Once the second city of the British Empire, Liverpool has, since World War Two been in decline. In recent years there has been a marked increase in investment with the city centre seeing regeneration. In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture throughout the year there were numerous events ranging from music concerts by world renowned musicians and singers to unique art exhibitions. With the European Capital of Culture year over what is there to attract tourists to this exciting city? Well there are certainly a number of new hotels meeting the requirements of all markets with accommodation ranging from economyLiverpool bed and breakfast to top class five star luxury hotels. In the article below I introduce you to three tourist attractions in the city of Liverpool.
The Tate Liverpool
Located on Liverpool’s waterfront, as part of the Albert Dock complex, is Tate Liverpool. Since opening in 1988, the Tate, for a short time, was the largest gallery of contemporary and modern art in the United Kingdom. The Tate is an extremely 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. Originally converted by James Stirling, the building had to undergo further refurbishment in 1988 to create further more space in the gallery. In 2007 the foyer was refurbished, giving the gallery a more modern appearance having much better proportions in the reception area.
The Albert Dock
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, whom the docks were named after, opened the docks in 1846. The docks were extremely busy over the years,, but eventually had to close to shipping in 1972. The docks lay derelict and quiet, that is until the 1980′s when they were redeveloped with funds from the Merseyside Development Corporation. The dock consisted of five warehouse buildings, all of which are Grade I listed, making the Albert Dock the largest set of Grade I listed buildings in the United Kingdom. The docks are now home to a variety of attractions, including the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
The Anglican Cathedral
Liverpool is renowned for being home to two cathedrals: the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral. When John Charles Rye was nominated Liverpool’s Bishop in 1880, ironically Liverpool was not is possession of a cathedral at that time. Soon, after a lot of discussion, the powers that be agreed that a cathedral was required. In 1902, they chose to hold an open competition for the design of the cathedral. The winning proposal was chosen in 1903, and astonishingly, was a design by student Giles Gilbert Scott, who had no preceding construction experience. Another architect, George F. Bodley, was appointed 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 completed.
As well as the 3 visitor attractions discussed above the city of Liverpool has a great many more. As well as this there are a huge number more not too far from the city, which are suitable destinations for a day trip. Places such as Manchester, are great for a day out but you might wish to stay there longer to take in more of the place. You might also find that our comprehensive listings of Liverpool bed and breakfast are useful during the planning stages of your vacation.