Travel Report: The Liverpool Waterfront, England.


The Liverpool Waterfront.
May 2019. The sun had come out for my first afternoon in Liverpool. After our relaxing Ferry Cross the Mersey River Cruise, Steppers and I realised we were now in the perfect spot for some exploring across the waterfront itself.
First though, it was time to kick back with some beers at Pan Matou Asian Restaurant. This swanky eatery sits just above The Mersey Ferries office at Pier Head. With no interest in dining, we headed straight for the rooftop terrace to soak up more of that sweet sunshine.

The rooftop terrace at Pan Matou Asian Restaurant.
The terrace offers decent views of the Mersey in one direction, while behind us there were choice angles of both The Royal Liver Building and The Port of Liver Building. Those beers certainly went down well, thus we soon felt ready to return to ground level and see what Liverpool’s famous waterfront had to offer.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Packed with award-winning museums, sculptures, art installations, war monuments and restored Victorian warehouses, Liverpool’s handsome waterfront boasts the UK’s largest number of Grade I listed buildings. All of which contributed to Liverpool being crowned European City of Culture back in 2008.
The Liverpool Waterfront.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Our first stop came at the larger than life Beatles Statue, literally just a dozen steps from the Mersey Ferries terminal. Created by the sculptor Andrew Edwards, they arrived in December 2015 to mark fifty years since The Fab Four played their last gig in the city.

The Beatles Statue.
According to the artist, his intention was to show the boys in a fully relaxed state, wandering the streets of Liverpool at a time before they’d become global megastars.
Moreover, he used the hit movie Hard Days Night to capture certain movements and positions. Indeed there are some wonderfully authentic details, such as Lennon’s 1950s winkle-pickers and Paul’s Kodak camera bag.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
A short while later we came upon another statue. This one depicts Captain Frederic John Walker, a Royal Navy officer celebrated for his heroic work in the Second World War.
They say Walker sank more German U-boats than any other commander. This tied in nicely with our earlier visit to the U-Boat Story Museum, where we’d seen the grizzled remains of the fearsome German submarine U-534.

Captain Frederic John Walker.
Tragically, it was a combination of overwork and exhaustion that ended Walker’s life suddenly in 1944. Having suffered a cerebral thrombosis, he died at the Naval Hospital in Southport aged 48. His statue joined The Liverpool Waterfront in 1998 in a ceremony led by Prince Philip.
Walker’s statue is just one of a dozen World War memorials at Pier Head. With all my years spent living in and travelling around China, I was fascinated to see this plaque dedicated to the Chinese seamen who served Britain in both World Wars.
What To See & Do, Liverpool.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
The memorial also serves as an official apology for a huge injustice placed upon some of these men. I hadn’t been aware of the story, but many of the Chinese war heroes suffered forced repatriation after the government decided their numbers were too great. In some cases families were split up, with not so much as an explanation for wives wondering what had happened to their husbands.

S.S. Arandora Memorial.
Another memorial, just steps away, remembers the tragic sinking of S.S. Arandora. The British passenger ship was on its way to Canada when she was struck by a German U-boat. 805 people died in the attack, including a small number of German prisoners of war.

Liverpool’s love locks.
Making our way from Pier Head towards The Royal Albert Dock, Steppers and I made moved through the waterfront’s charming passage of love locks.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Couples come to leave the locks as a gesture of love, commitment and an unbreakable bond. The tradition dates back to World War I when the city’s girlfriends, wives and mothers believed a lock with their loved one’s name on it would protect them while they were away fighting.

The Museum of Liverpool.
Wherever you are on the waterfront, you simply cannot miss the sleek Museum of Liverpool, the UK’s largest newly-built National Museum in over 100 years.
Opened in 2011 at a cost of £72 million, its striking exterior is a tourist attraction in its own right. During my stay in Liverpool, I was lucky enough to spend several hours inside exploring the outstanding Double Fantasy – John & Yoko Exhibition.
The Liverpool Waterfront.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Have you heard about the Liverpool sculpture SuperLambBanana? It was created by the Japanese artist Taro Chiezo as a half lamb, half banana beast. This was Chiezo’s statement on the dangers of genetic engineering. Why a half-lamb, half banana? Because back in the day they were both common cargos at Liverpool’s docks.
Steppers and I didn’t get to see the original SuperLambBanana, but we did check out several replicas from a staggering 150 scattered around the city. This one is a tribute to numerous Liverpool rock bands, including Echo & The Bunnymen, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Mighty Wah!

