Liverpool

From literature to photography, the city’s arts scene is as dynamic as ever, finds Michelle Harbi

1 CENTRAL LIBRARY Liverpool has gone through huge regeneration in recent years, but start by taking in some of its finest historic buildings. Turn right out of Lime Street station, past the majestic St George’s Hall – gathering point for the city’s residents at times of protest and commemoration – to William Brown Street. Flanked by the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum is the Central Library.

Dating back to 1860, it reopened in 2013 following a £50 million revamp, which has added an impressive four-storey atrium, roof terrace and state-of-the-art technology while restoring its Grade II Listed façade and grandest spaces. These include the gorgeous Picton Reading Room, the circular walls of which are lined with everything from philosophy tomes to law reports, and the Hornby Library and Oak Room, housing the rarest works from its four millionstrong collection. Open 9am-8pm (10am Sun, until 5pm weekends). liverpool.gov.uk/libraries 2 THE BLUECOAT Head down Whitechapel into the city’s retail heart and turn left on to School Lane. Here, in the oldest building in central Liverpool – a former charity school that will turn 300 next year – is the Bluecoat contemporary arts centre. Showcasing the works of writers, artists, dancers and musicians, it has played host to everyone from Benjamin Britten to Captain Beefheart, while Yoko Ono had her first paid performance here in 1967.

Four galleries stage temporary exhibitions – until October 16, works by Irish artist Dennis McNulty will be on show as part of the city-wide Liverpool Biennial festival, while “Bloomberg New Contemporaries” showcases new talent from UK art schools. There’s a café, bistro and garden courtyard, plus independent shops such as legendary music store Probe Records, antiquarian bookseller Kernaghan and men’s shoe specialist JH Benson and Co. Open 9am-7pm (11am-6pm Sun). thebluecoat.org.uk

3 MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL Return to the main shopping thoroughfare and continue through the open-air Liverpool One complex towards the Mersey. Take in the buzz around Albert Dock before veering right to Pier Head and the Museum of Liverpool. Opened in 2011, in a striking new-build clad in 5,700 sqm of Jura stone, it explores the history and culture of the city from the Ice Age to the present through more than 6,000 artefacts.

It’s a diverse collection, so if time is tight, head for the “Wondrous Place” exhibition on the second floor, which celebrates the city’s contribution to sport, entertainment and the arts. There are the inevitable Beatles displays as well as the likes of John Peel’s headphones, Red Rum’s jockey silks, 19th-century Everton season tickets and the Brookside street sign, and moving exhibits remembering the Hillsborough disaster. Look out for Ben Johnson’s incredibly detailed 2008 Liverpool Cityscape painting. Open daily 10am-5pm; free. liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol 4 OPEN EYE GALLERY A couple of minutes’ walk from the museum is photography gallery Open Eye, which moved to its gleaming premises here in 2011. Founded in 1977, it has an archive of about 1,600 prints from the 1930s to the present, including many local works, and also stages changing exhibitions across its two blank-canvas floors. It will showcase shots by Japanese, French and Portuguese photographers as part of the Liverpool Biennial until October 16. London-based artists Walter and Zoniel will also create the gallery’s latest “Wall Work”– a graphic art installation across the building’s façade – to coincide with the festival. Open 10.30am-5.30pm Tues-Sun; free. 19 Mann Island; openeye.org.uk 5 OH ME OH MY Finish by enjoying fine views over a drink at Oh Me Oh My, a five-minute walk away on Water Street. Housed in the 1920 Grade II Listed West Africa House, an eight-storey former bank, its attractive, high-ceilinged groundfloor space serves a café menu and afternoon tea – but if the weather is with you, head straight for the Goodness Gracious roof terrace.

Decked out with greenery and candy-coloured tables, with a retro-lounge soundtrack, it offers great views of the “Three Graces” opposite – the Royal Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings. Light dishes are served as well as draft beer, wine and spirits (cash-only bar upstairs). Dependent on weather, the terrace is open 12pm-7pm daily until the end of September; café 9am-4pm Mon-Fri (closed for events evenings and weekends). ohmeohmyliverpool.co.uk