Thursday, 9 November 2017
Friday, 20 October 2017
Liverpool - In search of the Beatles and more....
Our first excursion of the academic year takes us to one of England's largest cities, once one of the most important and wealthy seaports in the British Empire: Liverpool.
Our itinerary today will take us past some of the finest Regency buildings in the country, (St George's Hall). The city grew extensively in the 17th and 18th centuries when it became the slavery capital of Europe. It is believed that at least 16 of the city's Lord Mayors were slave merchants. This brutal trade involved buying slaves in Africa and shipping them to America and the Caribbean, where they were sold and forced to work on the large sugar, cotton and tobacco plantations owned by wealthy English families. The fruit of their hard labour was then exported back to Liverpool to be stored and traded.
Weather permitting, our excursion today will start at the Walker Art Gallery and the Liverpool World Museum. These are both world-class museums and admission is free. You may want to visit them during your free time later this afternoon. From here we will walk along Dale Street past Liverpool Town Hall, dating back to the late 18th century, and continue as far as the Royal Liver building overlooking the city's waterfront and next to the Albert Dock. This iconic building, crowned with the legendary liver birds, large cormorants with seaweed in their beaks, makes it one of the most easily recognised buildings in England. From here we will walk along Strand Street to the Albert Docks next to the river Mersey. Named after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, the five large warehouses that comprise the docks date back to 1846. Today they no longer store tobacco, wine, cotton etc but are home to TV studios, cafes, shops, restaurants and the new Tate Modern Art Gallery. Here you will also find two other museums: One dedicated to Liverpool life, and the other the city's most famous musical sons; John, Paul, George and Ringo, otherwise called 'The Beatles' (The Beatles Story).
Today Liverpool is synonymous with football and the Fab Four - four young Liverpudlian pop stars who in the 1960s were to put the city back on the world map, and this time it was for something good: music. Out tour today ends here in the Albert Dock. You will have the chance to visit the Beatles Story and go into the city centre. The City has a lot to offer in the way of tourist attractions. You will notice that there are two particularly tall buildings on the skyline. These are the city's two cathedrals, one Roman Catholic and the other Anglican. Their styles are different yet they were both finished quite recently. If you fancy Chinese food, there are several good restaurants and Oriental supermarkets in the area, and not far from the docks there is the oldest China town in the UK (Duke Street).
Whatever you do, please remember to be back at the designated coach pick up point at 17:50 (we leave at 18:00). Lastly, remember:
a) Make sure you have the emergency contact number.
b) Take care when crossing roads.
c) Look after your belongings.
Have a great day!
To hear this as an MP3, go to
https://soundcloud.com/lorenzo-ball-898299348/liverpool-itinerary
Our itinerary today will take us past some of the finest Regency buildings in the country, (St George's Hall). The city grew extensively in the 17th and 18th centuries when it became the slavery capital of Europe. It is believed that at least 16 of the city's Lord Mayors were slave merchants. This brutal trade involved buying slaves in Africa and shipping them to America and the Caribbean, where they were sold and forced to work on the large sugar, cotton and tobacco plantations owned by wealthy English families. The fruit of their hard labour was then exported back to Liverpool to be stored and traded.
Weather permitting, our excursion today will start at the Walker Art Gallery and the Liverpool World Museum. These are both world-class museums and admission is free. You may want to visit them during your free time later this afternoon. From here we will walk along Dale Street past Liverpool Town Hall, dating back to the late 18th century, and continue as far as the Royal Liver building overlooking the city's waterfront and next to the Albert Dock. This iconic building, crowned with the legendary liver birds, large cormorants with seaweed in their beaks, makes it one of the most easily recognised buildings in England. From here we will walk along Strand Street to the Albert Docks next to the river Mersey. Named after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, the five large warehouses that comprise the docks date back to 1846. Today they no longer store tobacco, wine, cotton etc but are home to TV studios, cafes, shops, restaurants and the new Tate Modern Art Gallery. Here you will also find two other museums: One dedicated to Liverpool life, and the other the city's most famous musical sons; John, Paul, George and Ringo, otherwise called 'The Beatles' (The Beatles Story).
