did queen victoria visit liverpool

History of Liverpool

Liverpool History for Schools

Victorian Liverpool

Quick facts on victorian liverpool.

• 1841 - RSCPA charity founded in Liverpool (Brunswick Buildings)
• 1842 - World's first public baths and wash-house (laundry)
• 1851 - World's first children's hospital (Upper Hill Street)
• 1857 - World’s first Rugby Club (Liverpool Rugby Club)
• 1861 - First gunshot in the American Civil War was made by a Liverpool gun (Fawcett and Preston)
• 1868 - Liverpool born William Gladstone first became Prime Minister (he became PM another 3 times)
• 1869 - Country's first council housing (Silvester Street)
• 1883 - NSPCC Charity founded in Liverpool
• 1886 - The county's first purpose-made ambulance
• 1890 - Football goal nets invented (John Brodie)
• 1893 - World’s first overhead electric railway
• 1896 - Country's first use of an x-ray in hospital
• 1900 - The Tobacco Warehouse was made with 27 million bricks

Liverpool's (4 Times) Prime Minister William Gladstone

Victorian liverpool - the tale of two cities.

From 1837 to 1901 Queen Victoria sat on the throne of Great Britain. Her time ruling (reign) saw dramatic changes to the whole country. Particularly in Liverpool. During her reign, Queen Victoria ruled over a quarter of the known world.

Victorian Liverpool was very much the tale of two cities. It had a huge difference between very rich people and very poor people. You could argue the poor made the wealth for the rich. However, the rich did lots to help the poor.

During this time, Liverpool became an important city for world trade and business. Probably second in the world after London.

When an 18-year-old Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, Liverpool’s population was 160,000. By the time she died in 1901, the population had increased to 700,000.

Most of this increase came from people moving from old farming villages to the city to seek their fortune. People came from all over the country to live in Victorian Liverpool.

Victorian Liverpool Slum Housing

The increase in people had a terrible effect on the poorest in the city.

Most of Liverpool’s Victorian poor population lived in the crowded slums of the Everton district. This was a maze of long uphill streets and cramped courtyards.

The Everton and Vauxhall areas were within walking distance to Liverpool's docks. The docks employed thousands of Liverpool people in Victorian times. This location allowed people to walk to work easily.

Often a whole family would live and sleep in one room. This is worse when you think that a typical Victorian poor family could have 10 children! Any spare room in a house would usually be rented out to someone else to bring much-needed money in.

Victorian Everton became known as a slum. The houses were quickly built and packed in a tightly as possible. They had no running water. Instead, people used a fountain in the street. Wastewater was thrown into a grid in the street. They would have had one fire in the whole building. Most used a shared outside toilet.

Diseases spread very quickly through the Victorian Slums.

Victorian Liverpool Photos

Click here for a huge gallery of quality Victorian Liverpool photos Click here to see interactive Then and Now Victorian Liverpool photos.

Cholera Epidemic

In 1832 there was an outbreak of cholera in Liverpool. Cholera is a disease caused by bacteria in drinking water that causes terrible sickness.

The Liverpool Cholera epidemic caused riots in the worse affected areas as people felt the authorities were doing nothing to help. Many also believed the Cholera victims were killed to stop the disease from spreading rather than actually treated.

The Liverpool Cholera epidemic of 1832 killed 1500 people. It was believed to have started in India and spread into Liverpool from the shipping port.

One Irish lady helped to create the country’s first public baths and laundry in Liverpool. Her name was Kitty Wilkinson. Her washhouses allowed people to wash properly and use a chlorine bleach (made from lime and salt) to clean themselves and their clothes.

Kitty Wilkinson's baths saved 1000s of lives by helping get rid of the disease.

Irish and Welsh Migrants

In 1847 a potato famine hit Ireland. Millions of people left to avoid starvation. Many came to seek a better life in Liverpool.

The 1851 census shows that a quarter of Liverpool’s Victorian poor population had been born in Ireland. They, along with the many Welsh people who came here helped to create the ‘scouse’ accent.

In addition to the wave of Irish people, a large number of people from Wales came to Liverpool in Victorian Times.

A lot of Welsh people worked in the building industry. The Welsh Clwydian hills are visible from South-East Liverpool.

As a result of the Welsh Builders, many streets in Liverpool today have Welsh names. Gwladys Street for example, and the whole area of Welsh Streets in Toxteth where Beatle, Ringo was one day to be born.

St Georges Hall

Lots of people were rich enough to escape the inner-city slums. Instead, they lived in the many Victorian mansion houses that were built during this period.

Today, Liverpool boasts some of the finest Victorian architecture in the world. A reflection of just how rich it used to be.

Architect Harvey Lonsdale Elmes was just 23 years old when he designed St George’s Hall. It was a concert hall for Liverpool’s wealthy upper classes.

There is an urban myth that St George’s Hall was built back-to-front and that on discovering this, the architect killed himself in horror!

However, this legend is not true. Today, people today think the hall steps should come out onto the gardens and not Lime Street. But the truth is that those gardens were not there when the Hall was built. Originally there was a graveyard for the nearby church (St John’s) there. St George’s Hall, therefore, naturally faces away from this.

Charles Dickens in Victorian Liverpool

Charles Dickens said of Liverpool “It lies in my heart second only to London.”

He is first recorded as visiting here in 1838. He stayed in the Adelphi Hotel on Lime Street. He was known to stay in Liverpool whenever he was near the northwest of England.

Charles Dickens used to walk around Liverpool a lot at night to get ideas for his novels. At one point he worked there as an undercover policeman to enable him to get a closer look into the darker side of Victorian Liverpool life.

There are unproven rumours that he got both the names Oliver Twist and his grandfather, Mr Brownlow, from his visits to Liverpool. There was an orphanage on Brownlow Hill and the grave of an orphan called John Twist still exists in St James graveyard.

In 1858 people would have seen Charles Dickens give readings of his novels, including A Christmas Carol at St George’s Hall.

Queen Victoria visiting Liverpool

In October 1851 Queen Victoria and her Royal Family visited Liverpool. She stayed the night at Croxteth Park and then travelled along West Derby Road and onto the city centre.

Thousands lined the street to watch the Royal Carriage pass by, but the day was ruined by torrential rain!

The Queen and Prince Albert visited both St Georges Hall and the Town Hall. A full account of her stay in Liverpool can be read here .

The Queen has left her legacy in many street names, pub names and building designs. The huge Victoria Monument, built where Liverpool Castle used to stand, is the most famous.

Famous Liverpool Victorians

Click on the person to learn more about them.

BLOG: A Royal Visit

In his latest blog, official city halls tour guide, james o’keeffe, details a royal visit which links three of the city’s finest surviving buildings….

Have you heard the phrase “queen’s weather” and wondered where it comes from? Well, it’s an idiom that was created to describe the pleasant weather that seemed to follow Queen Victoria everywhere she went for a public engagement: “Queen’s weather” because it seemed that, no matter what time of the year, or where she went, Victoria would always enjoy fine weather conditions. Unfortunately, queen’s weather was not experienced by Victoria on her first visit to Liverpool in October 1851 as a guest of the Earl of Sefton. On this occasion, Queen Victoria and her family were welcomed by a very wet and rainy Liverpool. She had been invited to visit the nearly-complete St George’s Hall before the new courts opened in the December of that year.