The Liverpool Carters Working Horse Monument.
Yet another Liverpool Waterfront sculpture is The Carters Working Horse Monument. It’s a tip of the hat to those heroic horses who once tirelessly carted goods to and from the docks to businesses all over the city. They also played a huge role in keeping Liverpool’s economy going during The Second World War.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
I would imagine that most visitors to Liverpool have never even heard of Billy Fury. And yet this Liverpool born rock and roll singer equalled The Beatles’ record of 24 hit songs throughout the 1960s. With a carefully curated Elvis Presley look and a similarly hip-swivelling stage act, Fury became a much-loved son of Liverpool.

Billy Fury.
Sadly his life was cut short in 1983 at the age of forty two. Fury, whose real name was Ronald Wycherley, had returned home for a recording session when he collapsed from a heart attack. His Liverpool statue, unveiled in 2003, stands a short distance from The Tate.
The Royal Albert Dock.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
At last Steppers and I reached The Royal Albert Dock, an exceptionally attractive complex of restored dock buildings. Opened in 1846, this was Britain’s first group of dock structures made purely from cast iron, brick and stone. Yup, no structural wood at all.
Prior to World War II , Albert Dock was home to the world’s first hydraulic cranes. Furthermore, it had the largest stores of brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco and sugar in Europe. During The Second World War, the Royal Navy moved in and used the docks as a base for ships of The British Atlantic Fleet.

Visit The Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool.
The docks sustained considerable damage from air raids during the war. Later, throughout the 50s and 60s, the area stagnated. Then, in 1972, Albert Dock closed and lay derelict for almost a decade.
A huge redevelopment project kicked off in 1981, which initially lasted three years. Expansion continued well into the late 90s and beyond, with the opening of restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and high-end apartments. In 2018 Queen Elizabeth wagged her magic finger and, ta dah, the word royal was added to its title. Grabbing a drink and/or a bite here is an essential part of any Liverpool stay. For a full overview of dining options, click here.
The Liverpool Waterfront.

Quay Confectionery.
If like me you’ve got an incurable sweet tooth, don’t miss Albert Dock’s Quay Confectionery. Most of their chocolate, fudge, biscuits and even tea come with a British/Beatles design. Sweet tooth or not, it’s worth stopping by simply to see the amazing Beatles mural in the window. Yes, it’s constructed entirely from jellybeans!

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Next door, one can also pop into Liverpool Pictures, an independent art gallery. They have an extensive range of historical prints, as well as originals. These guys have been here since 1991 and pride themselves on championing artists either from Liverpool or now living in the area.

The Pumphouse.
Finally, it was worth taking the short walk down to Hartley Quay for a look at one of Liverpool’s most traditional pubs. The Pumphouse, built in 1874, was the first hydraulic system to serve the docks.
They offer classic British dishes, while real ale dominates the drinks menu. A fine end to an amazing day discovering Liverpool’s unmissable waterfront.

