Taking Liverpool Vacations And Some Facts You Need To Know
May 24, 2009 by Tony Cunningham
Filed under Destinations
Liverpool, once the second city of the British Empire, has, since WOrld War II been in decline. In recent years there has been a marked increase in investment with the centre of the city undergoing regeneration. In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture throughout the full twelve months there were numerous events ranging from music concerts by world renowned musicians and singers to superb art exhibitions. No longer the European Capital of Culture what is there to attract visitors to this lively city? Well there are plenty of new Liverpool hotels which cater for all tastes. In the article below I introduce you to 3 tourist attractions in Liverpool.
Tate Liverpool
Found at the Liverpool’s waterfromt, as part of the Albert Dock complex, is Tate Liverpool. Since opening in 1988, the Tate, for a short space of time, was the largest gallery of contemporary and modern art in the United Kingdom, outside London. The Tate is a highly popular visitor attraction in Liverpool, catering for in excess of 600,000 visitors through its’ doors each twelve months. The gallery is in one of the 5 converted warehouses orignally converted by James Stirling. However, the building had to undergo further refurbishment in1988 to create more gallery space. In 2007 the foyer was redesigned, giving the gallery a more modern appearance and better proportions in the reception area.
Albert Dock
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, whom the docks were named after, opened the docks in 1846. Over the years the docks were extremely busy, but eventually had to close to shipping in 1972. For many years the docks lay derelict and quiet, until the 1980′s when they were redeveloped with funding from the Merseyside Development Corporation. The dock consisted of five warehouse buildings, all of which are Grade I listed, making the Albert Dock complex the largest set of Grade I listed building in the United Kingdom. The docks are now home to a number of attractions, including the Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral
Liverpool is celebrated for having two cathedrals: the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral. When John Charles Rye was assigned Bishop of Liverpool in 1880, ironically Liverpool did not have a cathedral at that time. Eventually, after a lot of discussion, the powers that be decided that a cathedral was required. In 1902, they chose to hold an open competition for the design of the cathedral. The winning design was chosen in 1903, and astonishingly, was a proposal by student Giles Gilbert Scott, who had no former building experience. Another architect, George F. Bodley, was nominated to work with Scott, and oversee all designs and construction works. King Edward VII laid the foundation stone in 1904, and in 1910, the first part of the cathedral, the Lady Chapel, was finished.
Besides the 3 tourist attractions examined above Liverpool has a great many more. Not only this there are a great many more not too far away from the city, perfect for a day visit. If you are planning to spend time in Liverpool you may wish to take a look at our web site which has a comprehensive list of Liverpool guest houses and hotels as well as a selection of Liverpool apartments.