Interestingly, Queen Victoria’s visit of 1851 actually links all three Liverpool City Halls: Croxteth Hall, Liverpool Town Hall and St George’s Hall, as they were all locations for the queen to visit. The visit left a lasting impression on Queen Victoria and inspired her to make two memorable statements about the Town Hall and St George’s Hall that are frequently recalled in these buildings even to this day!

The Queen Victoria (dated 1869) and Prince Albert (dated 1866) equestrian statues by Thomas Thornycroft, situated on St George’s Plateau.

Victoria, her husband Prince Albert and her children had been in Balmoral in Scotland and arrangements were made for them to visit Manchester and Liverpool on their way to Windsor Castle by train. They first visited Lancaster on 8 October and later that day travelled on to Prescot Railway Station. Here, they were met by the 3rd Earl of Sefton, Charles William Molyneux (1796-1855), who was at that time the lord lieutenant of Lancashire. As guests of the Earl of Sefton, the royals were to spend the night at his residence: Croxteth Hall. The Earl, his wife Mary Augusta (1814-1906) and his children William Philip, Viscount Molyneux (1835-1897), Caryl Craven (1836-1912), Henry Harvey (1842-1915) and Cecilia Maria Charlotte (1838-1910) would accompany the Queen throughout her visit of Liverpool. Cecilia would go on to become Victoria’s Lady of the Bedchamber for a number of years. On their way to Croxteth, the royal party passed through Knowsley and the grounds of Knowsley Hall (the home of the Earl of Derby), which Victoria thought was very fine and reminded her of Windsor.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert kicked off their visit to Liverpool at Croxteth Hall, where they spent the night as guests of the Earl of Sefton.

The Royal party arrived at Croxteth Hall at 5.20pm and were received on the terrace of what is known as the Queen Anne wing of the building by Countess Sefton and a number of her female guests. The steps were covered in a crimson cloth and a large number of Liverpool’s “ladies and gentry” as the Liverpool Mail described them, stood on the lawn and cheered enthusiastically at the arrival of the Queen. This large group of guests had enjoyed afternoon tea in a marquee that had been especially erected for the occasion on the lawn. The 16th Regiment band had entertained guests throughout the afternoon with operatic music and upon the arrival of the Her Majesty, they struck up the National Anthem. The royal standard was raised and there was the firing of a salute.

Prince Albert, accompanied by the Earl of Sefton and the Secretary of State, Earl Grey, who travelled with the royal visitors, visited the Hall’s farm and admired the various breeds of animals that he saw there. The evening brought with it a “sumptuous dinner” for the Earl’s royal guests. Among the other guests who were present at the dinner were the Earl and Countess of Derby, the Bishop of Chester, William Brown MP (cotton merchant after whom William Brown Street is named), John Bent, the Mayor of Liverpool and Hardman Earle (of the slave-trading family; his home being Allerton Tower which was designed by the architect of St George’s Hall, Harvey Lonsdale Elmes). The banquet was extremely lavish with nine courses.

An image of Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, as displayed in the Heritage trail at St George’s Hall.

After the banquet, the guests then went to the drawing room where supper was served and the Queen and Prince Albert finally retired at 11 o’clock.

Thursday 10 October was the big day for Liverpool. Unfortunately, the morning was greeted by a continuous drizzle and it continued to rain all of the day. Three carriages departed from Croxteth Hall just after 10 o’clock; the Queen, Prince of Wales and the daughter the Princess Royal in the first carriage, the other royal children in the second carriage and finally the Earl of Sefton and his family in their own carriage. Preceded by the carriages was the 16th Lancers on horseback who would lead the way around the route throughout the whole day.

Due to the wet weather, the carriages remained closed and many entrepreneurs had put stands up in that the public would have been able to watch the procession from but, because of the terrible weather, these were largely empty and it was reported that most of the owners of these stands were out of pocket for their efforts. The scene must have been impressive nevertheless as arches had been erected all the way along the route as well as flags and streamers lining the roads. School children from the local area were able to watch from special stages, and the children from West Derby Workhouse were also allowed to attend near to Tuebrook.

The route the royal party took was as follows:

West Derby Road – Brunswick Road – Moss Street – London Road – Daulby Street – Brownlow Street – Brownlow Hill – Mount Pleasant – Hardman Street – Leece Steet – Bold Street – Church Street – Lord Street – St George’s Crescent – Castle Street – Brunswick Street and finally to the landing-stage at the waterfront.

The whole route was strewn with flags, festoons and banners welcoming the Queen. On Lord Street, the goldsmith and jeweller, Joseph Mayer, had made a large copy of the Liverpool arms and put it on display outside his building.

At the landing stage, the guests boarded the Royal Yacht, Fairy and Victoria was given a gift of the plans of the docks by the Dock Committee. They cruised south along the river towards Toxteth. Unfortunately, again due to the weather, the large crowds who had gathered were not able to see the Queen and her family very easily, as they stayed in the deck cabin of the yacht. Nevertheless, the weather couldn’t dampen the crowd’s spirits and as the yacht came back up the river and approached Birkenhead cannons fired on both sides of the Mersey. At Birkenhead hundreds of school children cheered at the sight of the Queen and her family.

Returning to the landing stage, the royals boarded their carriages once more and headed towards the Town Hall. They took a scenic route:

Strand Street – Custom House – Sailors’ Home – Canning Place – South Castle Street – Lord Street and Church Street – Parker Street – Elliot Street – Lime Street – St George’s Hall – St Johns Lane – Manchester Street – Dale Street

At South Castle Street, Mr McGregor Simpson, the piper to the Queen at Balmoral, played the tune “Queen’s Welcome to Athol”, originally composed for Victoria, as her carriage passed.

The Town Hall had been specially redecorated for the visit of the queen, with the grand staircase polished and carpeted in crimson, with the carpet being described as “one of the best of its kind”. The new carpet had the symbols of the rose, thistle and shamrock in reference to the three kingdoms which make up the United Kingdom. Gold and crimson decoration was added to every room of the building. No expense was spared.

An elaborate throne for the Queen was placed into the Main Ballroom under the Minstrels’ Gallery in front of a large golden screen. On either side of this throne was a seat for Prince Albert and the pair’s eldest son, the Prince of Wales. There are two chairs in St Michael’s and All Angels Church, Hathersage, Derbyshire, which were from Victoria and Albert’s visit of Liverpool in 1851. Perhaps they were these two chairs. The royal party entered the Main Ballroom past the water bailiff, mace bearer and sword bearer of the Corporation.

A mace bearer and sword bearer were present on Queen Victoria’s visit to Liverpool Town Hall, which displays a sword and mace within its silver collection.

