Happy 800th birthday, Liverpool! Print E-mail
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Not since Beatlemania has Liverpool enjoyed itself so much - and next year, as the European Capital of Culture, there are more celebrations to come, says Linda Hart. 

Imagine two huge events in your life, both deserving colossal celebrations - and one event quickly follows the other. You would be excited and energised, elated and enthused. That's exactly what it's like in Liverpool now, as the city celebrates its 800th birthday throughout 2007 and becomes European Capital of Culture in 2008.

What a change from the city's economic and political meltdown of the 1970s and 1980s! By the mid-1990s everyone could see that an extraordinary revival was occurring. Tatler magazine said that Liverpool was the "jewel of the north [and] the place where tradition meets cutting edge". Certainly this year's birthday celebrations show that Liverpool has enough history and enough modernity to please everyone. Here are just a few examples:

  • A stunning new exhibition at the Merseyside Maritime Museum opened, exploring the consequences of three terrible sea disasters involving Liverpool-registered ships, all taking place between 1912-1915 - the sinking of the Titanic, the Lusitania and the now forgotten Empress of Ireland.
  • For almost three weeks in June, the Liverpool Comedy Festival presented a wide range of international and local stand-up comedians. This was followed in July and August by Brouhaha International, with dancers, acrobats, musicians, carnival artists and stilt walkers appearing in streets and spaces around the city. Performers from all over the world turned up in August for International Beatle Week.
  • Liverpool 800 Day, on 28 August, marked the granting of Liverpool's first Charter by King John in 1207. There were street parties, parades, a thanksgiving service and the largest (so it was said) firework display Europe had ever seen.

Looking ahead to 2008, celebratory events include concerts, exhibitions, festivals and premieres covering all the arts - literature, music, theatre, dance, architecture, fashion and film. Some of these include: 

  • A curtain-raiser for European Capital of Culture takes place at the end of 2007 when the Turner Prize will be presented at Tate Liverpool - the first time the prize has been held outside London since it began in 1984.
  • A literary festival, highlighting the impact of the sea on the city, will feature Seamus Heaney, Doris Lessing, Roger McGough, Melvyn Bragg and Philip Pullman.
  • A massive maritime festival will include the homecoming of the Clipper Round, the World Yacht Race and the spectacular start of The Tall Ships Races.
  • Liverpool will host the only European showing of an exhibition celebrating the impact of the railway on art in Europe and North America. Opening at the Walker Art Gallery in April, the exhibition features works by Turner, Monet, Van Gogh and Hopper.
  • The UK's first comprehensive exhibition of works by the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt will open at Tate Liverpool in May, focusing on life in Vienna in 1900.
  • Sir Simon Rattle will return to his native city to conduct the Berliner Philharmoniker in September and the Royal Liverpool Philarmonic Orchestra in October - both at Philharmonic Hall.

Mercantile heritage
Image
Liverpool is home to the largest Anglican cathedral in the world.

Of course there is plenty to see in Liverpool even without the special attractions and events taking place during these two years. After all, in 2004 Liverpool became a UNESCO World Heritage City in recognition of its mercantile, maritime, historical and architectural significance. When the Albert Dock opened in 1846, it received precious cargoes from all over the world. Today, the Albert Dock has the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings in the UK, and it's here that you will find The Beatles Story, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and Tate Liverpool, as well as shops and restaurants.

Nearby is Pier Head and three of the most famous structures in the country: the Port of Liverpool Building, the Cunard Building, and the Royal Liver Building (known as the Three Graces). A little further along, take a look at the historic Town Hall with its impressive and sumptuous entrance hall, dome, frescoes, grand staircase, reception rooms, statues and paintings. Opposite Lime Street station is an outstanding example of European neo-classical architecture - the recently restored St George's Hall, with its new Heritage Centre and guided tours of the building.

Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral is a great neo-Gothic structure. Not only is it Britain's largest cathedral with the world's tallest Gothic arches, but it also has the highest and heaviest bells in the world. Don't miss the Elizabeth Hoare Embroidery Collection, a unique display of Victorian and Edwardian ecclesiastical embroidery. It is located in the Triforium - a large internal gallery over 30m above the cathedral floor, with wonderful views of the interior.

ImageJohn, Paul, George and Ringo

Thanks to the Beatles, Liverpool has become a mecca for music-lovers - and that includes everything from rock and jazz to classical and contemporary. If you have a Beatles fan in the family, you'll be heading off to The Beatles Story at the Albert Dock. Here the audio guide will take you on a journey through the life, times and music of The Beatles (tel: 0151 709 1963). But Liverpool's birthday celebrations will include major concerts by Sir Simon Rattle with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Berliner Philamoniker.


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