Liverpool, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. Built across a ridge of hills rising up to a height of around 230 feet (70 metres) above sea-level at Everton Hill, the city's urban area runs directly into Bootle and Crosby in Sefton to the north, and Huyton and Prescot in Knowsley to the east. It faces Wallasey and Birkenhead across the River Mersey to the west. Liverpool is governed by one of five councils within the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and is one of England's core cities and its fifth most populous - 441,477 in 2002, with 816,000 in the Liverpool Urban Area, which includes suburbs on the Liverpool side of the Mersey but not those on the Wirral. Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians and nicknamed "Scousers", in reference to the local meal known as 'scouse', a form of stew. The word scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect.
In the late 19th century, Liverpool reached the zenith of its power and was the "second Port of the Empire", It controlled one seventh of the world's shipping and handled more goods than any British city outside London. Liverpool in the late Nineteenth century and early Twentieth century was thought of as a 'world city', rather than British provincial. During the late 20th century, towards the 1980s, the decline of the Port of Liverpool as a source of employment and the later contraction of manufacturing industry in the city region badly affected the city's economy. However, the city's economy has grown strongly and faster than the national average since the mid nineties. The city has been undergoing a general economic and civic revival since then, which was kick started by the regeneration of the city's Queen's Square. In 2007, the city will be celebrating its 800th anniversary, and in 2008, will hold the European Capital of Culture title. In 2004 Liverpool was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site. As part of the ongoing regeneration in the city, the developers Grovsenor are constructing the 'Paradise Street Project' (PSDA), which is the largest retail-led regeneration project in Europe. The Construction of a new cruise liner terminal at the Pier Head, will allow the world's largest vessels to visit the city, which the QE2 intends to do as part of Liverpool's birthday celebrations at the end of this year.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed popular music bands in history, and their innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s.
The Beatles were the best-selling musical act of the 20th century. In the United Kingdom, they released more than 40 different singles, albums, and EPs that reached number one. This commercial success was repeated in many other countries: their record company, EMI, estimated that by 1985 they had sold over one billion discs or tapes worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America certified The Beatles as the highest selling band of all time based on American sales of singles and albums.
The Beatles were a major part of the mid-1960s musical 'British Invasion' into the United States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll, the group explored a great variety of genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, hairstyles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (IATA: LPL, ICAO: EGGP) is an airport serving the English city of Liverpool. Formerly known as Speke Airport and RAF Speke, the airport is located adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some 7.5 miles (12 km) south-east of the centre of Liverpool.
In recent years it has been one of Europe's fastest growing airports, having increased its annual passenger numbers from 875,000 in 1998 to 4.96 million in the twelve months to December 2006. However, the growth rate in the last 12 months slowed to 12.6%. The Parking facilities have not kept pace with the demand, and so latest plans are for a new multi-storey car park, which will be able to hold 870 vehicles. There are also plans for a new hotel with 150 rooms.
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English football club located in the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the FA Premier League and have contested more seasons in the top flight of English football than any other. They are one of the top five most successful English clubs in terms of major honours, having won the League Championship nine times, the FA Cup five times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup. Currently managed by David Moyes, the first team have experienced a period of inconsistency, with results under Moyes' tenure ranging from as low as 17th to as high as 4th.
Everton have a notable rivalry with Liverpool F.C., who were formed after a dispute over the rent at Anfield, Everton's old ground, in 1892; since then Everton have been based at Goodison Park as a result of the split. There is also a strong rivalry between Everton and fellow North West team Manchester United. Both teams (along with Liverpool F.C.) have had a strong input in the top flight over the past 25 years. The club enjoy a large fanbase and regularly attract sizeable crowds, having averaged over 36,000 people (around 90% of capacity) for home matches during the 2005–06 season.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club are an English football club based in Liverpool. They play at Anfield but hope to start work on the new stadium approximately 200 metres away in neighbouring Stanley Park, following the take over of the club by American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett They play in the FA Premier League and in terms of trophies won are the most successful club in the history of English football. Liverpool have won eighteen First Division titles, seven FA Cups, seven League Cups, five European Cups and three UEFA Cups. Liverpool are also a member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.
The club was involved in two of the biggest tragedies in European football — at Heysel in 1985 when thirty-nine Juventus fans died, and at Hillsborough in 1989 where ninety-six of their own fans lost their lives. After the Heysel disaster, English clubs were banned from European competition for a period of five years, and Liverpool were excluded for six years. The Hillsborough tragedy led to a review of ground safety at all top English league clubs, and paved the way for legislation necessitating all-seater stadiums in the top-flight. The Anfield stadium was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton F.C. They left the ground in 1892 over a rent dispute. Anfield's owner, John Houlding, decided to form a new club to play at the ground, which became Liverpool FC.