The Queen, in the throne, then received an address on behalf of Liverpool by the Town Recorder before a large audience that included all members of the Liverpool Corporation. The address had been inscribed on vellum and placed into a cylindrical gold plated case which included engravings of St George’s Hall, the Town Hall, the Sailor’s Home (the foundation stone of which had been laid by Prince Albert on his previous visit in 1846), St Nicholas’s Church, the Custom House and the landing-stage. The seal of the address was enclosed by a solid gold Lancashire rose in reference to the Queen being the Duke of Lancaster. All of this was then put into a box that had been made from one of the timbers from the roof of Prince Rupert’s cottage, Everton. Prince Rupert (1619-1682), Queen Victoria’s five times great uncle stationed himself at Everton along with 10,000 Royalist soldiers during the English Civil Wars in June 1644, in preparation of taking control of Liverpool back from the parliamentarians. The cottage in which he stayed on Everton Brow was still standing until 1845 and is included in an early nineteenth century painting that hangs today in the Small Ballroom of the Town Hall. The Earl of Sefton’s ancestor Caryll Molyneux, later the 3rd Viscount Molyneux (1620-1699), fought alongside Rupert during the two-week siege of Liverpool and was instrumental in the royalist victory there.

An early nineteenth century painting of Everton, which hangs today in the Small Ballroom of the Town Hall.

A special day for Liverpool was made even more special for the Mayor of Liverpool, John Bent: just before lunch, he was knighted by the Queen and became Sir John Bent. Immediately after the conclusion of this ceremony, Victoria and Albert stepped out onto the balcony looking out upon Exchange Flags. Here again, she faced huge crowds, holding umbrellas aloft and cheering. This view clearly left an impression on the Queen because she would later comment that she had never before seen so many well-dressed gentlemen as she had from that balcony of Liverpool Town Hall. Even today, many people who visit the building are familiar with that remark, and this balcony is still referred to as the Queen’s Balcony.

The rear balcony of Liverpool Town Hall, still referred to this day by many as “the Queen’s Balcony”.

A portrait of Sir John Bent, which hangs in the Small Ballroom of Liverpool Town Hall.

Lunch at the Town Hall was served in the Dining Room and was provided by the Town Hall’s preferred caterer, hotelier William Lynn. Lynn was the owner of the Waterloo Hotel, Ranelagh Street. Here, again, is a link between the three city halls: every time St George’s Hall’s architect Elmes visited Liverpool, he would always stay at Lynn’s hotel. Additionally, the Earl of Sefton would also have been well-acquainted with the hotelier, as Lynn was instrumental in the creation of both the Grand National and the Waterloo Cup (hare coursing three-day event held at Altcar every January until it was banned for animal cruelty in 2005) on the Earl of Sefton’s land. William Lynn originally leased land in Maghull, and then Aintree, from the 2nd Earl of Sefton (often referred to as Lord Dashalong for his love of horse racing) in 1829 for the purposes of horse racing (initially flat racing). This race became known as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase and from 1839 onwards, the Grand National. Lynn was also responsible for the construction of a grandstand at Aintree for spectators.

The 3rd Earl of Sefton, when he was still Viscount Molyneux in 1836, won the first Waterloo Cup with his greyhound Milanie.

As they were a little ahead of the day’s schedule, after lunch and before they departed for the Town Hall, Victoria and Albert had the opportunity to stand on the balcony overlooking Castle Street, again greeted by huge crowds in the street. A few minutes later they were back in their carriages and on their way to the brand new St George’s Hall, taking the route:

Dale Street – Manchester Street – St John’s Lane

Just like everywhere else along the route, huge crowds had gathered outside St George’s Hall to welcome the Queen and her family.

As the Queen’s carriage approached St George’s Hall the band of the Fusiliers, replete with their mascot, a Cashmere goat, played the National Anthem and at the end someone shouted: “Three cheers for the goat!” The large crowd cheered three times and, according to the newspaper report when this was done the goat “drew himself proudly to his full height, and shook his head and horns knowingly, as though he quite appreciated the compliment”!.

Entering through the building’s east portico (the Lime Street side of the building), the Queen was met by the Chairman of the St George’s Hall committee, John Buck Lloyd, the Deputy Chairman, JH Turner, and the corporation architect who was at that stage overseeing the completion of the hall’s construction, John Weightman. They first visited the Civil Court. Queen Victoria stood on the Judge’s Bench and was able to appreciate the view all the way through that courtroom, through the Great Hall and all the way to the Judge’s Bench in the Criminal Court at the other end of the building. Even today, when the doors at the back of both courts are open, you can see all the way through from one Judge’s bench to the other: incredibly, they are at the same level!

When the doors at the back of the Civil and Criminal courts are open, you can see all the way through from one Judge’s bench to the other, amidst the grandeur of the Great Hall.

As they passed through the Great Hall, south, towards the Criminal Court, they stopped to examine plans and sections of the building. At this point, Albert took the opportunity to discuss with John Weightman the great engineering feat of the Hall’s single-barrel vaulted ceiling which, when completed, would be described as the lightest in Europe. The great innovation of the ceiling is that it is made up of hollow bricks or tiles saving a huge amount of weight from it, ensuring that the whole thing would not collapse in on itself. On the subject of tiles, Albert and Weightman then discussed the planned floor made up of Stoke on Trent-based company Minton’s encaustic tiles for the Great Hall. Of course, Albert was a fan of Minton tiles; he helped to popularise the brand’s products when he commissioned a floor in these tiles for the royal holiday home on the Isle of Wight: Osborne House in 1845. Liverpool Town Hall also has its own fine example of a Minton tiled floor which the royal family must have seen on that same day.

At the time of his visit to St George’s Hall, Prince Albert had a keen interest in plans for the now famous Minton floor. He was a fan of Minton tiles and helped to popularise the brand.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also expressed admiration of the beautiful setting for the statue of George Stephenson which had just been completed by the sculptor John Gibson (1790-1866). In the criminal court, the Earl of Sefton demonstrated to the Royal party the layout of the room. He went so far as to stand in the dock of the court and hold up his hand as a prisoner. Prince Albert remarked that he thought it was very proper that the lord lieutenant should be versed in the practice of the courts within his own county.

The statue of George Stephenson at St George’s Hall. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert expressed admiration of the beautiful setting for this sculpture when they visited.

The original plan for the visit of St George’s Hall was that the Queen would, with Albert and her children, appear on the south portico of the Hall and receive the greetings of the crowds in the street. However, the chairman suggested that, due to the weather, it was not advisable to go ahead with it. Regardless of this advice, Victoria stated that she would not disappoint her “expectant subjects” and she stepped outside to the delight of the people gathered in the streets below.

Prince Albert was clearly very taken with the building (of course, he was a keen patron of the arts and admirer of architecture) and when the Royal party were being led back along the corridor towards their exit, he said “Let us have one more view of this beautiful hall”. They were taken off the official route that had been planned for their visit and spent some time admiring the beauty of their surroundings. As the prince stepped outside, he remarked that he could not think of a finer building where “sculpture could be so beautifully and effectively displayed”.

