Liverpool “Pool of life”

A first-time visit to the city of Liverpool. Numerous people had always recommended Liverpool as a great city to visit. I had always been a bit sceptical as I have no interest in football and had never liked the Beatles.

Growing up in the late 70s and early 80s Liverpool was a much-tarnished city within media circles , with a lot of unjust publicity regarding crime, run-down communities, a politically corrupt city council and the stereotypical scouse git. It had a negative reputation due to its high unemployment and economic turmoil

Fast forward to the present day, Liverpool is still the victim of some adverse publicity, the city has considerably re-gentrified itself. The once-decaying docks area is now a fantastic example of urban redevelopment and the city has more listed buildings than anywhere outside London.

Excellent transportation links, extremely friendly locals, reasonably priced accommodation and eating and drinking won’t leave you out of pocket either. I for one have been set straight to all the delights Liverpool has to offer and will certainly be returning.

The Royal Liver Building

The Royal Liver Building is a Grade l listed building located at Pier Head. It is one of Liverpool’s most recognizable landmarks.

As we were staying just opposite The Royal Liver Building, and just arrived for our weekend in Liverpool. Where better place to start our adventure to fully utilize the time we had.

We didn’t need to book and we made the 14.30 tour with about 10 minutes to spare. There is no getting away from the fact that it’s certainly a very impressive building. It is 340 feet tall and was one of the first buildings in the world to be built using reinforced concrete. On completion in 1911, it was the UK’s tallest building.

The Liver birds themselves which are situated on both the towers are 18ft tall. Popular legend has it that one of the Liver birds looks over the city to protect it’s people while the other Liver bird overlooks the sea for new sailors. Although Liverpool humour dictates the male Liver bird (Bertie) is looking what time the pubs are opening and the female Liver bird (Bella) is looking for a new sailor coming into port.

Continuing on the subject of birds I was rewarded with a bird’s eye view of the River Mersey and the Wirral Peninsula which is located directly opposite the Liverpool waterfront.

Mersey Ferries “Fezzy across the Mersey”

From one Liverpool icon to another, the Mersey ferries are located just in front of the Royal Liver Building on Liverpool’s riverside.

A ferry across the Mersey is nothing new there has been a crossing since at least the 12th century and even to this day, it remains a popular mode of transport for visitors and locals alike.

Ferries depart from the Gerry Marsden ferry terminal and Woodside terminal on the Wirral. We took the 50 minute River Explorer Cruise, pre booking is advised however I booked on the day and didn’t have a problem.

The 50-minute ferry journey gives outstanding views of Liverpool’s iconic waterfront as well as some fantastic views of the Wirral Peninsula which is situated directly opposite Liverpool.

Although the highlight of the cruise for me was the view of the Three Graces which are probably the most famous buildings on the riverfront. These magnificent buildings were constructed as visible symbols of Liverpool’s prestige and commercial standing as one of the world’s busiest ports.

Liverpool Waterfront

Onetime a vast area of Post-industrial decay. The area was redeveloped by the Merseyside Development Corporation in 1981 and officially reopened in 1984. It is now a lively cultural hub on the River Mersey.

There is no denying the fact that the waterfront is one of the most stunning parts of the city. It’s the visitor hub of Liverpool where you will find the Royal Liver Building, Mersey Ferries, Albert Dock and the Beatles Statue just to name a few attractions located there.

Although not a fan of the music at all, it would be rather churlish of me not to grab a photo of the Fab Four on the Liverpool Waterfront.

It’s hard to miss in between the Mersey ferry terminal and the Cunard Building it certainly has pride of place on the dockside, the fab four in front of Three Graces, two liver birds and one iconic waterfront.

Another major attraction on the waterfront is the Royal Albert Dock. This is a central visitor hub where you can take advantage of the impressive retail, leisure and culinary offerings at the dock.

Tate Liverpool, Maritime Museum, The International Slavery Museum and The Beatles Story can also be found at the Royal Albert Dock.

The Royal Albert Docks is the most visited multi-use attraction in the UK outside of London. The docking complex and warehouses also comprise the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK.

Parks in Liverpool

Princes Park

A grade II listed park in the heart of Toxteth

For us, it was the location of the nearest park run to our hotel in Liverpool. Less than two miles away this very pleasant park is situated in Toxteth, an excellent location to participate in the 5 kilometres park run. Full of friendly locals and a big thanks to volunteers who allow these park runs to take place.

The park itself was opened in 1842. As inner city parks go it isn’t bad, with impressive entrances, a carriageway perimeter drive which the park run follows for much of the route and a picturesque lake.

Sefton Park

Liverpool’s largest park is easily accessible by public transport or car.

Located near Princes Park is Sefton Park another Grade 1 historic park. This 235 acre park is a Green Heritage awarded site.

There are several impressive monuments situated in the park, including the Eros Fountain, Peter Pan statue and the Grade II listed Shaftesbury Memorial.

At Sefton Park, you will find its most impressive building the Palm House. Which is a Victorian glasshouse first opened in 1892. Badly damaged during WWII, rescued by the Save the Palm House campaign in 1992 and officially reopened in 1993. It now houses over 200 plant varieties and is a popular wedding venue.

There is also a very large lake in Sefton Park originally a boating lake. The lake was emptied in 2007 for restoration work and refilled in 2010. It was restocked with fish and is now a very popular location with anglers.

Lark Lane

Just of Sefton Park, you will find the rather delightful Lark Lane. Located just south of the city centre and worth exploring.

Lark Lane is a very colourful area where we found an eclectic mix of unique and independent retailers with lots of cafes and restaurants.

Lark Lane is very much the centre of Liverpool’s alternative scene with an art centre located in the old police station holding regular events such as holistic healing, craft fairs and flea markets.

