In love with Liverpool
Die Weltkulturerbestätte im Nordwesten Englands bietet alles: großartige Bauten und Museen, Weltklasse-fußball und natürlich die Beatles. JESS GALLEY weiß, warum Liverpool auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert ist.
You don’t have to be a Beatles fan to love Liverpool — although it helps. Liverpudlians have a zest for life that you can find not only in their music but also in their architecture, their art and their way of life.
As the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest rock-and-roll bands, Liverpool is a must-visit tourist destination for any music fan. But the charm of the city, in England’s north-west, extends further than its link with the Beatles — much further, in fact.
Whether you come for the history, buzzing nightlife or Premier League football teams, you’ll be quickly won over by the friendly locals, known as “Scousers”, who are always ready to chat over a pint of lager in a pub. It’s this warmth that attracts millions of tourists to the city each year — and keeps me going back for more.
I was lucky enough to call Liverpool home for the best part of a decade, and regularly praise it to anyone who’ll listen. While most visitors to the UK go straight to the bright lights and busy streets of London, I feel the northern cities are often forgotten — and wrongly so. Northern England offers an exciting mix of culture and history that simply needs to be experienced to be believed. And, in my opinion, no city blends past and present better than Liverpool.
Beside the seaside
Have I convinced you to add Liverpool to the list of places you’d like to see? If I have, what you’ll need to pack depends on the time of year you choose to visit. Like most of England, the city receives its fair share of rain during the year, the wettest months being October and November. So, for those wanting to stay dry, I’d recommend visiting the city in the summer months: June, July and August.
If you’re lucky enough to find the sun shining during your stay, then a walk along Crosby Beach is the perfect way to get some fresh air — it takes just 20 minutes to get there by car from the city centre. The first thing you’ll notice is a collection of eye-catching life-size statues in the sand, staring out to the Irish Sea, which borders Britain’s west coast. The impressive installation, titled Another Place, is the work of British artist Sir Antony Gormley. There are 100 figures, modelled on the artist’s own naked body, positioned along the beach and out to sea.
If you have the luxury of time, travel north from Crosby to Southport, where you’ll find the typical elements of a British seaside town, including fish and chips (which always taste better on the coast), a historic pier and even a small amusement park called Pleasureland.
A cathedral to spare
Even if the weather isn’t on your side, there’s so much to explore in Liverpool, and if you’re interested in history, architecture or culture, you’ll never be bored. For several years, I lived in the shadow of the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral at one end of the city’s suitably named Hope Street, waking every Sunday to the sound of church bells.
To this day, I’m fascinated by the cathedral’s impressive neo-gothic architecture. Over 100 metres tall, and towering over the city, this is Britain’s largest religious building. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the cathedral took 74 years to complete, opening its doors for the first time in 1978.
Surprisingly, this enormous cathedral isn’t Scott’s most famous work: the Sussex-born architect was also responsible for creating Britain’s iconic red telephone box. In 1924, Scott won a competition to design the first public telephone kiosk, which remains one of Britain’s most readily recognized symbols. In a 2015 poll, it was voted the best British design of all time, beating the Rolls-royce car, the Spitfire fighter plane and the Union Jack.
At the other end of Hope Street stands the city’s second cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, known locally as “Paddy’s Wigwam” — the nickname refers to the large number of Roman Catholics of Irish descent living in Liverpool. The fact that the city has two cathedrals — in the same street! — is mentioned in the 1960s folk song “In My Liverpool Home”, where the line “If you want a cathedral, we’ve got one to spare” is part of the chorus.
Designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and completed in 1967, this place of worship couldn’t look more different from its Anglican neighbour. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but you’ll be impressed by the cathedral’s round interior and the natural light that shines in through the crown of thorns above.
Lessons from the past
While both cathedrals are relatively modern, Liverpool is full of history, most of which centres around its coastal location. Visitors to the docks today will still see a lot of activity, from trade and cruise ships, to stylish restaurants and bars.