That visit to Liverpool clearly had a lasting impression on Victoria and Albert as they commissioned the artist William Wyld (1806-1889) to paint a picture of the building,  which can be viewed here .

Victoria would also say of the building that it was “one of the finest of modern buildings. It is worthy of ancient Athens…the taste so good and pure” – words immortalized in the Heritage Centre of St George’s Hall in the South Hall.

When Victoria left St George’s Hall, she insisted that the carriages should be opened up so that the crowds who had endured a miserable wet day, would be able to see her and she could then respond to farewell greetings from the crowds. Finally, the royal family arrived at Lime Street station and boarded the royal carriage – at which point, the Earl and Countess of Sefton, as well as the Mayor, took leave of the queen. Trumpeters played the National Anthem and the crowds continued to cheer until the train finally departed and disappeared into the tunnel away from Liverpool and onwards to Manchester.

Festivities in Liverpool continued into the night with fireworks being set off at numerous locations including Castle Street, Lime Street and the zoological gardens on West Derby Road. A grand ball to celebrate the queen’s visit was held in the Main Ballroom of the Town Hall. At Croxteth, under the guidance of the Hall’s steward Mr Wilson, 700 guests, including Croxteth estate’s tenants, were treated to a dinner in the marquee on the lawn of the House. It was reported that strong ale was provided for the male visitors, and wine for the females.

So ended a memorable day in the history of Liverpool. Before 1851, the last time that a serving monarch had visited Liverpool was in 1690, when William III came before sailing to Ireland from Hoylake. Liverpool would not have to wait so long again for a subsequent visit of a monarch; Queen Victoria visited again in 1886, that time staying in Newsham Park. Prince Albert, however, never visited again, having died in 1861.

It’s interesting to note that, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Liverpool Town Hall in June 2016, the menu was adapted from the one that was presented to Queen Victoria when she made her return visit of 1886.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Liverpool Town Hall in June 2016.

• britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
• Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser,  7 October 1851
• The Liverpool Mail , 11 October 1851
• Terry Cavanagh, Public Sculpture of Liverpool  (1997)
• K Millington, Liverpool Town Hall  (1960)
• Sir Theodore Martin, The Life of His Royal Highness, the Prince Consort, vol. 2 (1880)
• Robert Syers, The History of Everton  (1830)

ABOUT JAMES O’KEEFFE

James works as one of the official guides of Liverpool’s City Halls. He has worked in his role for 12 years and delivers a wide range of tours in St George’s Hall and Liverpool Town Hall, including the monthly guided tours, St George’s Hall Film tours, Footman tours and the special ‘Walk the Floor’ tours during the Minton Floor Reveal.

He also helps to animate events in the buildings including the traditional Toasting of the Haggis at the Burns Night Ceilidh and Dickens Readings in St George’s Hall’s Concert Room.

With a Master’s Degree in History, James’s passion is British history with a particular interest in all things Liverpool.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II – a timeline in Liverpool

From her first official visit in 1949 as a young Princess, to her last visit – 67 years later – in 2016; Her Majesty The Queen was always given the warmest of welcomes by the people of Liverpool. She officially opened Liverpool Cathedral, the Kingsway Tunnel and Alder Hey Hospital; she cheered on the horses at the Grand National and she greeted thousands of well-wishers from the balcony of the Town Hall, on numerous occasions. Here, James O’Keefe , a Heritage Attendant at St George’s Hall, charts the milestone moments in the life of Her Majesty and our city.

21 April 1926

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor is born. She is the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York

11 December 1936

Elizabeth becomes the heir presumptive when her father becomes King George VI

21 April 1942

On Princess Elizabeth’s sixteenth birthday she has her first public engagement: inspecting the Grenadier Guards

20 November 1947

A 21-year-old Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey

14 November 1948

Princess Elizabeth gives birth to her first child Prince Charles

29 March 1949

Princess Elizabeth’s first official visit to Liverpool.

Elizabeth and Philip visit the Dock Board’s boat Galatea which took them to the North End docks. The Princess opens the new deep-water lock.

Galatea bumps into the wall of the lock but Elizabeth is fine as she holds tightly onto the rail.

Elizabeth and Philip visit the Town Hall for lunch with the Lord Mayor Alderman Walter Thomas. After the lunch, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip come out on the balcony facing Castle St to greet the crowds that had gathered outside.

The Princess and Prince then went to visit Liverpool Cathedral unlocking the main door with a special key that was designed by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The Prince then stencilled a pillar with the initials “E” and “P” in a ‘true-lovers’ knot’ ( Illustrated London News 9 April 1949).

The crowds at the cathedral cheered so much that the royal couple were reportedly delayed ‘for nearly two hours en route to Preston’ ( Illustrated London News )

15 August 1950

Elizabeth gives birth to her second child Princess Anne

16 November 1951

Princess Elizabeth visits Liverpool, having travelled on the liner Empress from Scotland having recently returned from Canada.

As the Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, stepped ashore the bells of Liverpool Cathedral rang for the first ever time.

There is also a Royal Salute of 21 guns by the Boys’ battery of the Royal Artillery

The royal couple then walked along Prince’s Parade with the Lord Lieutenant of the County Palatine, Earl of Derby and they inspected a guard of honour of the Mersey Division of the Royal Navy Reserve.

They then went to the Town Hall for lunch with the Lord Mayor Vere Egerton Cotton. Outside, the royal couple inspected a guard of Honour of the RASC (Territorials).

The crowd was so excited that they broke through the police cordon and crash barriers.

The Princess and Prince Philip signed the visitors’ book of the Town Hall (see image)

In 1953, Captain Charles Marriott, Director of the Liverpool City Police Band, told the Liverpool Echo that during the Princess’s visit to the Town Hall, he had been torn between playing the Royal Artillery Slow March, which the Lord Mayor liked best, or a nautical selection, which he knew the Princess always enjoyed. As they mounted the grand staircase of the building, Marriott decided on the Princess’s preference. He commented: “The Lord Mayor looked surprised, but the Princess looked very pleased, and we were later congratulated by the Duke of Edinburgh.”

The Lord Mayor looked surprised, but the Princess looked very pleased, and we were later congratulated by the Duke of Edinburgh Captain Charles Marriott, Director of the Liverpool City Police Band

2 June 1953

The Queen’s solemn coronation took place, after the death of her father the year before. The ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey.

21 October 1954

Elizabeth visits Liverpool Town Hall for the first time as monarch, again accompanied by Prince Philip.

The press report that as she toured the streets of the surrounding area a Malaysian girl gave the Queen a bouquet of flowers in Kirkby.

As the Queen entered the Town Hall, the crowd of thousands shouted “We want the Queen”.

She then appeared on the balcony facing Castle Street and the crowd roared and waved. Leaving the balcony she went to the Small Ballroom where she met leading civic and religious figures.

Her Majesty then inspected the guard of honour of the 5 th Battalion of the 5 th King’s (Liverpool) Regiment.

