Liverpool Attractions, England

Albert Dock
On the waterfront southwest of the inner city is Albert Dock, superbly restored in 1992. Opened in 1846 by Prince Albert and closed in 1972 the inner-city docks of Liverpool were the second largest enclosed docks in Britain of that time, the first to be built without wood using only bricks and iron to reduce the danger of fire. Nearby the old landing stages are reminders of Liverpool's former glory, when luxury liners from America anchored here and the city was a profitable trading center.
A square block five stories high surrounds the harbor basin, where once cotton, tobacco and sugar were unloaded. The enormous brick buildings by the Victorian engineer Jesse Hartley (1824-1860) are built around an arcaded walkway, its cast Tuscan columns were capstans for mooring the ships. The decoratively restored warehouses with their luxury apartments, designer boutiques, offices, restaurants, cafes and museums are a prime example of "gentrification", a phenomena which can also be witnessed in London, Manchester and Glasgow, whereby decaying inner cities are restored to provide recreational amenities.

Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool's best known museum, the Walker Art Gallery, (1874-1876), was presented to the city by local brewer, Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, who was mayor in 1873. It has a rich collection of works by Italian, Flemish and French masters from the 14th century to the present, including works by Joos van Cleve ("Virgin and Child", around 1520), Rubens ("The Holy Family", around 1632), Rembrandt (self-portrait, about 1630), by French Impressionists and Rodin. Its display of English painting and sculpture, particularly of the 18th-20th century is unrivaled by any gallery outside London. It features works by Gainsborough ("Elisabeth, Viscountess Folkestone", 1776), Hogarth ("David Garrick as Richard III", 1745) and Moore, pictures by Marianne Stokes ("Polishing Pans", 1887), Harold Gilman ("Mrs. Mounter", 1912) and Nicholas Hillard ("Queen Elizabeth I, 1574) together with a poignant farewell scene at Liverpool's Pier Head by John J. Lee entitled "Sweethearts and Wives" (1860). The John and Peter Moore Exhibition, an important display of contemporary British art is held every alternate year.

Anglican Cathedral
The Anglican Cathedral, on St James's Mount, can accommodate a congregation of 2,500 and shows a sharp contrast in style to the Catholic Cathedral. It, too, was the result of an architectural competition in 1901, the successful architect was the then 22 year-old Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. When he died in 1960 the church was still not completed; it was finally consecrated in 1978, although services were already held in the building in the 1920s. It has only a single tower, 330ft/100m high, in place of the twin towers originally planned and is built of red sandstone from Woolton with a copper roof. The tower contains a carillon of some 2,500 bells, the largest of which weighs 4 tons. The Willis organ, with 9,704 pipes is one of the largest in the world. The Lady Chapel and stained glass are also very interesting.

Roman Catholic Cathedral
Building began on the Roman-Catholic cathedral in 1928 only 0.5mi/0.5km from the Anglican cathedral. The original design was for a neo-Classical building, but only the crypt of this was completed. After the Second World War an architectural competition was held for the completion of the cathedral, the successful design - much more modest than the original plan, which would have produced the second largest church in Christendom, - was by Sir Frederick W. Gibberd, who had worked on the design of Heathrow airport.
The Cathedral, consecrated in 1967, is a massive circular structure centered on a lantern of medieval type and can accommodate a congregation of 3,000. Round this cylindrical lantern tower is a huge "tent" 200ft/61m in diameter, rising sharply to a funnel-shaped drum 270ft/82m high. Since the Cathedral is built on a hill it has the appearance of a huge lantern rising above the city. The principal structural materials are steel and glass - more glass than in any other cathedral. Opinions differ widely as to whether it is beautiful or not, but it must be conceded that it is striking. It has many nicknames among the local people such as "wigwam", "spaceship" and "Mersey Funnel". The altar, a block of white marble 10ft/3m long and weighing 10 tons, is from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia in former Yugoslavia. The spaces between the 16 supporting piers are occupied by chapels, separated by blue and green glass walls.

The Beatles Story Museum
The basement of the Britannia Pavilion in Albert Dock houses "The Beatles Story" museum with memorabilia, photographs and films of the four Liverpool lads.

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