Liddypool: A Bit More Than a Beatles Pilgrimage

Apologies for the later than usual post, but I went down to Liverpool this weekend and knew that I was going to want to write a post about it when I got back. It was a wonderful time, and much more than I expected. I somehow managed to get my friend to go with me, and she’s more of a casual Beatles fan, so I was a little worried that I would scare her off but we seem to still be friends.

First of all, getting to Liverpool from Glasgow is incredibly easy. The train is great, even though it isn’t direct, but it’s still only a few hours of a ride. Beatles fans in the UK have it so easy. Liverpool in general is pretty easy to navigate, all through the city center are sign posts directing you to various landmarks so it’s hard to get very lost.

We arrived on Friday night, and the first thing we did was head to the Museum of Liverpool on the Pier Head since nearly all of the museums close at 5 pm. The Museum of Liverpool is a relatively recent museum, it didn’t open until 2012 I think. It’s really awesome, it takes you through the history of Liverpool, from ancient until modern times. There’s also a section on the city’s relationship with China, and how globalization has affected their culture. It is a port city, so many cultures come through and settle here. And of course, there’s information about the music and sports scene on the top floor. Many music groups other than the Beatles came from Liverpool, the Wombats, Nick Fury, Cilla Black, and others got their start in the Liverpool music scene.

After that, we walked up to the Cavern district to see the Cavern Club. The Club portion is a replica of the original, which closed in the 70s I think (don’t quote me on that). The original site is just down the road from there. On Fridays, it has free entry until 8pm (1pm on weekends). Fans have signed every inch of the walls, and the layout and the atmosphere seem the same as the original. Amazingly enough, we were there on John Lennon’s 75^th birthday (October 9, 2015), which was really something special. When we were there a guy was playing Beatles covers with a guitar, but I bet there’s always Beatles music playing in the Cavern Club. It’s a great place, really a must for Beatles fans. (Or even if you’re not, it seems like they are tapped into the local music scene and have some great gigs there.) There’s also a statue of John Lennon leaning against the wall that’s a popular picture spot. There’s another statue of the Beatles in a nearby mall as well. Across the road is the Cavern Pub. We figured that we’d get dinner there, but there really isn’t that much to eat. It’s essentially a smaller extension of the Cavern Club, not an essential stop.

The place we were staying at was near Penny Lane, so after checking in and getting settled we walked down to the famous Lane. Besides the park and the Beatles mural, there’s not much there, but it’s still nice to say that you’ve been there.

The next day, we headed to the Metropolitan Cathedral first. It’s the one that looks like a Death Star. It’s really nice on the inside, there’s a complex light fixture hanging from the wall and stained glass all around. You can also pay to see the crypt (we didn’t).

After that we went back to the Albert Dock to see more museums. First was the Merseyside Maritime Museum. This place is huge! You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Liverpool’s ships, especially the warfare aspect of it. The third floor is the International Slavery Museum, which starts off with Liverpool’s participation in the slave trade, as they shipped the slaves back and forth, and ends with more contemporary effects of slavery. This includes the effects on the culture, and information about places where slavery still exists, unfortunately.

Then there was the Beatles Story. The main attraction for any Beatles fan! The Beatles Story is essentially a walk-through of the history of the Beatles, from their beginnings in Liverpool to Hamburg to the Cavern Club to the US to Sgt. Pepper to a Yellow Submarine to Abbey Road and beyond! While they have a lot of really cool artifacts, I expected it to have a little more about the Beatles I guess. While the Beatles are the driving force behind the museum and their presence is very much felt, you are mostly looking at the world around them instead of directly at them. At the beginning and end it has stuff about them personally, but other than that it’s mostly the objects around them and the places that they have been. Maybe I’m expecting a little too much, but while I saw some cool things I didn’t feel any closer to them. Still a great experience, would highly recommend for any Beatles fan.

Oh and that’s just the section on the Albert Dock. There’s a second section on the Pier Head that has an exhibit on the British Invasion, so other artists are shown here, and an exhibit with a bunch of rare photos of our favorite mop top group. And a 4D show, but honestly I would skip that. I mean, it’s free with your ticket and takes about 15 minutes, but I literally could not tell you the point of it or why it was there at all.

We wrapped up the day with the stunning Liverpool Cathedral. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the stained glass is so intricate and all over the walls, and the architecture is beautiful as well. Of the two main cathedrals in Liverpool, I think I liked this one the best.

For our last day, we started off with walking to Strawberry Field. It’s essentially a gate covered in graffiti. I liked it, having the fans’ thoughts as part of it I think really makes it something unique. A cute stop.

After that we walked to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes. We didn’t pay for the tour, of course, so we just got pictures of the outside. I would have gone to George Harrison and Richard Starkey’s homes as well, but they are farther away from each other and aren’t owned by the National Trust so it would be less interesting to see. What was pretty cool was how both Paul and John’s old homes are in actual neighborhoods with actual people trying to live their lives nearby. I can’t make up my mind whether I would love or hate to live near a Beatle’s old home.

It ended up being pretty good that we lived outside of the city, I don’t think I would have gone to see places like Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, or John and Paul’s homes otherwise. It was also nice to see the outskirts and what it looked like away from the city center.

When we went back into town we decided to check out a couple of Beatles shops first. There are three main ones: the fab4store attached to the Beatles Story, A Hard Day’s Night Shop near the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, and the Beatles Store down the road from the Cavern Club. All are going to be overpriced, so keep your expectations low. I think I liked the Beatles Shop the best, it has the nicest atmosphere and the cheapest t-shirts inside.

Finally we went to the Walker Art Museum. Brace yourself, there’s a lot in here. The ground floor has pottery and sculpture, while the first floor has art through the ages. There’s a lot of really cool stuff in here, definitely one of the better art museums that I’ve been through.

And that was my weekend in Liverpool! I’d do it again in a heartbeat, it was amazing. There really is so much stuff in Liverpool besides the Beatles; they have a booming culture scene that refuses to be overshadowed by the past. In general, it was a wonderful time, I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area to go see the wondrous place of Liddypool!