The Queen also visited the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

26 March 1955

The Princess attended the Grand National at a rainswept Aintree with the Queen Mother in Lord Derby’s box.

The Princess attended the Grand National with the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, the Princess stayed at Knowsley Hall, as guest of Lord and Lady Derby.

When the royal party arrived at Town Green Station in Aughton they were greeted by a large crowd of hundreds of people and more than 2,500 flowers that had been flown from Guernsey to decorate a flower bank for the visit.

19 February 1960

Elizabeth gives birth to her third child Prince Andrew

24 May 1961

The Queen visits Pilkington glassworks factory in St Helens, followed by lunch with Lord and Lady Derby at Knowsley Hall.

Afterwards, the Queen visited the Empire Theatre to watch ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.

The Queen travelled back to London from Liverpool Airport on a Heron of the Queen’s Fleet. Prince Philip stayed privately overnight in Cheshire and the following day played polo for Windsor Park in Tarporley the following afternoon.

14 December 1962

Queen Elizabeth visited the Canada-Langton Dock to officially open the Langton River Entrance. Sailing towards the entrance on the Liverpool pilot boat the Arnet Robinson, she passed crowds of dockworkers on the dockside who had gathered to greet her. After the official opening of the entrance, Elizabeth toured the North docks by boat and then travelled to the Town Hall to attend lunch with 250 guests. As the royal car neared the Town Hall, the pavements of Castle Street were filled with ‘thousands of office workers’ who had taken their lunch hour to see the Queen. A few minutes before the Queen arrived, the crowds had packed the pavements ’10 and 20 deep behind the barricades.’ ( Liverpool Echo 14 December 1962). One woman was even reported as fainting. At the Town Hall the Queen was welcomed by the Lord Mayor David J Lewis and the Lady Mayoress. Before sitting down to lunch, the Queen was asked if she would like to make an appearance on the balcony, she said ‘yes very much. There were so many people waiting in the street outside.’

The Queen leaves Liverpool by train from Lime Street Station. The royal train, on this occasion, is reported to be staffed by an all-Liverpool crew.

10 March 1964

Queen Elizabeth gives birth to her fourth child, Prince Edward

14 December 1967

Queen Elizabeth visits Lime Street Railway Station

18 May 1968

Queen Elizabeth visits Liverpool Airport with Lord Mayor of Liverpool Ethel May Wormald

25 June 1971

The Queen officially opened Kingsway Tunnel ‘My grandfather named the first Mersey Tunnel Queensway in honour of Queen Mary. So, in honour of my father it is with the greatest pleasure that I declare the second Mersey Tunnel open and name it Kingsway.’ Cheering from the 6,000-strong crowd followed as the long blue curtains at the tunnel entrance, released by the press of the button by the Queen, fell aside.

My grandfather named the first Mersey Tunnel Queensway in honour of Queen Mary. So, in honour of my father it is with the greatest pleasure that I declare the second Mersey Tunnel open and name it Kingsway Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen was then driven through the tunnel and visited Wallasey.

Later after returning to Liverpool, the Queen visited St John’s Precinct and toured the market taking tea in the Tower Restaurant with Lord Mayor Stephen Minion, the Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Ian Levin, his wife and honorary freemen of the city Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, John Moores and Sir Joseph Cleary.

The Queen also visited the Liverpool Empire Theatre

In 1972 the structure of local government in England was changed meaning that Liverpool’s council became first a county borough and then a Metropolitan District Council, having previously been a City Council. This meant that Liverpool Council no longer officially held a “city” title meaning that the official title of Lord Mayor would no longer be used (replaced with Chairman).

However, Liverpool Council applied to the Queen to retain the title of “city” and she granted this through a new City Charter for Liverpool (1974). The Charter meant that the council would continue to be known as Liverpool City Council and the titles of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor would remain.

2 June 1977

Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration of 25 years on the throne

21 June 1977

The Queen attended a service at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The Royal party left the Cathedral with Lord Mayor Paul Orr and The Archbishop of Liverpool Derek Worlock. Between the two Cathedrals there were unbroken lines of children. The Queen and Prince Phillip were driven down Hope Street in a state Range Rover.

Elizabeth and Philip then travelled on the Mersey Ferry Royal Iris to review shipping on the Mersey. The bells of Our Lady and St Nicholas rung in celebration of the Jubilee.

The Royal party departed Liverpool on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

This was 80 years since Victoria’s diamond Jubilee.

25 October 1978

Her Majesty officially opens Liverpool Cathedral

Queen Elizabeth visits St John’s Market “Over 3,000 laughing, cheering, sometimes crying people had waited for hours to wave their Union Jacks enthusiastically. And due to the Falklands crisis, there was that added bit of patriotic bit of fervour [sic] about the whole scene.” “Faith again in this once great city which may be on hard times at the moment, but does not lack in spirit, if the crowds cheering in St. John’s Market were anything to go by.” The Queen talked to a group of women in the crowd, including Mrs Minnie Connolly from Seaforth and Hetty Smith, a 71 year old resident of Tuebrook. Mrs Smith: “I can’t help crying when I see her, she is so marvellous”.

…there’s nothing snobby about our Queen Mrs Minnie Connolly

Earlier in the day, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had visited Port Sunlight alighting from the royal train at the village’s train station.

The Prince met 8-year-old Stephen Worral from Parkside Rd, Bebington, who had made a red, white and blue hat for the occasion. The Duke asked him: “Is that a waste paper basket on your head?” ( Liverpool Echo 5 May 1982)

The royal couple attended the official opening of Arrowe Park Hospital spending one and a half hours visiting wards and dining and staff facilities.

The couple then visited the new Police Headquarters in Liverpool

At Liverpool Town Hall the couple enjoyed lunch with the Lord Mayor James Ross. The Queen waved to the crowd from the balcony “1,000 strong”, a section of which “broke into a rendering of the National Anthem”. (Liverpool Echo, 4 May 1982)

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended a concert performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the RLPO

21 June 1982

Prince William is born to Prince Charles and Princess Diana. William is second in line to the throne.

The Queen officially opens Festival Gardens and the new Court building, the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts.

The Queen arrived in Liverpool by train into Lime Street Station, welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Wing Commander Kenneth Stoddart, who presented the welcoming party of Merseyside Chief Executive Ray O’Brien, County Council Chairman Councillor Ben Shaw, Liverpool City Council Chairman Hugh Dalton, City Chief Executive Alfred Stocks, the Chief Constable Kenneth Oxford and British Rail general manager Trevor Anderson.

Liverpool Echo headline 2 May 1984 “My Super Day That’s the Queen’s tribute to Liverpool”

The Queen declares that she has not enjoyed herself so much for many years.

Her Majesty compared Liverpool to the plants at the Festival Gardens, describing how plants wither and die but with the coming of spring, growth begins again. Something “we all wish for Liverpool”.

The Liver Building’s clock was refurbished in time for the Queen’s visit and the clock, silent since the late seventies, rang out again after a short roof top ceremony where Mr Arthur McArdle, Chairman of the Royal Assurance set the chimes in motion.

