Tag: United Kingdom

5 Reasons to Visit Liverpool

  1. 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.
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

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.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

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 Royal Liver Building

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 Cunard Building

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.

The Port of Liverpool Building

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 Day Out in Chester

The walled city of Chester in the North West of the United Kingdom is  a perfect destination for a day out. Whatsmore many activities in the city can be done for free. The city itself is relatively compact and this makes it ideal for walking and this of course is a great way to take in everything that this wonderful, historic city has to offer.

Walk the City Walls – the origin of the wall dates back to Roman times when they were designed as part of the fortifications of the city. Although modified in the following centuries the wall is almost a complete circle around what was the medieval city boundary. At almost two miles in length a circuit of the walls can be completed in an hour, allowing for a gentle stroll and a few stops for photographs. The busiest section is that around Eastgate where there is also the famous Eastgate Clock.

For much of the rest of the walk you may well be largely on your own depending on the time of year. The walk affords excellent views of the amphitheatre, the River Dee, The Roodee racecourse and Chester Cathedral.

Walk The Rows

The Rows are a series of covered walkways on the main streets which are at the first floor level and give access to a further set of shops. They have existed in Chester since medieval times and are unique to Chester. They are to be found on the four streets that run out from Chester Cross in the centre of the city.

The Town Crier – proclamations are read by the city’s town crier at midday from Tuesday to Saturday in the summer months. At the Chester Cross in the centre of the city

Chester Cathedral – built of red sandstone in the gothic style the cathedral is an imposing structure in the centre of the city. Entry is free but they do suggest voluntary contribution of £4

It is also possible to visit the cathedral gardens where you can see a collection of birds of prey and even watch a display of them in flight. There is however a cost for this of £5 per adult and £4 per child. The entrance to the gardens is b y the city wall.

Roman Amphitheatre – the largest Roman Amphitheatre excavated in the UK and dating back to the first century it is an imposing piece of history surrounded as it is by modern day traffic. Only part of the original structure is visible, the remainder being under buildings, but it is enough to give you sense of the place which was big enough to hold up to seven thousand people.

The River Dee – The Groves is a paved walkway on the bank of the river and is only a short walk from the Amphitheatre and City Walls.

It is a pleasant area and well worth a stop on your tour of the city. From here it is possible to take a river cruise up river or cross the pedestrian bridge to explore Chester Meadows, an area of grassland on the south bank.

Chester also has numerous cafés, restaurants and bars if you are in need of refreshment and just need to relax for a few minutes in busy day sightseeing.