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England > North West England > Liverpool & Merseyside

Liverpool is not technically in Lancashire either (it's also administered separately) but it's in the area. Liverpool is a vigorous, down-to-earth, working class, fun-loving city, nicknamed Merseyside because the River Mersey flows through it. The city is best known internationally for having produced The Beatles & the unique 60/70s Merseyside music beat. Sir Paul McCartney said recently that Liverpool kept him down to earth because it's inhabited by those sorts of people.

Close by Derbyshire is also worth a visit, with many stately homes and the famous Peak District, a wild and extremely beautiful national park. The Peak District also encompasses parts of Staffordshire and Cheshire. Liverpudlians aren't impressed by airs and graces and they say what they think. If they think a good working-class lad is in danger of becoming high and mighty, they sort of let him know, like.

In the 18th century, Liverpool was an important slaving port, although no slaves ever went there. The paradox worked like this: cotton goods and hardware were exported to West Africa, where they were exchanged for slaves, who had been rounded up by Arabs or by other African tribes. The slaves were then shipped to the West Indies and the US Southern States, where they were exchanged for rum, tobacco and, importantly, raw cotton. The cotton went back to Liverpool to be turned into woven goods and exported to West Africa - completing the triangle. The arrangement suited Britain because it ensured a steady flow of revenue without slaves having reaching British shores. You can learn all about it in the Transatlantic Slave Gallery in Merseyside Maritime Museum at Albert Dock - a rehabilitated dock filled with shops and museums and, inevitably, a "Beatles Story" exhibition.

Nine million people from all over Europe departed Liverpool Dock for the Americas and Australasia in the century between 1830 and 1930. The docks fell into decline in the 1950s and are now being revitalised. You can see some beautifully restored Victorian warehouse buildings along Mersey Waterfront around Albert Dock.


The national collection of 20th century art at the Tate Gallery Liverpool is definitely worth a browse - it draws from the same pool of art as London's Tate Gallery and critics say it displays them better. There are plenty of cafés, bars, restaurants and pubs around to keep you fed and watered. Also worth visiting are the Walker Art Gallery in the Victorian heart of Liverpool and the award-winning Conservation Centre (recently voted European Museum of the Year).


Liverpool Music & the Beatles. "Run like the clappers, John" (in a fine Liverpool accent) was the direction to John Lennon in the movie "A Hard Days Night" when they were about to be mobbed by screaming fans. Liverpool is probably best known for The Beatles and Mersey music, but that era only kicked off a music scene that is still the best England has to offer. Liverpool is simply a musical city. It's a city that wants to party and parties just don't work without music.

A bit of musical history...
Over half a million Irish arrived in Liverpool between 1847 and 1855, bringing with them Irish music. During the 1930s and 40s there were nightly ceilis and the Liverpool Ceili band won the All Ireland ceili competition in 1963 and 1964. Irish pubs are full of music and it's the same in Liverpool - a pub without live music isn't a pub! The Mersey was long a gateway to the world and Liverpudlians travelled more than most English people. And what did they bring home as souvenirs? - Records of whatever music was popular in far flung places.

In the 1950's it was country music, with travellers returning from America. Then rock and roll... Records of Little Richard, Buddy Holly and the like were passed around the streets of Liverpool and backyard bands started playing... it was the late 50's and John, Paul and George were the Quarrymen... Then came the '60s, The Cavern (with Cilla Black working the cloakroom), The Beatles and Merseybeat. This music changed the world. Sorry, even if you don't like The Beatles, there's no argument that had more impact on modern music than any other band.

Roll over Beethoven.

And a few of the era's lesser lights? The Merseybeats, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas and Freddie and the Dreamers. (Okay, they were from Manchester but they had the Mersey sound!) The 70's saw the punk boom - the Erics Club, Echo and the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes. Big in Japan was big in Liverpool (remember Holly Johnson before Frankie went to Hollywood in 1984?).

The late 80's and early 90's saw scouse beat bands like Rain, and The Real People and The La's playing at The Picket (still going strong!). The La's played a major role in bringing back the simple formula of guitars and melody that led to bands like Oasis (how often was that sound compared to The Beatles?) Today, dance culture is big. Cream is THE club but there are plenty of others like Voodoo and L2.

Currently, the Merseyside Music Development Agency (MMDA) is using European funding to develop the local music industry and promote local music from the region. You hear 'Nashville', you think country, you hear 'New Orleans' you think blues/jazz, you hear 'Liverpool' you probably think 'Beatles', but you should simply think 'music'.

Run like the clappers, John...
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