Museums and Heritage

History lives and breathes in Liverpool, from our historic docklands and maritime past to the industrial innovations and progressive social causes that have energised our communities down the years. We bring it all to life in our many museums and heritage sites, including those in the National Museums Liverpool family – all evocative places where past and present collide.

Liverpool ships carried around 1.5 million enslaved Africans to the Americas as part of the transatlantic slave trade, and the International Slavery Museum tells the story of this shameful period of world history. Through outstanding collections of objects and archives, the museum gives a clear insight into historical slavery, and also shines a light on its modern-day incarnation.

Liverpool is one of the world’s great port cities, and Merseyside Maritime Museum at the Royal Albert Dock is an amazing place to discover the full compelling story. From the sights and sounds of the sea-faring life to the history of our pioneering dock system and even Liverpool’s role in the Titanic story, this is a museum where the crashing of the waves and the smell of the ocean are never far away.

The magnificent Museum of Liverpool is a waterfront landmark that tells the story of our city’s global significance through our unique geography, history and culture. Featuring spectacular displays and special exhibitions covering everything from transport and everyday fashions to community campaigns and our world-famous music scene, it’s a museum that reveals how fascinating ‘ordinary’ lives can be.

The World Museum on beautiful William Brown Street in central Liverpool is a family favourite – an elegantly restored resting place for a huge range of natural history and world culture collections. With treasures from across the globe – including dinosaur skeletons, bugs and insects, an aquarium and artefacts from ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome, the World Museum is like a 3D encyclopedia where history comes to life before your eyes.

More museums and heritage: Liverpool’s streets are like living museums, with historic buildings and significant sites across the whole city region. St George’s Hall is a huge neoclassical masterpiece opposite Lime Street station – one of Victorian Britain’s most breathtaking buildings. Then there are the two crowning achievements of Liverpool’s 20th century architecture – the distinctive concrete form of the Metropolitan Cathedral and the neogothic sandstone bulk of Liverpool Cathedral. A trip to the top of the Liverpool Cathedral tower is one of the best ways to take in the beauty of our city – and maybe pick out the brilliant, buzzing venue you’d love to visit next…