Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
church, with the world's highest vaulting under its tower, at 53m (175 ft.), and one
of the world's longest cathedrals, at 186m (619 ft.). Its organ has nearly 10,000 pipes,
the most found in any church, and its tower's bells are the highest (66m/219 ft.) and
heaviest (31 tons) in the world! It's free to enter daily 8am to 6pm, but an Attractions
Ticket (£5 adults, £3.50 children 5-16) gets you an audio-tour (kids' versions avail-
able) and buys you admission to the tower (two consecutive elevators, then 108
stairs) with its views as far as North Wales, as well as to the hidden gem of the Eliza-
beth Hoare Gallery with its ecclesiastical embroideries.
The tower's panoramic views take in the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the
King
(
&
0151/709-9222;
www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk) about a half-mile
northeast, along Hope Street. This circular Roman Catholic cathedral was started in
1930 to a design by Sir Edward Lutyens but ultimately scaled down and completed
in 1967 to a Space Agey Modernist design by Sir Frederick Gibbert. Entry (daily
7:30am-6pm) is free, but you do pay £3 to visit the crypt, the only part that remains
of Lutyens' design.
Several sights might tempt you to the city's outskirts. About 15 minutes' walk
southeast of Liverpool Cathedral, along Princes Road,
Princes Park
and
Sefton
Park
are English Heritage listed for their historic design and landscaping. Sefton, the
largest, has a magnificent three-tier palm house bearing sculptures of Cook, Colum-
bus, Darwin, Linnaeus, and other explorers, navigators, botanists, and so on, plus, in
its grounds is a statue of Peter Pan that was unveiled in the presence of J. M. Barrie
himself. The park's
Palm House
(
&
0151/726-2415;
www.palmhouse.org.uk)
hosts concerts, tea dances, and other events, while its Victorian bandstand is claimed
to be the inspiration for The Beatles'
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
.
Sefton Park is handy for the bohemian shopping and eating street of
Lark Lane
(p. 588) and also for
Sudley House
, Mossley Hill Road (
&
0151/724-3245;
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk), a unique and atmospheric instance of a Victorian
merchant's residence that has retained its original pictures, including works by Mil-
lais, Rodin, Rossetti, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Landseer, which you can view
together with period furniture. It's free to visit daily from 10am to 5pm.
Farther south, down by the airport, is
Speke Hall, Garden & Estate
15
(
&
0844/800-4799;
www.nationaltrust.org.uk; mid-Mar-Oct Wed-Sun 11am-
5pm, plus weekends late Feb-mid-Mar and Nov-mid-Dec 11am-4pm). It's a rare
surviving Tudor manor with restored Victorian interiors including William Morris
wallpaper, encircled by lovely gardens and woodland affording views of the Welsh
hills. Events include Victorian-costumed guided tours, and the Home Farm Visitor
Centre on the grounds has a play area and picnic tables. Entry to house, garden, and
grounds is £8.40 adults, £4.20 children 5 to 16.
North of the center,
Anfield
(
&
0151/260-6677;
www.liverpoolfc.tv),
home to Liverpool Football Club, offers tours, some led by club “legends” and some
for families, or you can just look round the museum. Those with kids might carry on
about 10 minutes east along the A57 into Merseyside, to
Knowsley Safari Park
(
&
0151/430-9009;
www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk), with animals from
African wild dogs to wildebeest, amusement rides, a woodland walk, and a treetop
adventure course (www.aerialextreme.co.uk).
Merseyside Maritime Museum
MUSEUM Mass emigration via Liverpool,
shipbuilding on Merseyside, Liverpool-linked sea tragedies including the
Titanic,
the
Battle of the Atlantic, and transatlantic slavery are all examined at this museum, with
the permanent displays backed up by floating exhibits, crafts demonstrations, and
