III.

Places of Interest

Relatively few of the existing buildings in Liverpool pre-date 1800. A notable exception is the town hall (1754, rebuilt 1795). The Albert Dock, containing the largest group of “Grade I” listed buildings in Britain, was built in the 1840s. The waterfront site underwent major redevelopment and restoration in the early 1980s and is now home to the Liverpool Tate Gallery, Granada television studios, and several museums, including the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Museum of Liverpool Life. The renovated Albert Dock ranks among Britain’s most popular heritage attractions, with around 5 million visitors per year. Six sites in the city centre, including the docklands, the waterfront, the cultural quarter, and the commercial district, were collectively inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. Other outstanding buildings are the Neo-Classical St George's Hall (1854), housing concert halls, law courts, and exhibition rooms; the Gothic-style Anglican Cathedral (begun 1904, consecrated 1924), one of the largest ecclesiastical structures in the world; and the Roman Catholic cathedral of Christ the King (consecrated 1967), a striking example of modern architecture (see Liverpool Cathedrals).

Liverpool's cultural institutions include the Walker Art Gallery (1873), the Liverpool City Libraries (1852), and the Liverpool Museum (1851). The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is based in the city, and there are several theatres, including the Everyman Theatre and the Liverpool Playhouse—the oldest repertory theatre still operating in Britain. Among the city's educational institutions are the University of Liverpool (founded 1881), John Moores University (Liverpool Polytechnic until 1992), and several research institutes.