Royal Liver Building, Liverpool

As you arrive at Liverpool’s Pier Head, look for the tall waterfront building with two clock towers and a pair of huge birds on top. This is the Royal Liver Building. Completed in 1911, it is the northernmost of the city's famous Three Graces. Immediately to its right (if you stand with the River Mersey behind you) is the Cunard Building, and farther along is the domed Port of Liverpool Building.

Now, take a moment to look up at the Royal Liver Building’s clock towers. The clock faces are enormous, each measuring some 7.6 meters across, purposely made so to be clearly visible from the river. Unlike many traditional clocks, they do not have numerals, only hour markers.

Look right to the very top of the towers. There, you’ll see the building’s most famous feature: the Liver Birds. These two copper birds are about 5.5 meters tall and have watched over Liverpool for more than a century. Traditionally, the bird facing the River Mersey is known as Bella, keeping watch over sailors and the waterfront, while the other one - facing inland toward the city - is called Bertie. A popular local legend says that if the birds ever fly away, Liverpool will cease to exist.

The building was originally constructed as the headquarters of the Royal Liver Assurance Group. At the time, it was an ambitious piece of engineering and one of the early major buildings to use reinforced concrete. Its height also made it a dominant feature of Liverpool’s skyline.

If you have booked the Royal Liver Building 360 tour, you can continue inside. The visit begins in the lower part of the building before taking you up through the tower. As you climb, you’ll pass through the clock area and eventually reach the upper viewing platform. From there, turn toward the Mersey for wide views across the river and Pier Head. Then look back inland for a panoramic view over Liverpool’s city center.

The final part of the climb is quite steep and includes a narrow spiral staircase, as well as the so-called “chicken stairway” beneath the Liver Bird cupola. In total, the tour involves 124 steps, so it is worth being prepared for a fairly physical climb. However, once you reach the top, the close-up view of the Liver Bird and the panorama across Liverpool make this one of the most unusual viewpoints in the city.