12 November 1987

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the Plessey Factory, arriving by train at Edge Lane railway station. The Queen officially opened the plant that made the System X phone equipment used by British Telecom.

Over 2,000 employees stay on after their shift to cheer. During her speech, the Queen talked of the important role Plessey had played during the Blitz. She mentioned that her father and mother had visited the factory when they were King and Queen:

“It was 45 years ago, almost to the day, that my parents visited the site. Since then Merseyside has fostered a thriving industry in the new technology of electronics.”

The Queen signed the visitors’ book, just as her parents had done 45 years before. While at the factory, she met one of the workers Phil Booth and his guide dog Abba. Abba ‘stole the show’, according to the Liverpool Echo , when she gave Prince Philip a big lick.

8 August 1988

The Queen travelled on the Royal Yacht Britannia and berthed at Liverpool Landing Stage, to be greeted by large crowds. Along with Prince Philip, the Queen visited Port Sunlight and the Lever Brothers Factory complex to commemorate the soap manufacturer’s centenary.

The Queen visits Liverpool Cathedral

28 May 1993

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Liverpool for the Battle of the Atlantic commemorations. The Queen inspected a guard of honour at the Albert Dock and went on a walkabout. The Queen then chatted with around 50 veterans of the battle and met the Lord Mayor Michael Black. One veteran, Tom Seed, 99 years old from Speke, had served on ships carrying troops to Gallipoli. He spoke to the Queen and told the Liverpool Echo : “I must be one of the luckiest men alive. Every ship I ever served on was torpedoed shortly after I left. Now after all these years I have met the Queen and she told me how lovely it was to still see someone wearing the George V medal.”

Queen Elizabeth then visited the newly-completed Merseyside Maritime Museum, which she officially opened. Before going in, she was handed a posy by eight-year-old Helen Hope from Allerton, who said that she was thrilled to have been chosen, “although I have had to practice my curtsying.”

Queen Elizabeth had asked to visit Anfield to mark both the centenary of the club and the team’s position as the most successful club in British football history. The Queen was introduced to Liverpool footballers past and present – including Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Ron Yeats (to whom she presented the FA Cup at Wembley in 1965), Ray Clemence and Ian Rush.

The Queen then enjoyed a pitch walkabout and was welcomed by a great roar from the stadium crowd.

Trevor Hicks, Chairman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, said that the Queen’s visit been a great honour for the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Before the Queen’s arrival, the support group’s committee had laid out 96 red roses in front of the Hillsborough memorial. Accompanied by six members of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip saw the newly-replaced Eternal Flame and the most recently added name, Tony Bland.

7 June 1996

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arrived at Liverpool Lime Street Station having travelled on the royal train. The Prince Philip spent the day visiting Kirkby and Birkenhead. The Queen Elizabeth opened the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) with Paul McCartney and music students gave a performance. Paul McCartney said the Queen had ‘loved it’ ( Liverpool Echo 7 June 1996).

The Queen then visited the newly-refurbished Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to officially unveil a plaque commemorating the re-opening of the building. She then watched a full programme of music in the hall. 

31 August 1997

The death of Princess Diana

20 November 1997

Golden wedding anniversary. The Queen and Prince Philip held a special garden party at Buckingham Palace for other couples also celebrating their golden wedding anniversaries.

22 July 1999

Queen Elizabeth visits the Empire Theatre and Liverpool Town Hall.

She also met residents from the new flats at the Bullring in Copperas Hill and staff from the community centre.

‘Brookside’ actors also met the Queen at Central Library to talk about the “Brookie Basics” reading scheme.

That was followed by lunch at the Town Hall with Lord Mayor Joseph Devaney. While walking up the grand staircase of the building, the Queen she said to Deputy Lord Mayor Eddie Clein “You know Lord Mayor this is one of my favourite Town Halls in the country.” (Eddie Clein, Falling Off The Fence (2014), p.170)

There was then a walkabout in Exchange Flags where 500 people had gathered to welcome the royal couple. Prince Philip went on to visit the Medeva Pharma Ltd factory in the afternoon.

The Queen went to the Speke and Garston community fire station, the £2.4million state of the art Garston Urban Village Hall. At the fire station a 5-year-old girl Nicola McDiarmid handed over two cards that she had made for the Queen. The Queen asked her if she had made them all on her own to which Nicola shyly replied “yes”. The message in the cards read “To the Queen I love you; I hope you love me.”

In the evening the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the Empire Theatre to watch ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and they also met the cast and theatre staff.

9 February 2002

Death of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret

30 March 2002

Death of Queen’s mother (aged 101)

24 June 2002

The Queen celebrates her Golden Jubilee. During this year she travels 40,000 miles visiting the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and over 70 cities and towns across the UK.

25 July 2002

Elizabeth and Philip visit Liverpool Town Hall. Elizabeth enjoys a walkabout outside the building, shaking hands with members of the public. The Royal couple then have lunch in the Town Hall with Lord Mayor Jack Spriggs. Elizabeth and Philip appear on the balcony of the Town Hall facing Castle St and wave to the large crowd of well wishers and, taking a seat on the balcony, watch a parade.

During this visit to Liverpool Her Majesty experienced some Beatles-linked events. She met Paul McCartney at the Walker Art Gallery and admired the artwork of local children. Later the same day, the Queen met Yoko Ono at Liverpool Airport to officially open the new terminal named after John Lennon: Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

9 April 2004

The Queen visited Liverpool Cathedral to give out Maundy money.

In the afternoon, the Queen attended a faith lunch at Liverpool Hope University College, dining with representatives of the city’s religious groups, as well as the Lord Mayor Ron Gould and other civic leaders.

Staff from the Town Hall advised Liverpool Hope on Royal protocol for the Queen’s visit.

Jean Evans, head of the Lord Mayor’s office, said: ‘We have been helping Liverpool Hope prepare for the civic lunch because we have been through it before and we know the right way to do things. Although the meal is being held by Hope, it is a civic event hosted by the Lord Mayor.’

21 April 2007

The Queen officially becomes the UK’s oldest ever reigning monarch.

3 December 2007

Elizabeth attends the Royal Variety Charity Show at Liverpool Empire Theatre. Presented by Phillip Schofield and Kate Thornton, performers included Russell Brand, Seal, the English National Ballet, Enrique Iglesias and the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band.

22 May 2008

The Queen officially opened Liverpool One and is shown around the new shopping area of Liverpool by the Duke of Westminster and Rod Holmes (the project director of Grosvenor Estates). She also visited the newly-completed Echo Arena where she admired the painting Cityscape by artist Ben Johnson whom she met.

The Queen and Prince Philip visited St George’s Hall as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture celebrations. They were shown the recently-refurbished Small Concert Room of the building; then there was lunch with 200 guests in the Great Hall. Other guests included the Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, Bishop James Jones, Archbishop Patrick Kelly, Gerry Marsden and Ken Dodd.

After lunch, the Queen visited the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and met Vasily Petrenko, the conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

1 December 2011

The Queen visited the newly-opened Museum of Liverpool and New Brighton. She travelled by train and was welcomed by Dame Lorna Muirhead, the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, at Lime St Station.