Today Liverpool is synonymous with football and the Fab Four - four young Liverpudlian pop stars who in the 1960s were to put the city back on the world map, and this time it was for something good: music. Out tour today ends here in the Albert Dock. You will have the chance to visit the Beatles Story and go into the city centre. The City has a lot to offer in the way of tourist attractions. You will notice that there are two particularly tall buildings on the skyline. These are the city's two cathedrals, one Roman Catholic and the other Anglican. Their styles are different yet they were both finished quite recently. If you fancy Chinese food, there are several good restaurants and Oriental supermarkets in the area, and not far from the docks there is the oldest China town in the UK (Duke Street).
Whatever you do, please remember to be back at the designated coach pick up point at 17:50 (we leave at 18:00). Lastly, remember:
a) Make sure you have the emergency contact number.
b) Take care when crossing roads.
c) Look after your belongings.
Have a great day!
To hear this as an MP3, go to
https://soundcloud.com/lorenzo-ball-898299348/liverpool-itinerary
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Liverpool Tickets
LIVERPOOL
Tickets on sale now
Please go to the following link:
Please use your University
email/password
Thursday, 28 September 2017
Liverpool
Itinerary
Saturday October 21st
Depart (Meeting point) Main entrance to Brindley Building, Leek Road 08:30
Arrive Liverpool 10:00.
Optional tour from The Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum to the Albert Dock and the Royal Liver Building (river Mersey) and the Beatles Story via Dale Street*. The tour will take us past several of the city's most iconic historic buildings:
1) The Walker Art Gallery and Central Library
2) St George's Hall
3) Liverpool Town Hall
3) The Cunard Building and …
4) The Royal Liver building.
5) And finally……The Albert Dock
On arrival at the Albert Dock we will visit the Museum of Liverpool Life (free admission). http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/visit/
12:00 free time for lunch, shopping and sightseeing, Beatles Story/ China Town/Cathedrals/Liverpool Tate/River Mersey cruises/Cavern Walks....
Depart Liverpool 18:00
Arrive University Campus 19:30
For a city plan and advice
on what to see and do in Liverpool, please see updated posts on this blog and
contact your guides/accompanying staff.
*The itinerary may be adjusted to suit the weather.
Monday, 22 May 2017
Why Bath?
Why Bath?
For our third excursion of the year we have chosen the city of Bath. Why? Well, for a starter its one of England's most beautiful cities. In fact, it is also one of the country's oldest tourist destinations. Nearly 2000 years ago the Romans were drawn to this area by the hot natural springs. Aquae Sulis, as the Romans called Bath, soon became a prosperous Roman Spa town, attracting visitors from all over the colony and beyond.
Sine Roman times, Bath has grown and developed considerably, becoming a magnet for the wealthy, who during the 18th Century practically rebuilt the city, embellishing it with elegant neo classical architecture, inspired by Greece, Rome and Florence. No trip would be complete without visiting the Circus, built by John Wood the Elder in the 1750's, Holburn Museum, built in 1796, and the Pump Room, again from the same year, to name just a few.
The city has been called England's Florence, and indeed Pultney Bridge over the river Avon was inspired by the Ponte Vecchio spanning the river Arno in Florence.
Pultney Bridge
The Circus
Holburne Museum
The Pump Room
There is much to see here and numerous museums to visit (13) The city is also associated with many famous people who over the years have made it their home: the famous Georgian architect Beau Nash (1674-1762), who designed many of Bath's most prominent buildings, the explorer David Livingstone, Empire builder Clive of India, the artist Thomas Gainsborough, and perhaps the city's most famous daughter: the novelist Jane Austen, to whom a museum is dedicated in Gay Street.
The Museums and their links:
9) Roman Baths
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