- 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.