The Queen met Yoko Ono at the museum as well as Lord Mayor Frank Prendergast who presented the Queen with a model of the Royal Liver Building.

Her Majesty also visited the Royal Liver Building

The Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee

17 May 2012

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the waterfront of Liverpool, driving along Canada Boulevard. They then had a ride on the Yellow Duck Marine with the Mayor of Liverpool and the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. The Queen then visited the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

27 June 2012

Opening ceremony of the Olympics in London

22 July 2013

Prince George is born to Prince William and Kate Middleton.

9 September 2015

The Queen becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history: 63 years

21 April 2016

The Queen celebrated her 90 th birthday with a special street party along the Mall with 10,000 people.

23 June 2016

The Queen arrives at Lime Street Station with Prince Philip. They travel to the International Festival of Business (IFB) and officially open the new Exhibition Centre and the Pullman Hotel. At the Exhibition Centre they are treated to a performance by the Pagoda Chinese Orchestra.

The royal couple visit Liverpool Town Hall and have lunch with Lord Mayor Roz Gladden. The menu cards are based on the design that was used at the Town Hall when Queen Victoria visited Liverpool in 1886.

The Queen then travels to the newly-completed Alder Hey Hospital to officially open it. The Queen and Prince Philip then spend time visiting and talking to patients at the hospital.

Roz Gladden noted that the Queen walked over three miles in Liverpool that day.

A brief description of the events and the background

Background When Prince Albert, who was Queen Victoria's husband, died in 1861, she began a long period of mourning from which she never full recovered.  Deeply touched by this, the people of Wolverhampton led by Alderman Underhill started to raise money to erect a statue in his honour. As the collection progressed, Queen Victoria was contacted and asked as to what form the statue should take. She decided upon a statue of him mounted on horseback and dressed in the uniform of a Field Marshall. Alderman Underhill actually paid for the plinth himself, and the statue was completed in 1866. It was decided to ask Queen Victoria to come in person to unveil the statue. It seemed extremely unlikely that she would come as she had already refused similar requests from Liverpool and Manchester. The Mayor, two Aldermen, the Town Clerk and the local M.P. visited the Palace and were told that the Queen had agreed to unveil the statue and would be coming to the town on November 30th, which was in just nine days time.

Preparations Due to the short notice, work went ahead at full speed. The streets were full of tradesman who were cleaning-up and decorating buildings. A pavilion and a grandstand to house two thousand spectators were erected in the Market Place. Gas-lit illuminations and a series of triumphal arches depicting local industry were built along the route. The Earl of Dudley donated coal for a large coal arch which was built across Wednesfield Road. It weighed almost three tons. Albert's statue which cost £1,150 was veiled in red, white and blue curtains.

The unveiling The 30th November was a bitterly cold day. The Royal carriages which had been kept at the Swan Hotel arrived at Low Level Station at about 1.10pm.

Queen Victoria arrived with other members of her family and John Brown who was her manservant. The procession of open carriages travelled into the town up Railway Street, along Queen Street, Dudley Street, Snow Hill, Cleveland Street, Salop Street, Darlington Street, and finally to High Green and Market Place. The day had been declared a holiday and so the streets were lined with thousands of people who had come to the town to witness the event. When the Queen entered the pavilion she heard a speech by the Mayor, John Morris and being so pleased with her reception she borrowed a sword from Lord Alfred Paget and promptly knighted him. The sculptor of the statue Thomas Thorneycroft (1815-1885) drew a cord to unveil the statue.

He had previously produced a statue of the Queen on horseback for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and another of Albert was unveiled in Halifax in the previous year. After the unveiling the Queen walked round to inspect the statue accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. The Royal Party returned by a different route going from High Green along Cook Street, Skinner Street, School Street, Waterloo Road, Stafford Street, Little Berry Street, Princess Street, Queen Street and Railway Street. When the procession arrived at the Station, lunch was provided in three dining rooms that were built for the occasion by Lovatt, a local builder. Activities in the town continued well into the night with large numbers of people flocking to view the illuminations and a spectacular firework display which was held at the racecourse.

The following detailed description of the events leading up to Queen Victoria's visit to the town, and the event itself, was taken from an article by Mr. Roden, that appeared in the Wolverhampton Journal in July and August 1904. This is a long description and so it has been divided into the following sections:

Queen Victoria Monument

The Queen Victoria Monument

Built on top of the original site of Liverpool Castle, the Queen Victoria monument stands on an area in Derby Square overlooking one of Liverpool's original city Streets, Castle Street. Before the advent of world war 2, The Queen's presence proudly survayed a lower part of Castle Street, (south), which was badley damaged during the blitz of 1945. In fact, all of the surrounding buildings were distroyed, leaving only the monument to cast a teary eye over her broken second city, and that of the worlds greatest ever empire. The image of this devestation is akin to the image of the destruction exacted on the German city of Dresden. Dresden was inahalated. Accounts of this can be taken from the semi-autobiographical novel 'Slaughter house five'.

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Three Queens

Join us on the waterfront for what promises to be the world’s most spectacular gathering of Cunard’s fleet – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria – as they meet on the River Mersey for the very first time to celebrate its 175 th anniversary.

For the first time, the Three Cunard Queens – Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 – will sail into Liverpool together as part of the One Magnificent City celebrations, marking the 175 th  anniversary of Cunard.

This unforgettable spectacular, which is a salute to the company’s spiritual home, will take place during the May bank holiday. The three ships will only be together for a short time on  Monday 25 May 2015 , but activities will take place across the weekend. In and around the Three Queens there will also be entertainment on the Pier Head from Sunday – Tuesday featuring street animation and musical performances.

Full details of the arrival of the Queens and the Amazing Graces event can be found on this website, a timeline of activity is below – but please remember, all times are approximate and may be subject to change!

Please keep checking this website and our social media feeds for the latest live updates:

Twitter – @omclpool   Facebook – One Magnificent City Liverpool

Saturday 23 May 2015

• 10.00pm –  Amazing Graces – state-of-the-art projections on the Three Graces exploring the spirit of Liverpool.

Sunday 24 May 2015

• 9.00am –  Queen Mary 2 arrives in the city and berths at Liverpool Cruise Liner Terminal
• 12.00pm – 9.30pm – Street Animation at Pier Head & Mann Island
• 10.00pm –  Amazing Graces projections
• 10.30pm –  Firework display

Monday 25 May

• 10.45am –  Queen Mary 2 leaves the berth to greet her two sisters at Brazil Buoy (on the river between Crosby Beach and New Brighton)
• 12.00pm to 2.00pm –  Three Queens meet and sail in formation south towards the Liverpool Echo Arena, and then north along the Mersey
• 1.50pm – Red Arrows fly past
• 2.00pm –  Queen Mary 2 leaves the city, Queen Elizabeth berths at the Cruise Liner Terminal and Queen Victoria anchors in the middle of the Mersey
• 2.30pm – 9.30pm – Street Animation at Pier Head & Mann Island
• 10.30pm –  Firework display, after which Queen Elizabeth leaves the city and Queen Victoria berths at the Cruise Liner Terminal

Tuesday 26 May 2015

• 4.30pm –  A special musical sail-away performance to say goodbye to Queen Victoria
• 5.00pm –  Queen Victoria sails out of the city

A full set of FAQs can be found on our   FAQ’s page   answering questions and giving advice on all aspects of the event.

