Hope Street | Postcards From Here and There

15 Things to do in Liverpool

Liverpool has so much to offer the visitor and it is easy to see why it is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. The city has a rich heritage and visitors will not be short of things to see or do. In this post I examine the tourist attractions in and around the city centre, most of which are within walking distance of each other.

Take a Ferry Across The Mersey. There has been a ferry crossing the River Mersey for over 800 years and the peak they were carrying millions of mainly commuters a year. Those days are long gone but the ferry does still run a commuter service in the morning and late afternoon but for the rest of the day it offers river cruises starting from 10am. Local band Gerry and the Pacemakers immortalised the crossing in their 1964 hit single Ferry Cross The Mersey.

The Waterfront at Pier Head. The Liverpool waterfront is world famous and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Consisting of the three graces, The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and The Port of Liverpool Building, it is an imposing and magnificent site. One can only wonder how Liverpool sailors must have felt entering The Mersey after months at sea to be greeted by such iconic landmarks.

The Museum of Liverpool. Telling the story of Liverpool and its people its a great way to get to know some of the history of the city that isn’t always covered in the travel guides. Currently housing the John and Yoko Lennon Double Fantasy exhibition until 22nd April 2019.

The Royal Albert Dock. When it was built in 1846 it revolutionised dockside wharehouse design. It was the first of its type to contain no wooden timbers as part of its structure thus reducing the risk of catastrophic fires. The dock was one of the first regeneration projects in the city in the 1980s and it quickly became a tourist destination with its numerous cafés, shops and restaurants. Today it is also home to some of the cities best museums.

The Merseyside Maritime Museum. A museum dedicated to the historical importance of the sea to the city. Not only was it a major shipping port but it was also the point of embarkation for those seeking a new life overseas.. There is much to admire here including The Titanic and Liverpool exhibition which tells the story of the close association between the two.

Tate Liverpool. Located in the Albert Dock it is the home of modern and contemporary art. Since it opened in 1988 it has hosted many exhibitions of internationally renowned artists. It is always worth checking what’s on at the Tate when in the city. The galleries afford some excellent view over the river Mersey.

The Beatles Story. You cannot come to Liverpool and not do something Beatles related while here. There is much to see in and around the city and this is a good place to start for those that want to find out more about the history of “four lads that shook the world” back in the 1960s. See a recreation of the Cavern Club to experience what it was like back in those heady days.

Find Liverpools Musical Statues. If The Beatles Story has whet your appetite then why not seek out the musical statues around the city that celebrate Liverpool’s music history. as well as The Beatles you can discover Billy Fury, Cilla Black and Ken Dodd. You can even have a photo taken sat alongside Eleanor Rigby.

Mathew Street and The Cavern. No visit to Liverpool would be complete without a visit to Mathew Street, home of the Cavern Club. There is a lot packed in to to such a short street including statues, the wall of fame and the site of Erics club which did much for the local bands that came after The Beatles such as Echo & the Bunneymen and The Teardrop Explodes. You can visit the Cavern and catch some live music, sadly it’s not the original but has been lovingly reconstructed. There are often buskers performing in the street, Beatles songs naturally.

Bold Street. There are plenty of shopping opportunities in Liverpool including the huge Liverpool One complex. If, however, you are looking for something a little different then head to Bold Street in the Ropewalks area of the city. Here you will find many independent retailers, cafés and restaurants. It is fast becoming the beating heart of the city.

Liverpool Cathedrals. There aren’t many cities that can boast two impressive cathedrals. Liverpool can and they are separated by the appropriately named Hope Street. They couldn’t be anymore different. The Anglican Cathedral, built in the Gothic style took over seventy years to build. The Metropolitan Cathedral, known affectionately as “Paddy’s Wigwam” by the Liverpudlians, was opened in 1967.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

The Philharmonic Dining Rooms. Conveniently located half way along Hope Street it is a good place for a refreshment break while in this part of town. Don’t let the name fool you, the Phil is a pub. It was here that Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance as part of the filming of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden.Perhaps best known for ornate gents toilets, made from rose coloured marble. They are grade 1 listed such is their importance, a higher grading than the building in which they are housed.