In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop, after a hill in Natal that was the site of a battle in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool. Fans that regularly use the Kop are known as Kopites. At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. Local folklore claimed that the fans in the Kop could "suck the ball into the goal" if Liverpool were playing towards that end - and in most games, Liverpool play the second half towards the Kop. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, and it was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, although it is still a single tier. The current capacity is 12,409.
The Anfield Road Stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop and houses the away-fans section. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two side stands are the Main Stand, capacity 12,227, and the Centenary Stand, capacity 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since it's redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players' changing rooms and the director's box. The dug-outs are also on this side of the pitch.
The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club's centenary in 1992. This redevelopment saw all of the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent.
The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362
Aintree
The name is thought to be of Saxon origin, and means "one tree" or "tree standing alone". In 1999, the parish council decided by revert back to its original name of Aintree Village. This request was granted by Sefton Council. Local legend held that a tree on Bull Bridge Lane, one of the oldest parts of the village, was "the Ain tree"; sadly this had to be cut down in 2004.
The village itself has two primary schools, Aintree Davenhill and Holy Rosary, three churches (St Giles (Anglican), Holy Rosary (Roman Catholic), and the Aintree Methodist church, two small local shopping areas (on Altway and at the Old Roan) and three public houses, the Valentine (named after Valentine's Brook on the racecourse), the Blue Anchor (which backs onto the Leeds and Liverpool Canal) and the Old Roan which gives its name to the village's most convenient railway station. The village has (for its size) an excellent public library. A retail park along Ormskirk Road on former industrial land has brought a significant amount of major out-of-town shops to the area.
It is best known as the site of Aintree Racecourse, which since the 19th century has staged the Grand National horse race. During the 1950s and 60s, there was also a three-mile-long motor racing circuit on the site, which used the same grandstands as the horse race. A shorter form of the racing circuit is still used for various events, although car racing ceased in 1982.
Unusually for racecourses or circuits, the site is split by Melling Road (erroneously referred to every year by the BBC as the Melling Road; it doesn't run to or from Melling) and Grand Prix cars (and Grand National horses) had to cross the (closed!) public road twice on each trip. (The Club Circuit lies entirely on one side of the road).
University of Liverpool
The university was established in 1881 as University College Liverpool. In 1884, it became part of the federal Victoria University. Following a Royal Charter and Act of Parliament in 1903, it became an independent university with the right to confer its own degrees called the University of Liverpool.
The University has produced eight Nobel prize winners, from the fields of science, medicine and peace. The nobel laureates include the physician Sir Ronald Ross, physicist Professor Charles Barkla, the physiologist Sir Charles Sherrington, physicist Sir James Chadwick, chemist Sir Robert Robinson, physiologist Professor Har Gobind Khorana, physiologist Professor Rodney Porter, and physicist Professor Joseph Rotblat.
The term red brick was first coined by a Liverpool professor to describe the red brick built civic universities that were built in the UK, mostly in the latter part of the 19th century; these were characterised by Victorian buildings of red brick, such as Victoria Building, which was historically the administrative heart of the University.
Liverpool has a financial endowment in the top ten among UK universities at £93m, according to the Sutton Trust (2002). It is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The University has over 23,000 registered students, with almost 18,000 full-time registered students. The University has a broad range of teaching and research in both arts and sciences, and has a large medical school which is associated with the neighbouring Royal Liverpool University Hospital. The University was ranked as the 29th best university in the United Kingdom, according to the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2005 (up from 36th in 2004).
The University has a Students' union to represent students' interests, known as the Guild of Students. It has a newspaper called Liverpool Student. The radio station called Icon Radio broadcasts on the internet.
It should be noted that whilst Liverpool has a total of three universities, the colloquial term Liverpool University commonly refers to the University of Liverpool rather either of the other two, Liverpool Hope University or Liverpool John Moores University.
In September 2006, the University of Liverpool opened the first independent Anglo-Asian university in China in partnership with Xi'an Jiaotong University in Suzhou.
Landmarks
Liverpool contains over 2,500 listed buildings (of which 26 are Grade I listed and 85 are Grade II* listed). It is the inheritance of high-minded public spirit since the late 18th century, largely with Dissenter impetus, resulting in more public sculpture than in any UK city aside from Westminster, more listed buildings than any city apart from London and, surprisingly, more Georgian houses than the city of Bath. Well-known architects are represented in Liverpool, including Peter Ellis, Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, John Foster, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Frederick Gibberd.
