While Liverpool has certainly been on the international scene before, there are so many interesting things about this city that may have been previously overlooked. This northwest city has both historic roots and modern flavor. Explore these lesser-known facts that only a Liverpool insider would understand.
Punk not just Pop
Liverpool is clearly known for its famous pop musicians. Holding a Guinness Book World Record as the Capital of Pop, this metro has produced more number one hit pop artists than anywhere else. Of course, this is in a large part thanks to the legendary Beatles, but pop is not the only original music in the area. Only three years old, punk is alive in Liverpool with The Dead Good Gathering. Enjoy these fantastic up-and-coming bands including queer punks, new wave punks, grunge kids, and old-school rockers who may or may not look like the Ramones.
Rocket of the Rails
While it’s common knowledge that Liverpool to Manchester was the first successful passenger-carrying railway (emphasis on success), this railway was also a historic test ground for George Stephenson’s high-speed engine the Rocket. Winner of a contest for locomotive speed at 36 mph (a true rocket for 1829), Stephenson’s train expertise began to grow from there as he was recognized in the Americas and beyond. For such speed, however, fast train travel was out of reach of many average residents, unless you won the lottery. (Btw, you can check the Irish Lottery winning numbers here.)
On the List
Move aside London, Liverpool is number two when it comes to Grade II Listed Buildings. With 2,500 listed buildings and 250 public monuments, Liverpool is second only to London. Grading denotes the historic significance of a property, usually dating back before 1948. Listings are prized for architecture unique to its time period and many listed buildings date back even earlier to the 1700s and 1800s, or even earlier.
Scholarly Firsts
While we take it for granted today, libraries in centuries previous held books but did not loan them out. Liverpool’s subscription library service in 1828 was near revolutionary! It should be noted, however, that such valuable commodities as a written book could not simply be loaned out for free. The library helped set a tone many would later follow in our common book loans of today.
Liverpool was also a history maker when adding Liverpool School for Tropical Medicine in 1898. While not so tropical itself in the British Isles, Liverpool was a prominent port city and port for many world travelers and adventurers. As more traveler’s arrived, so did the presence of new “tropical” diseases that often baffled the local physicians. More than a simple clinic, this school is still an area of study today.
Scouse for Dinner
For a true Liverpool experience, outsiders must try a dish that is familiar in the homes of any local – scouse. Like most true home recipes, there is no one single recipe for scouse. Just think of it as a traditional lamb stew where you can toss in the vegetables that should be easily available like carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. In older days, lamb was less expensive than beef in the area, deriving the dish’s tradition of stewed lamb meat, but in modern-day beef is often used as either replacement or in addition. Either way, a single batch could fill many a hungry stomach.
No matter what this mix, this is a delicious and time-tested stew you won’t want to miss. In fact, sample at least a couple of different varieties.
Don’t let yourself get distracted but all the large headlines when you visit Liverpool. Make sure you see the culture, history, and flavor the locals enjoy too.