Almost everyone knows what Liverpool is famous for but, as DAMIAN TULLY-POINTON reports, there’s more to do in the city than people realise.
Ask a Beatles nut or a sports fan and you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s not much left to see in Liverpool once you’ve crossed the yellow submarine, football stadiums and the Grand National off your ‘must do’ list.
Granted, the town decidedly and proudly wears its musical and sporting heritage on its sleeve – the latter especially this month with the return of the Open Championship to Liverpool Golf Club after 39 years – but it wasn’t for these alone that it was awarded the European Capital of Culture 2008 title.
With that in mind, here are 10 things to see and do in Liverpool that don’t involve football, horseracing, golf or The Beatles – well, maybe a little bit of The Beatles. It was their stomping ground after all!
1 Architecture
With its famous skyline defined by the ‘Three Graces’ – the Royal Liver Building (Britain’s first skyscraper), the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool building – and more Grade I and II listed buildings than any other British city outside London – Liverpool boasts a wealth of world-class architectural treasures. The jewel in the city’s crown is its waterfront, lined with 18th century buildings and maritime warehouses, and named as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Ask the Tourist Information centre about the self-guided Liverpool Heritage Walk.
2 Albert Dock
Built between 1841 and 1848, Albert Dock was one of the first enclosed docks in the world. Today, it’s the place to be seen in Liverpool. The five-storey warehouses were lovingly restored and refurbished in the 1980s, and now two-and-a-half hectares of water is ringed by shops, bars, restaurants, offices, television studios, and several of the city’s internationally-renowned museums and art galleries. See www.albertdock.com.
3 Museums and galleries
Culture vultures are spoilt for choice in Liverpool: the town has more museums and galleries than any other outside the capital. For a history lesson, head to the refurbished World Museum Liverpool (everything from archaeology to natural history), and the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Customs and Excise Museum (both in Albert Dock and devoted to Liverpool’s rich maritime heritage). For art enthusiasts, try the Walker Art Gallery and the northern branch of the Tate Gallery, before sampling the city’s many independent galleries. See www.artinliverpool.com.
4 The twin cathedrals
Towering at either end of Hope Street, it’s hard to miss Liverpool’s twin cathedrals. At the northern end is the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, which would have been larger than St Peter’s in Rome had the war and Liverpool’s decline not forced the priests back to the drawing board. In the south, the neo-gothic Liverpool Cathedral Church of Christ remains the largest Anglican church in the world.
5 Musical Liverpool
The Beatles weren’t the only Scousers to put Liverpool on the musical map. The town was also home to Echo and the Bunnymen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Elvis Costello, Mel C and the gals of Atomic Kitten, to name just a few. Make your way to Matthew Street, and you’ll find the Liverpool Wall of Fame, on which hangs a disc for each of the 54 Liverpool bands or solo artists who have had a No.1 chart hit since 1952.
6 The Cavern Club
Also in Matthew Street is the legendary Cavern Club which, as well as being the place where it all began for The Beatles, was graced in its heyday by other great names in rock including The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who and John Lee Hooker. The original Cavern was actually closed in 1973 and later demolished, but the current Cavern Club has faithfully reproduced the exact interior and, more importantly, the atmosphere of the original club. About 40 live bands perform every week, so catch a gig if you can.
7 Catch the ferry across the Mersey
For the best view of the Liverpool waterfront, you need to head over to the Wirral side of the Mersey, via the short ferry ride, made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers’ song, Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey. If you’re not familiar with the song, don’t fear, on round ferry trips it’s played almost every time the ferry prepares to dock at the Liverpool landing stage. The ferries leave regularly from Pier Head.
8 Chinatown
Liverpool has been home to a permanent Chinese community since a direct trade route between the city and China commenced around 1870, and its Chinatown district is, in fact, the oldest in Europe. Centered on Nelson and Berry streets, and boasting the biggest Chinese arch outside of China, the area’s restaurants won’t disappoint, nor will the colourful shops of endless Chinese curios.
9 Calderstones Park
This vast suburban parkland houses two ancient treasures worth a look. The park itself is named after the six megaliths found there, which are said to predate Stonehenge. The other landmark is the Allerton Oak (also known as the Law Oak), claimed to be the tree under which the Hundred Court sat 1000 years ago. The park also incorporates the Harthill Botanical Gardens, founded in 1802.
10 Beatlemania
No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to avoid some form of encounter with something Beatles-esque in nature, so it’s easier to just embrace it. To see Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and the multitude of other hallowed Beatles’ landmarks, you can either jump on a big yellow bus with 40 other diehard fans and do the
Magical Mystery Tour, or if that sounds a bit too much to stomach, it’s easy to pick up a tourist map and find them yourself. On the off chance that you get lost, just pop into the Abbey Road Oyster Bar, Lennon’s Bar or the Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds café (get the picture?) and someone will point you in the right direction.
For more information about Liverpool, see Visit Liverpool.