The Bombed Out Church. The church of St Luke as it is officially know is located on the corner of Leece Street and Berry Street. The church was hit by an incendiary bomb on 6th May 1941, destroying all but the retaining walls. It was left as a memorial to those that died in the Liverpool Blitz.

Chinatown. A short walk along Berry Street from St Lukes and you enter Chinatown, home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe.There are records showing that Chinese immigrants were here as long ago as 1834 and grew businesses including restaurants and supermarkets. The arch at the top of Nelson Street was opened on Chinese New Year in 2000 and it is a magnificent structure, built by craftsmen from Shanghai.

Eat Scouse. Scouse was originally the food of the workers and seafarers of Liverpool but can still be found today in some of the city’s pubs, café and restaurants. Made from either beef or lamb along with vegetables it is a heartwarming stew, ideal to power you through sightseeing. Blind Scouse doesn’t have any meat in it. The exact recipe varies a little but don’t suggest something new, a recent suggestion of adding parsnips didnt go down very well with connoisseurs. The Ship and Mite on Dale Street and Maggie Mays Cafe on Bold Street are just two places that you can try it as it should be made.

5 Reasons to Visit Liverpool

It has two cathedrals. The Anglican Cathedral is separated from the Metropolitan Cathedral by the length of Hope Street. You could almost believe that it was planned that way, but it unfortunately wasn’t.

The Anglican Cathedral took 74 years to complete from when building began in 1904 and when you visit you can begin to understand why, its enormous. The Metropolitan Cathedral opened in 1967 and took a mere five years to build although there had been plans to build a Catholic cathedral in the city for many years. A previous attempt was abandoned in 1958 because of spiralling costs but the crypt still remains and has access from Brownlow Hill.

The whole area around the cathedrals is well worth exploring. You can read about it here

2. It is the home of the Beatles. All four Beatles were natives of the city and performed many times in local venues before they became well known. The most famous of which is The Cavern Club on Mathew Street, although it is not the original building its a pretty close recreation and is well worth a visit.

There is so much that you can do in the city which is Beatle related, from The Beatles Story museum at the Albert Dock to tours out into the suburbs to see their childhood homes and locations such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. If you are in the city before 22nd April 2019 you can also visit the John and Yoko Double Fantasy exhibition at The Museum of Liverpool which is a must see for all Beatles fans.

For information about Beatle related locations in the city you can read an article here

For details about the Double Fantasy exhibition you can read an article here

3. It has the Three Graces. The Three Graces together make the iconic Liverpool skyline at the Pier Head. Consisting of The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building they were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004.

The Royal Liver Building opened in 1911 and its design was influenced by buildings in Chicago. Two Liver Birds sit atop, one is looking out to sea, the other faces the city. It is said that if the Liver Birds were to leave, the city would fall!

The Cunard Building built between 1914 and 1918 and was the headquarters of The Cunard shipping line. At the start of the twentieth century Liverpool was the point of arrival and departure of numerous passenger ships and the building would have been a hive of activity.

The Port of Liverpool Building was the home of The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board when the city was one of the largest ports in the world.

Several years ago there were plans to create a fourth Grace, it was to resemble a cloud, but spiralling costs meant that the project was shelved.

4. The Royal Albert Dock. The Albert Dock is a waterfront warehouse complex built in 1846 at the time when Liverpool was a great trading port. It was the first building of its type not to use timber as part of its construction. It was therefore fireproof compared with similar dock warehouses. It was damaged by bombing in the Liverpool Blitz of 1941 and eventually closed in the early 1970s, quickly falling into a state of disrepair.

Regeneration in the early 80s saw the Albert Dock rise again and it quickly became a top tourist attraction in the city. In many ways the birth of Liverpool as a tourist destination began with the Albert Dock and the nearby Festival Gardens. Today the Dock is multi use with shops, restaurants and bars. It is also home to three excellent museums; The Beatles Story, The Maritime Museum and Tate Liverpool. The Albert Dock was granted Royal status in 2018.

