoun?

Note: I can think of plenty of antecedents you could replace the "it" with, so that's not the answer I'm looking for.