Located across the Mersey from Liverpool and with outstanding attractions such as the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Birkenhead Park and Eureka! Science + Discovery, lively music and street art, Wirral is the perfect destination in 2024.
This year Wirral hosts the Borough of Culture for the Liverpool City Region, and is just a short train or ferry ride from its larger neighbour.
Wirral will showcase a year-long program of incredible experiences to celebrate Wirral’s history. There will be a diversity of culture, art and heritage, with one of the first things to look out for being the Craig Easton exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery.
Discover Wirral’s rich musical heritage as a place that echoes through the music of artists who grew up here such as Elvis Costello, OMD and The Coral. Take a fascinating walking trail around Birkenhead while listening to the Left Bank Soundtrack. You’ll hear songs from Wirral musicians inspired by locations around the city – from historic Birkenhead Priory to the grandeur of Hamilton Square.
Arrive in Birkenhead from Liverpool by taking the ‘cross the Mersey’ ferry and admire the spectacular views – made famous by Gerry Marsden’s hit song.
Birkenhead Park, located nearby, was the first publicly funded park in the world and is widely recognized as the inspiration for New York’s Central Park. Now nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status, it will be home to ‘Gaia’ the Touring Earth installation by Luke Jerram in May. Check out Future Yard in Birkenhead too, a music venue with exciting artists and a thriving grassroots music scene.
A few kilometers away is Port Sunlight Village. Built for Lord Leverhulme’s Sunlight Soap factory workers, this 19th-century model village is Britain’s finest example of a purpose-built ‘working village’. Discover its museum and Lady Lever Art Gallery while walking around this wonderful place with its beautiful houses and green open spaces.
As for the famous faces from this amazing peninsula, there are too many to name them all. However, it is worth knowing that Olympic hockey player and presenter Sam Quek hails from Wirral, along with the late Paul O’Grady MBE and none other than 007 himself, Daniel Craig.