The Liverpool Waterfront.
Like this? Check out more of my pieces from around Liverpool.
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40 Comments
Great post 🙂
Thanks!
Hello.
I do love your photographs. Thank You.
Have a good day!
Thanks a lot man, appreciate that!
Enjoyed your tour around Pier Head and Albert Dock Leighton. It’s so interesting reliving my own recent trip through someone else’s eyes. Well done! Marion
Thanks Marion, it was a gorgeous afternoon that really presented Liverpool at its summery best.
I’m still amazed to see all these statues/monuments (as I’ve recently discovered on Marion’s blog) … Liverpool do like their statues, that’s for sure! A mural of jellybeans … for sure worth a visit 😉. And, if ever in Liverpool, we will make sure to visit The Pumphouse! Thanks for a great read!
Thanks for reading! It’s a handsome, beautifully designed area with a little slice of history around every corner.
It looks so nice in the sunshine! I’m visiting in November so definitely won’t have it looking like this :-)!
Awww you never know, you might just have some luck! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
I love all the various monuments and statues. It becomes a bit of a treasure hunt to try to find them all. Looks like you had wonderful weather for exploring more of the city on foot.
Ha yes, I love the idea of a statue treasure Hunter. Liverpool’s waterfront is packed with them and indeed I left a fair few out of my article. Thanks for reading!
Has something changed on either WP or on your site? We didn’t receive any notification of this post on Liverpool…I stumbled on it by coincidence in “Reader”, simply because somebody else’s post took me to Reader instead of their site. What’s going on?!
Hey Phil, no change on my site. Is it an email notification that you usually receive? Reposts should go out to email subscribers, though sometimes I have noticed discrepancies. I know other subscribers received yesterday’s article, but there can be a bit of black magic in this area. Whatever the problem is, I think you also missed my first Liverpool post, Ferry Cross the Mersey. I’ll look into it on my side to see if there’s anything amiss. Failing that, the next twelve Liverpool posts will be coming out in forty eight hour intervals around 8:00am UK time.
You’re right, we missed both Liverpool posts. By the way, of all the Liverpool music heroes who qualify to be remembered with statues, I wouldn’t have guessed Billy Fury would be one.
Right?! It was a surprising one, I can only assume that he was much loved locally as a character. His success in those early days is really surprising given that he is something of a forgotten figure in the history books. I went back and had a listen to some of his stuff while writing this article. But if I’m being honest, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
I have one favourite piece of trivia on the subject, which you probably already know. His stage name, together with the likes of Marty Wilde and Johnny Hurricane, were designed to represent the “angry young men” of the time…and were the inspiration for the stage names of a later similar period of young anger, as in, Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, et al.
Ha, very cool, and vaguely familiar. I may have heard this from a book or documentary, but a welcome reminder nonetheless. Amusingly, I didn’t hear much of that “fury” throughout the actual music.
Cool post! I didn’t know Liverpool had so much culture!
Hey Lyssy, thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I will have converted a few people over the course of this series. Good luck with your big day!
Thank you!!
been meaning to drop you a comment for many months just wanted to say how much i enjoy the blog. think you are one of the best bloggers out there – fantastic photos quality writing and not the generic list style setup which glosses over things. liverpool is close to my heart – looking forward to your next chapters, keep up the good work!
Hey Stanley, that is very kind of you. Hope you enjoy this series and don’t hesitate to get in touch whenever you feel like adding your two cents. Thanks for following!
It is so interesting to me to see Liverpool and learn about it. It is one of those cities that I think everyone knows by name but knows next to nothing about. Any knowledge of the city kind of begins and ends with the Beatles. I loved seeing the war memorial, and the different statues that pay tribute to different people/animals/exports, and especially the love locks with their beautiful symbolism and hope. Excellent post! -Meg
I really love hearing this Meg, thanks for your encouragement. It’s my favourite British city so far to be honest, and I’d definitely like to go back one day and explore deeper. Until then, I’ve got this fourteen part series to whet the appetite.
Aha..nice post post and enjoyed reading it!!
Thanks Jyothi!
I would never have guessed that the waterfront would be such an interesting attraction. I want to visit the museum and pose with the lambbanana. Now I have to try and find some Billy Fury music.
Think of a young wannabe British Elvis and da da, that’s Billy Fury. I was left a bit cold by my explorations through his back catalogue. A few memorable tracks here and there.
I found some Billy Fury and your description is spot on. A couple were interesting but most were pretty thin.
It looks so lively. They seem to have done a great job at attracting people to hang around with the mix of restaurants and places to sit and enjoy the sun.
Actually yeah, I found it to be one of the most relaxing city centres I’ve ever visited. Thanks for reading and dropping some feedback!
The Liverpool Waterfront certainly has a lot of history packed onto its shores, from its Beatles tribute to WWII heros to quirky art works. I can imagine it being a fun stroll on a sunny day in town, and I see that you did just that!
Thanks Rebecca, glad you enjoyed this virtual tour!
The pictures are stunning! Great post!
Thanks for reading!
Liverpool is a fabulous place to visit. Only been there for two nights. Never saw those Beatle Statues. Pretty cool.
My favourite city in England so far. Thanks for reading!
Nice captures and post Leighton, it is really good!
Thanks, nice to hear from you again! Glad you enjoyed your virtual tour of The Liverpool Waterfront.