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The port city of Liverpool is one of Britain’s shrines of nostalgia tourism and combines two unusual icons — a famous rock band and a soccer club
The UNESCO World Heritage list has described Liverpool as "the supreme example of a commercial port at a time of Britain’s greatest global influence." The city trumpets its sea power with the monumental waterfront "Three Graces"— the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building. The legendary Liver Birds, a chimerical blend of eagle and cormorant, still cast a watchful eye over the port and the city from atop the Royal Liver Building.
In 2008, Liverpool was named the European capital of culture after beating Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Newcastle-Gateshead and Oxford. Thereafter, it cleaned up its act and attractions (and made entrance free at most of them), restored its neglected civic buildings and revealed a glitzy new image. At the Lime Street railway station, Liverpool, a group of Japanese youths get off the train from Euston, London, and move towards the city of the Beatles with a rapturous glint in their eyes. In the next 24 hours, they would do probably do the usual: visit the Beatles Story museum, go on a Magical Mystery Tour of the Fab Four’s childhood hangouts, and generally soak up the atmosphere of a place that is synonymous with the lads and their music. Liverpool is one of Britain’s shrines of nostalgia tourism. Visitors from all over the world go to Merseyside for its musical history, especially that of the Beatles. And, though many were not even born when the Beatles were in their prime, there is no sign of the Beatles’ popularity waning. The museum is located in the stunning Albert Dock, which showcases the best of the city in a World Heritage, waterfront setting. The dock complex is the largest group of Grade-I listed buildings in the UK, housing award-winning attractions, including Tate Liverpool, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum.
The Beatles story is fascinating. It is an exciting and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles. The story unfolds through the ‘Living History’ audio guide, narrated by John Lennon’s sister, Julia. It tells how the group appointed a young record manager, Brian Epstein, as its manager in 1962 and, within a year, he had refined the Beatles’ raw look and sound and negotiated a recording contract with EMI. Scoring their first number one in early 1963, there followed a period of unprecedented success and acclaim for the group, which became known as Beatlemania. The year 1964 saw the group conquer US and a period of sustained touring saw them gain huge international popularity. The death of Epstein in 1967 heralded the beginning of the end for the band, as they began to grow apart both musically and personally. Their split was made official in 1970. Internationally, it is estimated they have sold over one billion records. Their record of 15 number one albums in the UK remains a record. They have also sold more albums in the US than any other artist. The next stop for most visitors is Anfield, home of Liverpool City Football Club, synonymous with the city of Liverpool and is big a part of Liverpool history, its people and culture as the Beatles. The great Bill Shankley, legendary Liverpool manager, epitomised this feeling when he said, "I’m a people’s man – only the people matter." The Liverpool FC Museum and Ground tour are quite exciting. If ever there was an English football club with justification for having a museum, it has got to be Liverpool FC. Like most great clubs, it has had its share of top-class players, but what makes The Reds stand apart from the others is a record of trophy winning second to none. The most recent addition to the trophy cabinet is the European Cup after the amazing win in the 2005 final. As only the third club ever to win the trophy five times, Liverpool will now keep the cup for all times. In keeping with such a record, the museum and Tour Centre celebrates all things Liverpool. It includes a 60-seat cinema showing, four, 10-minute films on the history of the club. Outstanding highlights include the 1966 World Cup winner’s medal of Roger Hunt, OBE, one of the greatest players to ever pull on the red shirt! The four huge European Cups, the ‘Treble Trophies: The Worthington Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup’ as well as the 2002 Worthington Cup along with Jerzy Dudek’s Man of the Match award from the game and Michael Owen’s ‘Ballon D’Or’ are on display. The stadium tour allows enthusiasts a peek behind the scenes at Anfield, offering the chance to visit the dressing room, walk down the tunnel to the sound of 45,000 cheering fans, touch the famous ‘This Is Anfield’ sign and sit in the team dug-out. On the return journey to catch the bus back, most tourists ramble past the waterfront at the Albert Dock, the new convention centre and the girders of the new museums of Liverpool rising beside the Liver building. What a fantastic renaissance it was. The battered, former second city of the Empire has turned around for good.
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