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William Brown Street, Liverpool

Creative Tourist

As city centre districts go, this one is relatively small: a cluster of buildings along a cobbled street, with Lime Street Station at the top and the Queensway Tunnel entrance at the bottom. But what it lacks in size, this chunk of Scouse real estate makes up for in kerb appeal: the buildings along William Brown Street are an integral part of Liverpool’s World Heritage Status.

Dominating them all is the neo-classical grandeur of St. George’s Hall, a neo-Grecian building that includes an immense Great Hall, with a tunnel-vaulted roof above and an original Minton tiled floor, made from around 30,000 individual tiles, below. It’s here that Liverpool gathers at times of protest, celebration and remembrance; in September 2012, for example, 10,000 people paid their respects to those who died during the Hillsborough disaster.

The buildings lining William Brown Street have the same restrained classicism of the hall. Among them are the Walker Art Gallery, a petite but perfectly formed art gallery that’s home to the annual John Moores Painting Prize, the World Museum, Liverpool’s Central Library (which reopened in 2013 after a £50 million facelift), and the County Sessions House.

Our top picks

St George’s Hall, Liverpool

St George’s Hall, Liverpool, St George's Place , Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JJ - Visit now

Combining both Victorian cells and a stunning hidden floor, St George’s Hall Liverpool makes for an unusual visit. It’s a building with a unique character and history: the original design combined both the Town Council’s call for a new music hall, and government orders to build a new Assizes Court, making St George’s possibly the only civic building to host both music concerts and murder trials under one roof.

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Walker Art Gallery

Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 8EL - Visit now

The Walker Art Gallery houses one of the most significant collections of paintings in the UK, as well as sculpture and decorative art dating from the 13th century to the present day. The gallery also hosts one of the most prestigious art competitions in the country, the John Moores Painting Prize.

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Image courtesy of Visit Britain

Liverpool Central Library

Liverpool Central Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 8EN - Visit now

Liverpool’s Grade II-listed Central Library is the largest of the 22 libraries in the city and sits alongside a string of other, similarly magnificent Neo-Classical venues on William Brown Street.

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Liverpool Central Library
Liverpool Central Library reading room. Image by Austin Smith Lord

World Museum Liverpool

World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 8EN - Visit now

The World Museum holds treasures from around the world, the bottom of the ocean and even outer space. A hybrid of old and new: outside, it’s all Corinthian columns and neo-Classical architecture. Inside, a newish atrium connects what was the Central Technical School with the museum. This museum is unashamedly family focussed with masses of hands-on, especially in the Clore Natural History Centre, so perfect for a family day out.

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Exterior of World Museum Liverpool, home to Dino Ranger Day

St. John’s Gardens

St. John’s Gardens, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 - Visit now

Sandwiched between the museum and gallery on William Brown Street and Queen’s Square, St. John’s Gardens is a small, formal garden filled to the brim with statuary and memorials; its rose flowerbeds forming the backdrop to St. George’s Hall.

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St John's Gardens, Liverpool. Courtesy St John's Gardens

Liverpool Lime Street Station

Liverpool Lime Street Station, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JD - Visit now

Liverpool Lime Street is the largest railway station in Liverpool, has an approximate annual footfall of 11.5 million and is still covered by vast iron and glass roofs dating from the 1880s. Toilets, booking offices, shops, a left-luggage office, taxi ranks and coffee bars are amongst the facilities provided.

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Liverpool Empire Theatre

Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE - Visit now

The Liverpool Empire Theatre is the largest two-tier theatre in the country with a capacity of 2350. Here you will find touring productions of opera, ballet, concerts, comedy and West End shows offering a packed schedule of events.

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Where to go in Liverpool

bar
City Centre
Brewery
Ye Cracke

Hidden in the Georgian Quarter, Ye Cracke is a historic Liverpool pub, known for being John Lennon’s local in his student days

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City Centre
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81 Renshaw

81 Renshaw is a record store in Liverpool city centre, selling new and second-hand vinyl from a location with a long musical history

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Lark Lane
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Larks

Larks is a vintage clothing and gift emporium in a bright pink shop where you’ll find a bit of everything, sprinkled with glitter.

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Liverpool
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Henry Bohn Books

Prepare to do some browsing and digging – this second hand bookshop is full of hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered

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Liverpool
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A Slower Space

A Slower Space offers a curated selection of homeware, candles, jewellery and more, all in a relaxing atmosphere, on the iconic Penny Lane.

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News from Nowhere

News from Nowhere is a radical community bookshop selling texts on important current issues as well as leading social justice initiatives.

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Bar or Pub
The Merchant

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Artefact

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City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
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Lovelocks is a chilled café on the outskirts of Liverpool city centre, serving delicious sweet and savoury foods and championing inclusivity.

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