This tour will give you unique insight into the history of Liverpool in the 20th century and get you acquainted with the watershed moments that changed not only the history of the city and the country, but the entire world!
The sleepy dwelling of Liverpool changed almost overnight into a bustling, multicultural city. The booming trade metropolis that it turned into attracted immigrants from all corners of the world. Germans, Greeks, Poles, Jews, Irish, Italians, but the immigrants were not only limited to Europeans! The black community of Liverpool dates back to the 1730s and the Chinese one is about a century younger, which still makes it the oldest in Europe! Back then, at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, Liverpool started to be called “the New York of Europe”. All the nations and ethnic groups brought in their religions, traditions, music and cuisine. Liverpool was a melting pot. This proved to be both a curse and a blessing. The 20th century history of the city was not easy. Starting from the Great War and heavy losses among young men, those who remained alive were heavily traumatized. This in turn led to unemployment and social unrest, resulting in strikes and race riots. The Great Depression hit the city hard, and what followed suit was World War II, when not only Churchill understood the city’s importance. Hitler did it too, and so Liverpool was heavily bombed and destroyed. After the war Liverpool, an immigrant city, attracted even more immigrants. And then in the 1960s the city’s complex heritage gave birth to a group that revolutionized not only the music industry but influenced the revolution of the youth almost all over the world! The name of this band was The Beatles. But it didn’t end with them – until the present day the city continues to influence the music world – it released more number 1 hit songs than any other city in the world!
Join our tour to get away from the most touristy areas and find out more about Liverpool and its inhabitants. Starting at the Chinese Imperial Arch, we will talk about the complex city history built by many nations and ethnic groups. We will see buildings that are often described as some of the greatest to have been constructed in the 20th century – the Anglican Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral. The first one built in gothic style was constructed almost as long as its mediaeval counterparts – for 74 years, which alone is a testimony of troubled times and difficulties that Liverpool was through back then. The second one, known commonly as the “Paddy’s Wigwam”, looking like a spaceship inside, breaks with the century’s long tradition on how to build catholic cathedrals. But that is not all the surprises! In the crypt of the cathedral, the Liverpool Beer Festival is held, attracting visitors from around the world! From the competing cathedrals we will walk together through the Georgian Quarter and get down to the neighbourhood in whose cellar clubs the musical revolution began in the 1960s and where The Beatles began their road to fame. But they were not the only ones – back then Liverpool had more than 200 active pop bands! We will see the nest of them all – the Merseybeats record store, The Blue Angel Club and The Jacaranda Club. The tour will end up at the Bombed-Out Church – an unusual war-damaged church, which today is a mix of World War II memorial and art gallery, surrounded by… food trucks. This walk is not to be missed, not only by The Beatles fans but all those keen to understand the history of the city in the 20th century and the source of its extraordinary popularity today!
During this 2,5 hour tour, we will see and experience:
- Chinese Arch
- Anglican Cathedral
- Hope Street
- LIPA – where some members of the Beatles studied
- Ye Cracke – pub that John Lennon used to go to
- Philharmonic Pub – Paul McCartney private show
- Catholic Cathedral
- Bombed-out church
- Jacaranda Club
- … and much, much more!