To view photographs from the weekend – check out our Pinterest board. 

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Queen Victoria Cunard ship arrives at Pier Head for special event

People gathered to catch the moment on their mobile phones

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People watched on from the beach as the Queen Victoria cruise ship arrived in Liverpool ahead of a special event.

The Cunard ship, which can hold up to 2,061 guests and 913 crew, arrived at the cruise terminal at around 5pm on Friday, May 2. People gathered on the beach at New Brighton and along the promenade to capture the moment the boat came into the River Mersey on their mobile phones.

Queen Victoria is in Liverpool to roundoff the city's commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. At 11am on Saturday, June 3, Captain Evans Hoyt, the Master of Queen Victoria, will join guests from his ship at a Cunard Service of Remembrance at Liverpool Parish Church, Our Lady and Saint Nicholas. Civic dignitaries and veterans will also attend.

READ MORE: Alison Hammond in tears as she breaks silence on Phillip Schofield on ITV This Morning

The return of Queen Victoria to Liverpool follows a series of special waterfront events during the week to remember and respect the sacrifice of others in sustaining vital supplies shipped in convoys to maintain the UK war effort, described by Winston Churchill at the time as the Battle of the Atlantic.

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Liverpool and Cunard each played a pivotal role in the effort, the port city handling ships and their cargoes and housing the underground military nerve centre of operations, now the Western Approaches World War II Museum. Dozens of Cunard ships and hundreds of officers and crew joined perilous transatlantic convoys, sailing under the deadly threat of attack by German U-Boats.

Angus Struthers, senior vice president at Cunard said: “In times of national need, Cunard ships and their crews have served the nation throughout our 183-year history, never more so than during World War II. Liverpool will forever be regarded as Cunard’s spiritual home and we are honoured that Queen Victoria’s call, and our Service at the Parish Church, can help mark the 80 th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.”

The Rector of Liverpool, the Revd Canon Dr Crispin Pailing, said: “The maritime histories of Liverpool and Cunard are entwined, and the Battle of the Atlantic forms a remarkable chapter in both. We look forward to welcoming guests joining our Service from Queen Victoria as we remember the sacrifices made by so many serving the Merchant Navy at sea as well as those working ashore during the war years.”

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Ulysses s. grant meets queen victoria: a test of protocol.

From John Russell Young, "Around the World with General Grant."

On May 28, 1877, former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, his wife Julia, and youngest son Jesse stepped off the iron cargo passenger ship, the SS Indiana. They had just arrived in Liverpool, England. This first stop marked the beginning of what would become the Grants' famed two-and-a-half-year world tour. The Grants had a very personal reason to visit England. Their daughter, Nellie, and her family lived in the country. The former President and First Lady couldn't escape their celebrity status during their month-long visit. They soon received the following message: "The Lord Steward has received Her Majesty's command to invite General and Mrs. Grant to dinner at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, 26th June, and to remain until the following day - Windsor Castle 27th June 1877." On the other side it read "Buckingham Palace, 1877." Britain's Queen Victoria had just extended her hospitality to the Grants. The former General and President was about to meet his first European head of state, but a protocol issue almost derailed this important meeting. Queen Victoria couldn't have been more different than Ulysses S. Grant, yet they were both highly regarded leaders of their countries. Born in 1819, Victoria was only a few years older than Grant. But unlike Grant, who was the son of a tanner and faced financial struggles while working as a farmer in St. Louis, Victoria was born into royalty and was the granddaughter of King George III. In 1837 Victoria became Queen of England at the tender age of eighteen upon the death of her uncle, William IV. She was queen two years before Ulysses entered the United States Military Academy. One similarity they had in common were happy, loving marriages. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were devoted to each other and were married for 17 years. They had nine children, and after Albert’s death at age forty-two Victoria mourned for him the rest of her life. At the time of the Grants visit with Queen Victoria, Ulysses and Julia had been happily married for almost 29 years and had four children.

National Portrait Gallery

Queen Victoria presided at the head of a constitutional monarchy overseeing a vast British Empire. Her invitation to Ulysses S. Grant was the first time that a British monarch received a former US president. (Other previous presidents such as James Buchanan served as Ministers of Great Britain, but served in those roles before they were elected as presidents.) As Grant was not a current president or monarch, official protocol had not been established for how to handle the visit. This confusion created awkward moments surrounding their meeting. According to Adam Badeau, Grant's aide and a member of the traveling party, "the Queen was out driving and would not be visible until dinner so that all the nonsense that was published about Her Majesty welcoming General Grant at the foot of the grand staircase as she would have done the Shah of Persia, or any other black or white monarch who visited her, was without foundation." The other awkward matter involved the Grants' son Jesse. Jesse Grant was still a teenager at this time. He wasn't enamored with the invitation to dine with the Queen. According to Badeau, Jesse explained, "the honor was meant for [his] father, not for him." However, Julia wished to see her son treated with the same respect as she and Ulysses. Jesse received an invitation like the one his father received. He soon found out that, like Badeau, he was to dine with the Queen's household and not at the royal table where his parents were invited. Badeau recalled that "Jesse declared that he would not dine with the Household. He had been invited by the Queen and if he could not sit at her table he would return to town.” According to a duchess on behalf of Queen Victoria, her reasoning was that too many at her table would cause the queen "dizziness." In the end, Grant, who wished for his son to stay, proved diplomatic by reaching out to the master of the household to clarify Jesse's situation. Grant stated to him that although "he had no wish to suggest any change in the arrangements . . . the invitation had been misunderstood. [Grant] supposed that [Jesse] was to dine at the same table with himself." In the end Queen Victoria allowed Jesse to dine at her table with his parents. The actual dinner went smoothly, with the Queen inquiring of how Grant's visit to England was going. Queen Victoria also conversed with Julia about her labors and duties as queen. Julia responded, "Yes I can imagine them; I too have been the wife of a great ruler." Grant even showed Queen Victoria a telegram he recently received from General Hartranft, the commander of the national encampment of Union veterans. It read, "your comrades in national encampment assembled in Rhode Island, send heartiest greeting to their old commander, and desire, through England's Queen, to thank England for [Grant's] reception.” Badeau wrote that despite the issues with protocol, the "queen was gracious throughout. This dinner was the last time that Ulysses S. Grant and Queen Victoria ever met but upon hearing of Grant's death in 1885, Queen Victoria directed her Minister to the United States to offer her condolences. Her son, the Prince of Wales, further told the American Minister in London to express his "regret and the advantage they should always consider it had been to them to have made his acquaintance."

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Last updated: February 27, 2024

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