Once the second city of the British Empire, Liverpool has, since the Second World War been in decline. In recent years there has been a marked increase in investment with the city centre seeing regeneration. Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture for 2008 all through the year there were countless events ranging from world class concerts to unique art exhibitions. Now the year has passed what is there to attract tourists to this wonderful city? Well there are certainly a number of new Liverpool hotels which cater for all tastes. In the text below I take a close look at three visitor attractions in Liverpool.

The Tate Gallery, Liverpool

Located at the waterfront in Liverpool, 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, besides London. The Tate is a very popular tourist attraction in Liverpool, catering for over 600,000 visitors through its’ doors each year. 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 very busy, but eventually had to close to shipping in 1972. For many years the docks lay quiet and derelict, 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 selection of visitor attractions, including the Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

The Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool

Liverpool is celebrated for having two cathedrals: the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral. When John Charles Rye was appointed Bishop of Liverpool in 1880, ironically Liverpool did not have a cathedral at that time. Soon, after a lot of discussion, the powers that be agreed that a cathedral was needed. 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 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.

As well as the 3 visitor attractions discussed above Liverpool has a great many more. As well as this there are a great many more not too far away, 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 hotels and bed & breakfast as well as a selection of unserviced and services apartments in Liverpool.