A visit to the Museum of Liverpool

Inspired by the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, we travelled by train to England in March. Combining ESC host city Liverpool with the industrial heritage of Manchester. Manchester to Liverpool was also the first steam railway line ever. A perfect pretext to travel to The North.

We were 1.5 days in Liverpool. The first half day, after arriving from Antwerp and London, we spent walking around. Looking for ESC venues, exploring the city. It was a Monday, it was quite cold and very windy, there were showers. Later more on exploring Liverpool.

The Tuesday was dedicated to museums. We started with the Museum of Liverpool. Like many museums in the United Kingdom it is free.

The Museum of Liverpool is a museum located on the waterfront of Liverpool. It tells the story of the city of Liverpool and its people, from prehistoric times to the present day.

The museum was officially opened on 19 July 2011 by Queen Elizabeth II, although it did not fully open to the public until the following day. It was designed by Danish architects 3XN and built by the construction company Galliford Try.

The idea for the museum dates back to the 1970s, when a group of local historians and enthusiasts began to campaign for a museum dedicated to the history of Liverpool. In 2003, the Liverpool City Council announced plans to build a new museum, and in 2006, the National Museums Liverpool (NML) was selected to manage the new institution.

Construction on the museum began in 2008 and was completed in 2011. The museum’s architecture is inspired by the city’s waterfront, with a curved, glass facade that overlooks the River Mersey.

The museum’s collection includes over 6,000 objects and works of art, including paintings, photographs, and artifacts related to Liverpool’s history. The museum’s exhibits cover a wide range of topics, including the city’s maritime history, its role in the slave trade, its musical heritage, and its sports teams.

Since its opening, the Museum of Liverpool has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, with over one million visitors each year. It has also won several awards for its architecture and exhibitions, including the prestigious Museum of the Year award in 2013.

Exhibitions

As with any museums, the Museum of Liverpool is divided in themed exhibition spaces.

‘Great Port‘: This exhibition tells the story of Liverpool’s history as a port city, from its origins as a small fishing village to its rise as one of the most important ports in the world. It explores the impact of the port on the city and its people, as well as its role in the slave trade.
‘Liverpool Overhead Railway‘ gallery. The Overhead Railway was built in 1893 to ease congestion along seven miles of Liverpool’s docks. It was also marketed as a tourist attraction as it provided amazing views of the docks, shipping and transatlantic liners on the River Mersey. It was fondly known as the ‘dockers’ umbrella’ as it also provided shelter from the rain.
‘History Detectives‘ gallery. A huge Timeline forms the backbone of the gallery. Packed with objects, the Timeline explores 10,000 years of history. The ‘History Detectives’ gallery also includes a series of small spotlight displays about local sites, exploring what we know about Merseyside’s past and how.
‘Wondrous Place‘: This exhibition focuses on Liverpool’s cultural heritage, including its music, art, and literature. It features artifacts and memorabilia related to famous Liverpool musicians such as The Beatles, as well as works of art by local artists.
‘The People’s Republic‘: This exhibition tells the story of Liverpool’s political and social history, from the city’s radical roots to its role in the trade union movement. It features artifacts and documents related to key events in the city’s history, such as the Liverpool Dockers’ Strike of 1995.
‘Liverpool 8 Against Apartheid‘. Nelson Mandela’s importance to Liverpool is huge. In Toxteth, Liverpool 8, Mandela remains a highly significant role model to the community. In the 1980s Liverpool 8 was tireless in its support of the anti-apartheid struggle through demos, product boycotts, park runs and the Free Nelson Mandela Campaign.

LGBTQ + Audio Trail

A recurring theme on this trio to Liverpool and Manchester is the very visible presence of rainbows and demonstrative welcoming of LGBTQIA+ people.

The Museum of Liverpool has an LGBTQ + Audio Trail in podcast format, hosted by Matthew Riley and Brendan Geoghegan of Bottoming Podcast.

The Bottoming Podcast looks at mental health ion the rainbow and how this affects people on a larger scale. Matthew and Brendan take on a range of issues from funny situations to difficult conversations and experiences from their own lives.

“We are so thrilled to be working with the Museum of Liverpool to create the new LGBTQ+ Audio Trail. It’s been an incredible experience delving into the LGBTQ+ past and present of the city through the museum collection, and a reminder of the importance of saving and sharing the stories from our community. These stories shouldn’t be lost – far too many have been in the years that have passed, thanks to discriminatory laws and policies – many causing significant pain to the generations that walked before us”, they say on the museum website.

Rainbow related items at the Museum of Liverpool.

So?

The Museum of Liverpool is a modern museum with a contemporary look on how to display information. It’s informative and highly recommendable. Allow some two hours if you – like us – don’t read everything and cherrypick what you delve into.