Liverpool Terracotta Warriors

Liverpools’s World Museum on William Brown Street plays host to the exhibition China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors until October 28th. You can visit the museum’s website here

Qin Shi Huang was China’s first Emperor and when he died aged 49 in 220BC he was buried in a huge mausoleum that had reportedly taken over 700,000 men to build. The huge construction lay undiscovered until the spring of 1974 when farmers digging wells for irrigation came upon it by chance. Subsequent excavations revealed an enormous army of warriors, some 8000 in number, made from terracotta. Much of the site of the mausoleum has yet to be excavated.

The purpose of the warriors was to look after and protect the Emperor in the afterlife. He was buried with everything he could possibly need, including chariots and many everyday objects such as cauldrons and drinking vessels.

In total the exhibition has around 180 artefacts, including 10 warriors, which span 1000 years of Chinese history.

The Golden Horse of Maoling was discovered in 1981 in the mausoleum of Emperor Wu.

As you can imagine the exhibition is very popular and admission is by timed entry to control numbers and give visitors plenty of opportunity to see the exhibits. It is advisable to book tickets well in advance. You can do so using this link

The exhibition makes a great activity as part of a visit to the city. If you have limited time an hour should be all you need to get round the exhibits.

Liverpool Tall Ships

Liverpool hosted  the start of The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta over the spring bank holiday weekend. Ships were moored at the Albert Dock and cruise ferry terminal.

Following their departure from Liverpool the ships are also scheduled to visit Dublin and Bordeaux. The wines of Bordeaux were featured in a parallel event running at the Pier Head. This was fifth visit to Liverpool of the tall ships having previously graced this most famous of waterfronts in 1984, 1992, 2008 and 2012. This years visit formed part of the cities celebrations of the ten year anniversary  since it was European Capital of Culture.

Although spectacular by daylight the docks and ships took on a magical quality as the sun began to set over the city.

The holographic “ghost ship” was a excellent end to a superb trip to the Liverpool waterfront.

A Day Trip to Ludlow

Ludlow is a small market town of 11,000 inhabitants on the southern border of the county of Shropshire. Although in England, it lies close to the Welsh border and its proximity to Wales has contributed much to the towns past history.

Things to do

Take a walk. The town is an absolute gem with a photo opportunity on every corner. The architecture is superb and it makes it a lovely place to simply wander around. The town is not very big but it packs an awful lot in to a small space.

Ludlow Castle. Built in the later half of the 11th century, the castle occupies a defensive position overlooking  the River Teme. The castle is still in use today as a wedding venue and is home to the annual Ludlow Food and Drink festival held each September.

Saint Laurence’s Church. Building of a church here first began in 1199 and it is now the largest parish church in Shropshire.  The church is packed with history and significant features, its earliest windows date back to 1320 and some of the mercy seats date from the early 1400s.

Visits to the church are well supported by some very welcoming and informative guides.

Visit one of the many art galleries. Ludlow is home to many art galleries and antique shops and a visit to two or three isa good way to spend an hour or so. Walking between them also gives you a good opportunity to see the town.

Dinham Bridge and The River Teme. 

The walk down from the castle to the river can be done by means of a footpath that runs from the back of the castle or along the road. Either way it is well worth the short walk as the bridge and river are a sheer delight.

Food and Craft Markets. As well as an excellent selection of independent retailers in the town there are frequent markets held mainly in Castle Square. In addition The Ludlow Food Festival is held annually in the grounds of the castle. Dates for 2018 are September 7/8/9th. The castle also hosts the Medieval Christmas Fayre with will be on November 24th and 25th in 2018.

Ludlow Brewing Company. Located in an old railway shed close to Ludlow station. Tours are held each afternoon, times vary. There is a small charge but it does include samples of their range of beers and a free pint.

A great day out in such a lovely town. May have to have a return visit for Septembers food festival.