Merseyside

The Anglican cathedral church of Christ and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan cathedral church of Christ the King are both in Liverpool (see Liverpool Cathedrals). The construction of the Anglican cathedral, which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, began in 1904 and was completed in 1978. The Roman Catholic cathedral was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, and built between 1962 and 1967. The city is rich in art galleries and museums, among which the Walker Gallery and the Tate Gallery are particularly notable. The city has two major theatres: the Liverpool Playhouse, famous as a repertory theatre, and the Liverpool Empire, with one of the largest auditoria in the country. The Philharmonic Hall is the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Liverpool has a number of other striking buildings, including the Port of Liverpool Building, with its large green dome, and the Royal Liver Building, the twin towers of which are surmounted by the so-called Liver Birds, from which the city is supposed to have got its name. Liverpool was the birthplace of The Beatles, and the Cavern Club, where they first performed in 1961, is a popular tourist attraction. The house where another celebrated Liverpudlian was born, William Ewart Gladstone, can also be seen. Albert Dock on the River Mersey in Liverpool is one of Britain’s most popular visitor attractions. As well as many shops and galleries, it houses the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The celebrated Mersey ferries still operate, and also provide short cruises along the Liverpool waterfront. Speke Hall, just south of Liverpool, is one of the most notable half-timbered houses in the country. Southport is a seaside resort, somewhat more sedate than Blackpool, its near neighbour to the north. At Prescot, on the outskirts of Liverpool, is a museum of Clock and Watchmaking, a craft for which the town was once famous. St Helens is the home of Pilkington, the world's largest glassmaking concern, and has a Glass Museum. Mersyside’s museums include the Liverpool Museum, the Pilkington Glass Museum, and another devoted to the story of the Beatles.

Liverpool continues to be the main British port for transatlantic freight shipping, and handles more than 25 million tonnes of cargo every year. St Helens is a major centre for glassmaking, and is also the location of the county's one coal mine. Soap is still made in the Lever Brothers’ Port Sunlight factory, as is margarine. The county has suffered badly in the recessions of the past 20 years, but government assistance has enabled it to diversify into many small industries, including chemicals, the manufacture of vehicles, and electrical goods.

The main events in the county's history are those of Liverpool. By the time that King John was planning to conquer Ireland, in the early years of the 13th century, Liverpool was already established as a port. Because the strong tides on the Mersey prevented the channel from silting up, as some of its rivals on the coast of Lancashire did, Liverpool grew and prospered, particularly from the 17th century, after neighbouring Chester declined because of the silting up of the River Dee. Once long sea journeys became commonplace, Liverpool developed into Britain's main port for transatlantic shipping, used for the transport of such cargoes as cotton and the textiles manufactured from it. In addition, until 1807, when slavery was outlawed by Britain, Liverpool was a major port for the slave trade; this past is remembered in a new exhibition on the slave trade in the city. Later in the 19th century, Liverpool was the major departure port for the millions of emigrants who went to seek their fortunes in the United States. A statue of Christopher Columbus in Liverpool bears the inscription “The Discoverer of America was the Maker of Liverpool”. During the 19th century, shipbuilding became a major industry, but it has since declined. Liverpool was the principal port involved in the World War II Battle of the Atlantic, and was a frequent target for German bombers; over 1,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on the city.