Liverpool Waterfront

In Brief.

The Liverpool Waterfront, on the tidal River Mersey, is one of the most recognisable urban spaces in the UK. Though stripped of its World Heritage status because of unsympathetic modern developments, the core of the current waterfront area around the Albert Dock both preserves and repurposes historical landmarks and hosts a variety of cultural venues that enable a rich and varied visit.

The Three Graces beyond the Museum of Liverpool

What's Here?

This is a destination that combines a collection of things to look at (notably the Three Graces from the early 20th Century and the surviving Victorian Docks), and things to go inside (such as Tate Liverpool, The Museum of Liverpool, The Maritime Museum, The International Slavery Museum and The Beatles Story).

A colourful ferry heads across the Mersey.

One way of combining looking at with going inside is on The Mersey Ferries, which offer a 50 minute cruise with a single stop in Birkenhead on the south bank of the Mersey. This cruise has an informative commentary on the history of Liverpool as a port city, while providing excellent views of both banks of the river.

The Albert Dock

There is plenty choice for other things to visit. I visited the Tate Liverpool art gallery in the Albert Dock, which has a series of airy spaces hosting themed exhibitions containing items from the Tate's collection and special exhibitions (as well as a pleasant coffee shop and compact but interestingly stocked gift shop). Having visited Tate Modern earlier in the year, Tate Liverpool was reassuringly less pretentious.

The Museum of Liverpool is a bold modern building between The Albert Dock and The Three Graces; the architecture doesn't annoy me the way it does some, and certainly there are other buildings in the vicinity that make you wonder more what the architects could have been thinking. Inside, there are several themed galleries with worthwhile exhibitions on a range of themes, including the history of the docks, the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and the impact of the world wars on the city and its people. There are also a number of quite small scale displays, where jumping from topic to topic tends to obscure the story, but overall, the museum provides a useful introduction to the life and times of the city.

Practicalities.

Distance from Manchester Town Hall: 35 miles

Drive Time: 1 hour 5 minutes.

Price: $$ (Very much depends what you do; there are several free / discretionary fee places, including Tate Liverpool and The Liverpool Museum).

Parking: Understandably, there's no free parking. I parked at the Liverpool Waterfront carpark (L3 4BX).

Food and Drink: There are lots of eateries; cafes in museums, and restaurants at Albert Dock and Liverpool One.

Retail therapy: The tourist attractions tend to have shops attached to them; the one in The Tate has an interesting selection of art-themed products.  The Liverpool One shopping centre is a short walk inland from Albert Dock, with a large collection of the usual suspects.

Child Friendly: The museums and galleries are geared up for kids.

Toilets: Yes - at Albert dock and inside the tourist destinations.

Do it justice in: all day

Inside-Outside: 70:30

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chester Zoo

Image
In Brief. Chester Zoo is a substantial modern zoo, with a remarkable collection of animals of all sizes, from land, sea and air. The Zoo is divided into several zones, for example there is an islands zone and a Madagascar zone, though it's hard to sense that you are really focusing on anything in particular with such diversity on hand.  The zoo itself is a pleasant environment, with lots of greenery, there are eateries spread across the site, and the enclosures seem in good condition and not too cramped. The flamingos What's Here? This is rather a formidable zoo, with everything from an aquarium and a butterfly house to large mammals (elephants and rhinos) and predators (jaguars and lions). There is so much to see that any day trip is unlikely to do it justice, and you can't help but find yourself wandering past potentially interesting things on the way to something you spotted on a sign or in the app.  For a typical animal, there will be some signs highlighting area of or
Read more

Hardwick Hall

Image
In Brief. Hardwick Hall is a grand, well preserved Elizabethan country house, run by the National Trust, with a walled garden and extensive grounds. The adjacent garden includes an orchard and some fine views over the fields, but the highlight is the house. Built for a grand dame of the Elizabethan period, the hall retains many of its original features, being largely spared from generations of home improvements. The site also includes the adjacent  Hardwick Old Hall , which is run by English Heritage, but they certainly drew the short straw as only the shell of the Old Hall survives. What's Here. Hardwick Hall was built to suit the needs and reflect the status of Bess of Hardwick (1521-1608), who was born on the site, outlived a succession of husbands, and accumulated significant wealth in the process.  Her initials (ES - Elizabeth Shrewsbury) adorn the towers. The house spent a considerable time in the possession of descendants who also owned the even more imposing Chatsworth ,
Read more