Two hours by train north of London, Liverpool is known for its culture, primarily its musicians have produced more no. 1 singles than any other city in the world. And, of course, it’s the home of The Beatles.

Liverpool is the fourth largest city in the UK by population, and after London, it has the second-highest number of Art Galleries. It’s also an important port similar to Bristol to the south and was heavily bombed during WWII.

After arriving in the early afternoon, I dropped off my bag at my room and set out to explore in the 32-degree heat. I quickly located the Walker Art Gallery and headed inside in the hope of finding some cooling. It was cooler but not as air-conditioned as I’d hoped.

While not huge, the gallery still had plentiful exhibits, from the room full of ancient Roman statues and imprints to collections of ceramics, and of course, paintings from many different styles, old and modern.

After my wander around the gallery, I began exploring the city, including the County Sessions House. The Victorian era building was originally the city courthouse, then the Merseyside Museum of Labour History, and now the staff offices for the Walker Art Gallery.

Along from the Walker Art Gallery is the World Museum, which opened in 1853 and became one of the great British museums. It suffered extensive damage during World War 2, burning down after a bomb landed on the library next door. After I visited the art gallery, I decided to explore the city more before coming back to look through the exhibits but never made it. Headlining while I was in town was an Exhibition on AI.

Wandering down towards the docks, I discovered the Royal Liver Building with its two spires, one at each end of the building; this end is facing the river. At the top of the spires are Liver Birds, mythical creatures that watch over the city. It is said that if they were to fly away, Liverpool would cease to exist, so the birds are chained to their perches just in case.

Near the Royal Liver Building is the Titanic Memorial, a granite monument commemorating the 244 engineers who lost their lives in the Titanic disaster in 1912.

Heading along the docks, I took a walk around the Royal Albert Dock and found the Jellybean mosaic of The Beatles I’d seen in my first brief visit to Liverpool several years ago. I then crossed back into the main commercial area, where I stopped in the heat for a sly cider or two to help cool down. After finding something to eat, I decided to change my accommodation and settled into my new, cooler and quieter place for the night.

The next day, after finding a local place for a Full English Breakfast, I headed for my booking at The Beatles Story. I spent the next 90 minutes listening to the Beatles’ story from beginning to end on the provided audio device while walking through rooms dedicated to parts of the story. For the story, they recreated the Cavern Club, where the band began, along with their first recording studio.

While The Beatles were from my mother’s era, I still knew a fair bit about them, and this tour just filled in a lot of gaps. Afterwards, I enjoyed a coffee and scone in the cafeteria before heading on for my day. I headed into the main commercial area for lunch before exploring the city some more.

On the East side of the central city, in an area known as Ropewalks, I found St. Lukes Bombed Out Church which, on May 6 1941, was struck by an incendiary device. The ensuing fire lasted several days before it left only a stonework shell of the building. It is now a memorial to those who lost their lives in WWII.

A block along from St. Luke’s Bombed Out Church is Liverpool’s Chinatown, the first established Chinatown in Europe. I have to admit, other than the rather grand gateway, the area is a little underwhelming. Perhaps it was just timing, as none of the restaurants were open Friday afternoon.

I then worked my way back to Matthew Street, home of the infamous Cavern Club, before finding a perch and a cold cider.

Then it was back to the docks to the Museum of Liverpool, where I spent the next hour strolling around exhibitions relating to the Blitz of Liverpool, the history of the region from Ice Age to present, the overhead railway that once ran the length of the docks, and a gallery on the city soldiers.

Back in the heat, I attempted to get to the Liverpool Cathedral, its tower visible from across the city but ended up in the Cains Brewery Village and Baltic Market area instead. It’s a large area of bars and food outlets, including several box parks. After a quick look around, I continued on.

On finally reaching the Liverpool Cathedral, I felt a little humbled by its size. For a start, its design is a more modern red brick instead of the gothic styles of other cathedrals I’ve seen. It was huge. This side height is 36 metres, while the central tower beyond is just over 100 metres. It is the longest cathedral in the world at 189m.

Final Impressions

Liverpool was a fun couple of days away from London in a city with many sides. There are so many things to do, hidden museums and galleries and, of course, Beatles sites everywhere. It’s definitely worth the visit.

Until next time,
The World Wanderer