5. Museums. If museums are your thing then Liverpool is the place for you as it caters for all ages and interests. William Brown Street is home to The Walker Art Gallery and The World Museum. The architecture here is well worth a visit in its own right.

Down at the waterfront there are a whole range of options with; Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, The Beatles Story, British Music Experience and Tate Liverpool. If you are able to move further out to the suburbs and beyond a whole new range opens up including the childhood homes of both John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

A Stroll Down Hope Street Liverpool

Hope Street is one of Liverpool’s most iconic and well known streets not least for the fact that it links the citys two cathedrals. Linking Upper Parliament Street with Mount Pleasant it was named after William Hope, a wool and textile merchant, who lived on the site of what is now the Philharmonic Hall in the mid nineteenth century.

Today Hope Street is identified as being an integral part of the city’s Georgian Quarter, named after the town houses that were built in the area, in the Georgian style, from the early 1800s.

The southern end of Hope Street is dominated by the imposing presence of The Anglican Cathedral and St James Gardens.

The design was an open competition which was won by 22 year old Giles Gilbert Scott, who later went on to design the iconic red telephone box and Battersea Power Station.

Work officially began in 1904 and was not finished until 1978, eighteen years after Scotts death. Built in the gothic style of local red sandstone it dominates the skyline and is the fifth largest cathedral in the world. You can visit the cathedral’s website here.

Crossing Upper Duke Street the building on the left is The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, although is main entrance is on Mount Street. Opened in 1996 in the building that was once The Liverpool Institute Boys School, the former school of former Beatles Paul McCartney and George Harrison, it has become one of the leading learning centres of its type.

On the corner of Hope Street and Mount Street is John Kings 1998 art installation entitled A Case History. There are 27 cases in total which supposedly belong to people that have some connection with the Hope Street area. There is a noticeboard in Mount Street which lists the ‘owner’ of each case.

Opposite stands Blackburne House. When it was built as a private dwelling in 1788 it was in the countryside, removed from fast developing city. It is set back slightly from the road and surrounded by a wall which makes it rather difficult to see the building which is currently Grade II listed.

It became a girls school in 1844 and remained so until its closure in 1986. After laying empty for several years it was finally redeveloped into a training centre for women.

Crossing Hope Street once again we come to the statues of Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock.

Located by The London Carriage Works restaurant it is exactly halfway between the Anglican and Metropolitan cathedrals. Both men did much for the city of Liverpool, especially during the dark days for the city in the early eighties when unemployment and poverty put the city at odds with the then Tory government. They were often seen together and they worked tirelessly to bring communities and groups together. In recognition of the work they did for their adopted home they were awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 1994.

The statue represents two open doors and has newspaper headlines and clippings about them on the reverse.

The Philharmonic Hall opened in 1939 and was built in the Art Deco style, a very popular architectural style at the time. it is home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra which can trace its origins back to 1840, making it one of the oldest musical societies in the world. As well as orchestral concerts the hall is today also used for contemporary music and comedy shows. A smaller and more intimate venue called the Philharmonic Music Room was recently opened to the rear of the hall with an entrance on Sugnall Street.

Diagonally across the road from The Philharmonic Hall stands The Philharmonic Dining Rooms. Opened originally as a gentleman club but subsequently converted to a public house it is probably one of the finest in the city.

The Phil, as its locally known, is well known for the ornate gents toilets made from rose coloured marble. They are so architecturally important that they are grade I listed, making them a higher listing than the building itself.

The Everyman Theatre stands at the northern end of Hope Street.

The current building opened in 2014 following a three year rebuild but the theatre has been on this site since 1964. The theatre is important both locally and nationally and has been a launching pad for many careers.

Although technically located on Mount Pleasant, The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King represents the northern end of Hope Street for many people.

Built on the site of an old, victorian workhouse building began in the mid 1930s but plans were stalled by the outbreak of war in 1939. Post war austerity meant that plans had to be scaled back and the redesigned cathedral was finally consecrated in 1967. Of the original plan only the crypt was built and the entrance to this is on nearby Brownlow Hill. The cathedral is known locally as ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’.