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Liverpool World Heritage Site

Fewer than nine hundred UNESCO World Heritage Site inscriptions have been made since the list was formed in 1972, so when Liverpool's Dock Front was named in 2004 the city justifiably felt honoured.

The list recognises cultural and historical significance, both in man-made and natural sites. Liverpool's Dock Front was chosen because of its vital role in expanding trade and British influence during the nation's age of empire, and also because of the specific architecture and innovations its engineers pioneered. The list's official name for the site, Liverpool - Maritime Mercantile City, sums up this justification.

Now, Liverpool's Dock Front area has officially joined the likes of the Pyramids, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China and the Great Barrier Reef as an iconic location.

For visitors to the site, it could be a little confusing where the World Heritage site begins and ends, so it can be divided into six distinct areas:

Despite the fact that almost all of these areas are used today for wholly different purposes than originally intended, the character and architecture remain virtually unchanged, testament to the subtle and respectful way in which they have been used.