Cultural Highlights
ART GALLERIES
Walker Art Gallery
William Brown St L3 8EL
T: 0151 478 4199
The Walker sits at the heart of Liverpool’s central cultural
quarter alongside the best of the city’s magnificent neo-classical
architecture, St George’s Hall and World Museum Liverpool. Often
referred to as ‘the National Gallery of the North’ it is renowned
for the breadth and depth of its collections, ranging from
medieval and renaissance masterpieces to pieces by modern
icons such as David Hockney and Gilbert and George.
www.thewalker.org.uk
Tate Liverpool
Albert Dock L3 4BB
T: 0151 702 7400
The Liverpool outpost of the Tate empire is housed in a wonderful
conversion of Grade I listed warehouse on the banks of the Mersey
at Albert Dock. The UK’s largest modern art gallery outside London,
it draws on the wide range of twentieth and twenty-first century
artwork from the Tate Collection and develops its own innovative
changing exhibitions programme. It’s one of the
prime venues for the Liverpool Biennial and in October will play
host to the 2007 Turner Prize.
www.tate.org.uk/liverpool
View Two Gallery
23 Mathew Street, L2 6RE
T: 0151 236 9444
Behind an unassuming doorway in the Cavern Quarter you’ll find
Liverpool’s leading independent gallery - a positive Aladdin’s cave
of contemporary art spread over three floors. It’s only open from
noon on Thursdays through to Saturday, but call in on a Saturday
afternoon and you’ll get a complimentary glass of wine..
www.viewtwogallery.co.uk
FACT
Foundation For Art & Creative Technology
88 Wood Street L1 4DQ
T: 0151 707 4444
Billed as ‘an international arts centre for the digital age’, FACT
is an award-winning cultural project that is dedicated to
showcasing the work of international artists working in film, video
and new media. The venue is the hub of the Rope Walks area of the
city centre, home to music studios, design collectives and
architects studios by day, and to interesting clubs and bars by
night.
www.fact.co.uk
Lady Lever Art Gallery
Lower Rd Port Sunlight Village Wirral CH62 5EQ
T: 0151 478 4136
The Lever Brothers soap magnate, William Hesketh Lever, did a
lot for this part of the
world. Not only did he build the delightful garden village of Port
Sunlight (named
after his famous soap) but he also created within it the beautiful
Lady Lever gallery to house his extensive collection of art,
including a magnificent selection of18th and 19th century
paintings. Worth crossing the river for.
www.ladyleverartgallery.org.uk
Open Eye Gallery
28-32 Wood Street L1 4AQ
T: 0151 709 9460
Great contemporary photography gallery that showcases the work
of local talent as well as touring exhibitions by prominent
national and international lens-meisters.
www.openeye.org.uk
Bluecoat Arts Centre
School Lane L1 3BX
T: 0151 709 5297
A former school house, this Grade I-listed Queen Anne-style
building is considered to be the oldest building in the city
centre. With a focus on local contemporary arts, crafts and design,
it’s been a fixture of the city’s arts scene since the 1960’s and
its courtyard garden has provided an oasis of calm just off the
main shopping area. Now undergoing a much-deserved refurbishment
ready for reopening in autumn 2007.
www.bluecoatartscentre.com
Victoria Gallery & Museum
Ashton Street, Liverpool, L69 3DR
T: 0151 794 2348
This newly-opened gallery devoted to the decorative arts is located
in a magnificent Victorian building just behind the Metropolitan
Cathedral. Part of Liverpool University and the northern outpost of
the V&A, its fine cafe makes an ideal afternoon tea
location.
www.liv.ac.uk/vgm
MUSEUMS
Merseyside Maritime Museum
Albert Dock, L3 4AQ
T: 0151 478 4499
Fascinating museum devoted to the
history of shipping in Britain from the 13th century onwards. The
story of the port of Liverpool plays a large part in the exhibits,
and the moving section on the history of the slave trade has proved
so popular that a new museum devoted to the slavery story has now
opened.
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
World Museum Liverpool
William Brown Street L3 8EN
T: 0151 478 4393
A £35m refurbishment in 2005 almost doubled the size of what was
formerly the Liverpool Museum, giving it a substantial facelift and
allowing it to display a whole treasure trove of previously locked
away artefacts from its collections.
www.worldmuseumliverpool.org.uk
Mr Chambre Hardman’s Photographic Studio
59 Rodney Street, L1 9EX
T: 0151 709 6261
This loving preservation of the Georgian terraced house of the
acclaimed Liverpool photographer Edward Chambre Hardman is a unique
time capsule of Liverpool life in the mid-20th century and features
an evocative and moving collection of his work.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
THEATRES
Liverpool Playhouse
Williamson Square L1 1EL
T: 0151 709 4776
Housed in a 19th century music hall building, this 700-seat theatre
has one of the UK’s oldest repertory theatre companies. Produces
approximately three or four of its own shows per year, interspersed
with good quality touring product.
www.everymanplayhouse.com
Everyman Theatre
13 Hope Street L1 9BH
T: 0151 709 4776
This small but consistently innovative theatre is where every
Liverpool actor and writer you can think of – from Julie Walters to
Willy Russell - cut their creative teeth. Recently celebrated its
40th birthday.
www.everymanplayhouse.com
Unity Theatre
Hope Place L1 9BG
T: 0151 709 4988
Tucked away off Hope Street, this lively
small-scale venue is one of the country’s most successful ‘fringe’
theatres, with a reputation for encouraging new writing and new
performers, particularly through community involvement.
www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk
Liverpool Empire
Lime Street L1 1JE
T: 0870 606 3536
The largest two-tier theatre in the country, this is the place for
the major touring musicals and shows.
www.livenation.co.uk/liverpool
Royal Court Theatre
Roe Street L1 1HL
T: 0870 787 1866
Previously known as a music venue, the Royal Court has had a new
lease of life as the home of the Rawhide comedy club. Gone is the
tiered seating of the stalls and in its place are cabaret-style
tables to make the waitress service easier and a packed programme
of local and national comedians.
www.royalcourtliverpool.com
MUSIC VENUES
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Hope Street L1 9BP
T: 0151 709 3789
The 1930’s Philharmonic Hall may look like an old cinema from
the outside but inside it’s a riot of superb art-deco flourishes,
from the beautiful window etchings in the bar to the famous
frescoes of mythological muses on the walls of the auditorium. Home
to a resurgent Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under fabulous new
conductor Vasily Petrenko, who’s so on side he even plays for the
orchestra football team.
www.liverpoolphil.com
Liverpool Academy
11-13 Hotham Street L3 5UF
T: 0151 707 3200
Formerly known as The Lomax, this 19th century warehouse building
is steeped in musical history and the place to see rock legends,
indie all-stars and cutting edge dance and urban acts.
www.liverpool-academy.co.uk
Cavern Club
8-10 Matthew Street
T: 0151 236 1965
Infamous as the first home of the Fab Four, this is probably the
most well-known club in the world. It has remained faithful to the
original Merseybeat décor and is obviously
a huge draw to the Beatles tourist crowds.
www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk
Echo Arena Liverpool
1 Monarchs Quay, L3 4BX
T: 0844 8000 400
Shiny new state-of-the-art concert venue at King’s Dock by the side
of the Mersey. Now the main venue in town for big name concerts,
comedy and sports events, its just the right size for an arena -
big enough to generate the right concert atmosphere but not so big
that you need binoculars to see the stars performing.
www.accliverpool.co.uk