Way back in February I got the opportunity to take  a weekend visit to Liverpool, England.  Jocelyn, one of my  friends at Kingston in London, has a friend, Jenny, who lives in Liverpool, and I was invited to tag along for the visit!  Jocelyn and I started our journey bright and early at the Surbiton train station and made our way to the Victoria Coach Station in central London.  We hopped on the National Express bus to Liverpool, and sat for five or six hours.  It was a long, long day of travel, but we finally arrived in Liverpoool, and were greeted by Jenny and her father, Mike.  We drove through the Kingsway tunnel, under the River Mersey, and pulled up in front of Jenny’s house.  Jenny’s family was so kind to be letting us stay with them for the weekend, and they were nothing less than perfectly hospitable.  Jenny’s mum made us a great home-cooked meal, and we rested up for the following day of sightseeing.

As a pretty big Beatles fan I was so excited to be able to actually see the city where the Fab Four got their start.  We took the ferry across the river, and began our day walking about the streets of the Liverpool.  We saw the Albert Dock, went into “The Beatles Story Exhibition,” where we saw tangible Beatles’ history, including John Lennon’s white piano, and then met up with Jenny’s parents for a drink at the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played in their early days during the Merseybeat era.  Of coure, the band playing in the Cavern Club finished their set with a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ and the whole place was singing along.  Liverpool was such a vibrant and lively city, and I loved all of it!  The next morning, Jenny’s parents took us to see the Cathedrals in Liverpool, Penny Lane, and the city of Chester.  All the sites were really unique, and the people were great!  I think its safe to say that the inhabitants of Liverpool, or the Liverpuldians, were far more friendly and helpful than the Londoners.  On Sunday evening, Jenny’s mum made us a tradiational English Sunday Roast. It was AMAZING!  It may have been the best meal I’ve had since coming to England.

Monday morning came, and Jocelyn and I had to make our way back to London.  I was so sad to leave Liverpool, with its friendly people and their great Scouse accent!  (If you don’t know the diference between a Scouse and a London English accent, compare Paul McCartney’s rougher Scouse sound to Hugh Grant’s more polished, more London sound.)

Liverpool was one of my favorite places, and one of the best weekends I’ve had here in Europe.  I think if I were to move to the UK Liverpool might be where I would settle.  For my British Life and Culture class I had to write a short paper on an independent visit, and I did mine on Liverpool!  There are a few interesting facts about Liverpool’s past and present so I am attaching my work just incase any readers are interested. Enjoy!

Independent Visit: Liverpool

As we have discussed in class, ‘British’ life and culture can be quite different depending on what country or region of Britain one is speaking of.  The differences in lifestyle and culture seem to be more prevalent when crossing country lines, for instance Scotland is notably different than England, as is Wales and Northern Ireland.  I was very interested to see just how drastic the differences in culture and everyday living is between regions of the same British country.  A few weeks ago I took a trip to Liverpool, England.  I was originally drawn in by Liverpool’s link to the Beatles, and was rather surprised by the variation of city life in Liverpool and city life in London.  This trip was eye- opening and thought provoking.  It made me want to learn more about the city of Liverpool, and gain a bit of knowledge on the birthplace of the Beatles.

Liverpool is located in the North West of England and lies along the River Mersey.  Liverpool was one of England’s first centers for mercantile trade because of its conveniently located docks for trade to America, as well as Ireland.  It was also a large slave trade port, which is paid homage in Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum on the refurbished Albert Dock.  Liverpool was a main hub during Britain’s maritime domination.  The docklands are now mostly converted into residential housing, businesses, entertainment, and museums commemorating the city’s rich history, but portions are still used for Liverpool’s freight shipping industry.  Commercial cruise liners are also now using Liverpool’s ports, which is another boost for the tourism, and economy, of the city (2008, 2009).

Liverpool is also home to not one, but two cathedrals.  The Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is the largest Anglican cathedral in Europe, and was designed by a Catholic architect.  The Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, the Metropolitan Cathedral, is referred to as “Paddy’s wigwam” because of its odd tepee structure.  An Anglican architect designed this Catholic cathedral.  According to a poll conducted in 2004, 46.03% of Liverpool’s population is Catholic making it, by far, the largest Catholic Diocese in England.  This is likely due to the heavy Irish immigration during the Great Famine in the 1840s.  More than half of ‘Liverpudlians’ trace their ancestry to the Welsh or Irish.  Some say that the distinct ‘Scouse’ accent and dialect of Liverpool is a link to the Welsh and Irish ancestry of the region.  The label of ‘Scouse’ English or ‘Scousers,’ used synonymously with ‘Liverpudlians,’ comes from a local, stew- like meal called scouse.  Liverpool has come a long way since its days of shipping, slave trade, and Irish immigration (Cheney. 2005, 2008, 2009).

Liverpool was put on the map worldwide as the birthplace of the Beatles.  It has been estimated that 600,000 people visit Liverpool every year just for the Beatles.  There are numerous Beatles sightseeing tours in the city, The Beatles Story Exhibition, Penny Lane, the Cavern Club, Strawberry Fields, tours of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes, and many other places of historic Beatle interest.  The pull of the ‘Merseybeat’ scene and its larger than life history is a key factor in Liverpool’s status as the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom for international visitors.  The Guinness Book of Records named the city the ‘World Capital of Pop,’ and UNESCO named it a world heritage city in 2004.  As a world heritage city, the Liverpool waterfront was placed on a list along with Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China as one of the world’s most important places.  To further secure Liverpool’s place as a cultural center in England, the city has the oldest Chinese community in Europe, as well as the largest Chinese gateway outside of China.  It has more listed buildings than any UK city, apart from London, and is the only UK city outside of London that has its very own collection of national museums and galleries.  The culmination of these prestigious attractions and accomplishments led to Liverpool being named the 2008 European Capital of Culture, which was followed by a year of events designed to celebrate culture (2008, 2010).

During my visit to the city of Liverpool I found that the people and the atmosphere were much more laid back and friendlier than can be found in London.  Liverpool may not be as large of a metropolitan city as London is, but it is certainly both important and influential in British culture. The Irish heritage found in Liverpool is quite interesting, and is noticeable in everyday interactions with the Liverpudlians, from the strange Irish influence in their ‘scouse’ accent to the numerous Irish pubs serving traditional Irish foods. Even though London is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, it seemed as though cultural diversity was more greatly appreciated in Liverpool.  I was really impressed with Liverpool and its fundamental similarities and vast differences to London.  It was like any other British city with its hustle and bustle, pubs and taverns, and culture and history, but the character of both the city and the people is what made Liverpool really stand out.  My weekend sightseeing and observing the culture in Liverpool was the best weekend I’ve had in England so far.  The people of Liverpool were welcoming, hospitable, and genuine.  After my long weekend was over I did not want to leave – I want to be a Liverpudlian!