subject: Vacations In Liverpool, England [print this page] Once the British Empire's second city, Liverpool has, since the Second World War been in decline. In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in investment with the centre of the city witnessing regeneration. In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture throughout the full twelve months there were countless events ranging from world class concerts to exciting exhibitions of art. With the European Capital of Culture year over what is there to bring in visitors to this vibrant city? Well there are plenty of new hotels meeting the requirements of all markets with accommodation ranging from economy Liverpool bed & breakfast to top class 5 star luxury. In the text below I introduce the reader to 3 attractions in Liverpool.
Tate Liverpool
Stood at Liverpool's waterfront, 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. The Tate is a very popular tourist attraction in Liverpool, seeing over 600,000 visitors through its' doors every year. The gallery is in one of the five converted warehouses. Originally altered by James Stirling, the building had to undergo further refurbishment in 1988 to create further more gallery space. In 2007 the foyer was redesigned, giving the gallery a more modern appearance with better proportions in the reception area.
Albert Dock Complex
Liverpool's Albert Dock was named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, who opened the docks in 1846. Over the years the docks were extremely busy, but eventually had to close to shipping in 1972. The docks lay quiet and derelict, that is until the 1980's when they were redeveloped with financial help 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 buildings in the United Kingdom. The docks are now home to a variety of tourist attractions, including the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
The Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Liverpool is celebrated for having two cathedrals: the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral and the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. When John Charles Rye was assigned Bishop of Liverpool in 1880, ironically Liverpool did not have a cathedral at that time. Soon, after a lot of deliberation, 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 building 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 three visitor attractions mentioned above the city of Liverpool has a great many more. Besides this there are many, many more not too far away, which are suitable places for a day trip. Places such as Manchester, are great for a day out but you might wish to stay for a couple of days to take in more of the place.