Waterfront
Liverpool waterfront. Pier Head, "Three Graces", seen from Albert Dock.In 2004 Liverpool's waterfront was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site, reflecting the city's importance in the development of the world's trading system and dock technology.
Royal Liver Building above Dale StreetThe docks are central to Liverpool's history, with the best-known being Albert Dock: the first enclosed, non-combustible dock warehouse system in the world and the first structure in Britain to be built entirely of cast iron, brick and stone, designed by Jesse Hartley. Restored in the 1980s, the Albert Dock is the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings in Britain. Part of the old dock complex is now the home to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool Life and the Tate Liverpool. Other relics of the dock system include the Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse, which at the time of its construction in 1901, was the world's largest building in terms of area.
The Pier Head is the most famous image of Liverpool, the location of the Three Graces (a fairly recent phrase), three of Liverpool's most recognisable buildings. The first is the Royal Liver Building, built in the early 1900s and surmounted by two bronze domes with a Liver Bird (the symbol of Liverpool) on each. The second is the Cunard Building, the headquarters of the former Cunard shipping company. The the third is the Port of Liverpool Building, the home of the former Mersey Docks and Harbour Board which regulated the city's docks. Kings Dock immediately to the South of the Albert dock is the site of the Kings Dock Arena and conference centre currently under construction due to open in Jan 2008.
In front of these buildings at the waters edge are the memorials to the men of the merchant navy who sailed out of the port during both World Wars. Memorials to the British mariners, Norwegian, Dutch and to the thousands of Chinese seamen who manned Britain's ships cluster together here. Perhaps most interesting is the Chinese memorial to the men forcibly deported from the city after World War Two and to the families they left behind. see
Places of worship
The thousands of migrants and sailors passing through Liverpool resulted in a religious diversity that is still apparent today. This is reflected in the equally diverse collection of religious buildings, and two Christian cathedrals.
Anglican CathedralThe parish church of Liverpool is the Anglican Our Lady and St Nicholas, colloquially known as "the sailors church", which has existed near the waterfront since 1257. It regularly hosts to Catholic masses. Other notable churches include the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas (built in the Byzantine style), and the Gustav Adolfus Kyrka (the Swedish Seamen's Church, reminiscent of Nordic styles).
Liverpool's wealth as a port city enabled the construction of two enormous cathedrals, both dating from the 20th century. The Anglican Cathedral, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, has one of the longest naves, largest organs and heaviest and highest peals of bells in the world. The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral was initially planned to be even larger; of Sir Edwin Lutyens' design, only the crypt was completed. The cathedral was eventually built to a simpler design by Sir Frederick Gibberd; while this is on a smaller scale than Lutyens' original design, it still manages to incorporate the largest panel of stained glass in the world. Appropriately enough, the road running between the two cathedrals is called Hope Street.
Liverpool contains synagogues, of which the Grade II* listed Moorish-revival Princes Road Synagogue is perhaps most notable. Liverpool has a thriving Jewish community.
The city had one of the earliest mosques in Britain, founded in 1887 by William Abdullah Quilliam, a lawyer who had converted to Islam. Currently the main mosque in Liverpool is the Al-Rahma mosque.
The skyline of Liverpool as seen from the Mersey estuary. Showing from left; Liverpool Parish Church, Radio City Tower, Royal Liver Buildings, the Cunard Building and the Mersey Docks and Harbour building. The white cone is the Pier Head landing stage.
Other notable buildings
The area around William Brown Street has been labeled the city's 'Cultural Quarter', owing to the presence of the William Brown Library, Walker Art Gallery and World Museum Liverpool, just three of Liverpool's neo-classical buildings. Nearby is St George's Hall, perhaps the most impressive of these neo-classical buildings, was built to serve both as a concert hall and as the city's law courts. Also in this area are Wellington's Column and the Steble Fountain.
Liverpool's Town Hall dates from 1754 and has a beautifully-designed interior.
The term Red Brick University, applied to British universities dating from a similar period, was inspired by the University of Liverpool's Victoria Building, noted for its clock tower.
Some of Liverpool's landmarks are better known for their oddness rather than for their role. Williamson's tunnels are architecturally unique as being the largest underground folly in the world. The Philharmonic Dining Rooms are noteworthy for their ornate Victorian toilets, which have become a tourist attraction in their own right.