But there’s also a much darker side to Liverpool’s history. By the late 1700s, the city had become the European capital of the slave trade, which caused the population to grow from 5,000 people to 78,000 people within a century. While very few slaves actually passed through Liverpool, by the 1790s, the city is said to have controlled 80 per cent of the British slave trade and over 40 per cent of the European slave trade — and it remained that way until 1807, when Parliament finally prohibited the slave trade in the British Empire.
Liverpool’s involvement in the slave trade can be explored in greater depth at the International Slavery Museum, located at the Royal Albert Dock on Liverpool’s World Heritage Site waterfront. Evidence of this chapter of Liverpool’s past can also be found hiding in plain sight around the city. Many streets still bear the names of people linked to slavery. Rodney Street, for example, was named after Admiral
George Rodney, a supporter of the slave trade, and Bold Street takes its name from Jonas Bold, a famous slave merchant who went on to become lord mayor of Liverpool. In 2020, however, Liverpool City Council announced plans to put up signs next to road names such as these, to provide more information about the city’s history.
In recent years, some of these historic streets have been the location of a number of films and television series. The city has featured in popular TV shows, including Peaky Blinders and The Crown, as well as Hollywood blockbusters such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Captain America: The First Avenger and the next Batman movie, starring Robert Pattinson.
In fact, Liverpool is now one of the most filmed UK cities outside London — and it’s not too difficult to be part of the action. Imagine stepping out of your front door to find Tom Hardy filming Peaky Blinders just a few metres away — as happened to me one morning!
Magical mystery tour
Despite its many attractions, most visitors still pour into Liverpool to follow in the steps of the “Fab Four”. John Lennon, Paul Mccartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — better known as the Beatles — were all born in the city and grew up here, and began their musical careers performing at places such as the Cavern Club at 10 Mathew Street.
While the Cavern has seen some changes in the years since it first opened its doors, in 1957, it still stands today on the original site and attracts millions of music lovers each year. If you want to visit, just look out for the lifelike statue of a young John Lennon leaning against a lamp post outside. It’s the ideal place to stop and pose for a photograph.
The brick wall opposite is covered with the names of other famous performers who’ve appeared on the Cavern’s stage over the years — from local talent such as Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers, to the Rolling Stones and the Drifters.whatever your tastes,
you’re sure to spot a name or two from your own record or CD collection.
Although it’s probably the most famous Beatles location in Liverpool, the Cavern is just one of many that will interest fans of John, Paul, George and Ringo. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon is to buy a ticket for one of the Beatles tours that operate around the city.
You’ll be taken to their childhood homes, and to places that inspired some of their most famous songs, such as the site of the former Strawberry Field children’s home, Penny Lane and the “grave” of the mysterious Eleanor Rigby. Or you can learn more about how the band became famous by visiting The Beatles Story museum at the Royal Albert Dock.
A tale of two teams
It’s not just music that has earned Liverpool global fame, however. The city is proud of not one but two successful Premier League football teams: Liverpool FC (known as “the Reds”) and Everton FC (known as “the Blues”).
If you take a taxi out of the city centre, you’ll soon find yourself in Stanley Park. This pretty green space might look like any ordinary English park, but it actually sits directly between Anfield Stadium and Goodison Park.
As you wander through the park, you’ll be able to see both stadiums towering above the trees and, on match days, you can hear the fans’ cheers echoing through the trees. Both stadiums run tours offering visitors the chance to see the dressing rooms and dugouts, view the pitch from the directors’ box and even catch sight of the Premier League trophy.
If you find yourself here at the weekend, why not try to buy a ticket and join in with the tens of thousands of fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” or “Singing the Blues”? After a match at Anfield, take a moment to visit the eternal flame memorial to the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the horrific disaster at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989.
It’s been a few years since I called Liverpool home, but the city still holds a very special place in my heart. No matter how many times I visit, Liverpool always feels new and exciting. It’s a place where it feels as though anything is possible, where you can never really be sure what you might find around the next corner. Most importantly, this is a city where anyone can feel at home. But don’t just take my word for it — come and visit, and fall in love with Liverpool yourself.