Toxteth’s Welsh Streets

It has been jokingly said that Liverpool is the Capital of North Wales due to its links and proximity to North Wales. This can be seen in Toxteth where I found a group of late 19th-century Victorian terrace houses where a large community of Welsh people lived.

The history of Liverpool’s Irish community is very well known. Less well known is Liverpool’s Welsh community. Many came to Liverpool for work and many areas of Liverpool can trace its history back to the first Welsh community who settled there.

In Toxteth, many streets are named after Welsh places and landmarks. Over 10,000 terrace houses were built in Toxteth for Welsh workers from the 1850s onwards. There was also a large Welsh community in Everton. Over 80,000 Welsh people were living in Liverpool at the beginning of the 20th century.

Welsh Streets was the home of Ringo Star where it forms part of the Beatle’s magical mystery tour. The area had become derelict in the later part of the 20th century. Nonetheless has been redeveloped and has now started to become a vibrant community once again offering the local community affordable social housing.

Continuing with the Welsh theme, on Liverpool’s riverside I found a small memorial to the first Welsh settlers who left Liverpool on the ship Mimosa in 1865 to start a new life in Patagonia Argentina.

The Cavern Quarter

The Cavern Quarter is a pilgrimage to The Beatles. Located on Matthew Street it’s a popular destination for all things Beatles related.

If I am being honest a trip to the Cavern Club was well down on my things to do in Liverpool. Regardless, my wife was keen to visit so being a very amenable human being agreed to visit The Cavern Club. How many Beatles songs will I have the misfortune to have to listen to?

We paid the £5 entrance fee, there are bands in the Beatles pub opposite the Cavern Club, which has free entry, however, now I am here I might as well go for the full shebang.

Once inside I was surprised that there were not one but two stages, The artists were very good and not glorified Beatles cover bands. Songs were predominantly Beatles but they played some non-Beatles songs as well. Despite my reservations, a very entertaining afternoon was had. The atmosphere was excellent, the performers were fantastic and the bar prices were very reasonable. Not the overpriced tourist trap I was expecting.

Radio City Tower

A radio and observation tower in the city centre

First opened in 1969. The tower stands at 138 metres and is Liverpool’s tallest free standing building if you include its 10 metre antenna. The tower was listed as a Grade II building in November 2020.

The tower has had a very colourful history. It was a revolving restaurant until 1979 when it was closed due to health and safety issues. It reopened in the early 80s but closed again in 1983. The tower reminded empty until 1998, when Radio City bought and renovated the tower for £5 million and reopened in August 2000. In 2010 the first floor of the tower was opened to the public as an observation tower.

The viewing platform certainly gave me a unique perspective of the city as I walk around giving me a 360 degree of not only Liverpool and the Wirral but Blackpool, North Wales and Snowdonia.

Liverpool’s Chinatown

Liverpool has a very multicultural population. Along with Irish, and Welsh, Liverpool has Europe’s oldest established Chinatown. Over 10,000 Chinese people are living in Liverpool and its surrounding areas.

I certainly knew I was entering Chinatown it was hard to miss the traditional Chinese arch which was imported from Shanghai and assembled by Chinese craftsmen. The arch not only welcomes you to Chinatown it also celebrates the twinning of Liverpool with Shanghai.

St George’s Quarter

Part of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site and boasts one of the finest collections of Victorian architecture in the UK.

Liverpool has the greatest concentration of listed buildings outside of London. Many of the grandest buildings can be found in St George’s quarter. Some of the buildings include the Central Library, Royal Court, St George’s Hall, Walker Art Gallery, Royal Court and St John’s Garden.

Even if Victorian Architecture isn’t for you, the buildings on display are certainly worth a look as it’s right in the city centre. The square is a popular gathering place for political rallies, demonstrations and public meetings. So St George’s Quarter isn’t only steeped in architectural history but social history as well.

Two faces of Liverpool at St George’s Quarter. The lion regally surveys the manor overlooked by Radio City Tower, while in the second picture Radio City Tower gives a birds eye view. of St George’s Quarter.

Rooftop drinks with a view!!!

Enjoy a spectacular view of Liverpool from a rooftop bar.

While I was staying in Liverpool the sun was shining and British Summer time was here 🌞 A drink at one of the rooftop bars was definitely in order if only to get a different perspective of Liverpool’s beautiful architecture 😆

We choose the delightfully named Oh Me Oh My as it was situated near to our hotel and for the fantastic view we got of The Royal Liver Building and the River Mersey. No pre-booking is required and drinks for the location in my opinion very reasonably priced, perhaps just one more drink to enjoy that exquisite view.

Unique night life

Liverpool’s not-so-secret cocktail bar.

I was slightly intrigued to find this red phone box in one of the back streets of Liverpool. On closer inspection, it was the entrance to a rather quirky cocktail bar. I thought my wife had lost her marbles when telling me to look for a red phone box.

Pre-booking is required to gain entry at this establishment by phone ☎️ of course. As this guarantees a table as it can be a popular place.

An enjoyable visit which seemed to be very popular with the locals. Classic cocktails are served here however the signature cocktails are anything but traditional, Catwalk bellini served in a stiletto glass, put a ring on it served in a doughnut.

Not to mention some unique pubs

Old-school boozer or ultra-modern craft beer den? The best pubs in Liverpool run the gamut from traditional to boundary-pushing.

Being a man of a certain age I now have an affinity for tradition. This Grade II listed former pump house at the Royal Albert Dock fits the bill perfectly for me.

This is a pub in the classic mould, nothing wrong with that. A good selection of craft beers, real ales alongside traditional favourites and a good selection of gins, rums and wines.

It also boasts a wonderful dockside beer garden, a perfect place to delight in a sunset over Royal Albert Dock. Gave me time to contemplate the delights of this grand maritime city.