Why Is Liverpool So Famous? 10 Facts You Might Not Know

Located in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in North West England, Liverpool is a vibrant city which is known all over the world for its music scene, football teams, maritime history, culture, friendly faces and so much more.

Everyone knows The Beatles originated from Liverpool, that Hollywood actress Jodie Comer hails from here, that the city has two professional league football teams and there’s an unrivalled nightlife, but what other things make this thriving city so famous?

If you’re lucky enough to be studying here, you should check out our guide with 10 facts about Liverpool – you’d be a divvy to miss out!

Liverpool Facts You Might Not Know

Liverpool is a city that has a rich history with so many interesting aspects, within this post we’ll be discussing all the things you may not know as a student.

Check out our list below, you may just learn something new and have something to impress ya’ mates!

1. Home To Britain’s Biggest Cathedral

We bet you didn’t know that Liverpool Cathedral is Britain’s biggest Catholic cathedral? How interesting is that!

That’s not all either, the Anglican Cathedral is actually the fifth largest in Europe and is a great historical aspect of Liverpool dating back to the beginning of the 20th century.

Located on St James Mount, Liverpool Cathedral was built way back in 1904, but it took until 1978 until the building works were finished.

We’ll throw in one more fun fact about the cathedral for good measure, the architect who designed the building Giles Gilbert Scott was only 22 years old!

If you want to see this impressive cathedral for yourself, it’s free to enter unless you want to do an audio tour which is highly recommended by scousers and tourists alike.

We’d also urge you to do the ‘Tower Experience’ for amazing views across Liverpool 500 ft above sea level.

2. First Inter-City Railway In The World

Another famous fact about Liverpool you may not know is that it had the first modern inter-city railway in the world.

Opening in 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester railway connected the Port of Liverpool to the major industrial city of Manchester from Crown Street in the city centre.

There were other trains during this time period but they were run using horses, whilst this service was the first to rely solely on steam power.

That’s not it either, Liverpool’s transport history is quite fascinating in the fact that the Liverpool Overhead Railway was the world’s first electric elevated railway.

Plus, the Wapping Tunnel under the Mersey was the first to run under a city!

These advancements in transportation within Liverpool really changed the world as we know it.

3. The Most Museums Outside London

For those of you who love a cultural fix, you’ll be glad to know that Liverpool is packed with museums and galleries.

The museums and galleries in this city are even the most visited outside of London – now that’s impressive!

Known for its rich cultural heritage, this city has tons of museums and galleries from the Tate Liverpool to the Merseyside Maritime Museum to the World Museum to Museum of Liverpool to The Beatles Story and so many more.

If you haven’t already visited the vast array of museums in the city, what’re you waiting for?

Plan a date with your flatmates and go and explore this cultural destination.

4. Backdrop For Many Films & TV Shows

As one of the most filmed locations outside of London, there have been many TV shows and films that have used this vibrant and diverse city as their backdrop.

In recent times, we’ve seen the city transformed into Gotham City for The Batman film featuring Robert Pattison, as well as the Birkenhead Tunnel being used as a filming location for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

Some other filming sights which have taken place in this city include The Fantastic Beasts film shooting at Martins Bank, Captain America The First Avenger filming at Stanley Dock as well as The Peaky Blinders being filmed at St. George’s Hall.

We even had a TV show filmed at our very own student accommodation St Andrew’s Gardens, can you guess which one it is?

It’s the British police drama, The Responder!

5. Bigger Clock Faces Than Big Ben

Now this next one may come as a surprise to you guys, but the clock faces of the Liverpool Royal Liver Building are the biggest in the UK, beating Big Ben!

Part of Liverpool’s Three Graces, the Liver Building is one of the most stunning and famous architectural buildings in the city, with clock faces which measure 25 feet wide, two-feet bigger than Big Ben.

Whilst the clock tower itself isn’t taller than Big Ben (it’s only 16ft off though), it’s still a pretty fascinating fact if you ask us.

6. First Black Female Mayor In The UK

Did you know Liverpool made history back in May 2021 when the city elected the UK’s first black female mayor, Joanne Anderson? How amazing is that!

The first black woman to run a major city, Joanne Anderson is a British Labour Politician who is a great leader of Liverpool’s community.

Upon being elected, Anderson has no doubt inspired many black females throughout the country to chase their dreams in politics!

7. Home To The Grand National

Liverpool is home to many major sporting events, but one of the most popular is the world-famous The Grand National which is held every year.

Since 1839, the national Hunt horse race has been held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, which means if you’re studying here you can watch it live!

It’s actually known for being one of the toughest horse races in the world, with a course that has 30 fences and 2 laps covering a distance of 4 miles and 514 yards.

People all over the world tune in to watch this horse race, so why not get tickets and see it for yourself this year from April 13th-15th?

We’re sure it’ll be quite the event.

8. Has The Most Number 1 Hits

Liverpool’s music scene is one of the most famous in the world with many iconic artists hailing from the city.

Thanks to its iconic music history, the city has the most number 1 hit singles out of any other city on the planet, with most of the best-selling songs being produced by The Beatles – duh!

If you’re a music lover studying here, you need to head to some of the city’s best live music venues to experience some exciting new sounds.

There’s The Cavern Club, The Jacaranda, Mountford Hall or The Shipping Forecast to name a few.

9. Scousers Are Named After Food

If you’re not from Merseyside, you may not be too sure why Liverpudlians are called scousers.

Don’t worry we’re here to explain fellas…

The phrase scouser actually originates from the working class dish “scouse” which is a meat and veg stew first eaten by sailors and locals.

You can make the delicacy at home or head to one of the city’s restaurants for a bowl of the hearty dish, just make sure you get some crusty bread, butter and beetroot too!

10. Home To Eurovision 2023

Of course we couldn’t finish off without mentioning the fact that this amazing city is hosting Eurovision 2023, it’s certainly a fact worth mentioning.

The city will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, who were crowned the winners of the competition in 2022.

The First Semi-Final, The Second Semi-Final and the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in the Liverpool Arena in May – it’s all SO exciting.

Tickets for this year are yet to be released, but you’ll have to be quick if you want to grab one!

We hope you’ve learnt something interesting from this post on why Liverpool is so famous, which fact surprised you the most?!

Wondering what the best self help books are for students? If so, take a read of our guide with the best ones to kickstart the new year!

For those of you who are keen to live in Liverpool, we offer student accommodation in first class locations with all-inclusive bills, fantastic communal spaces and all the amenities you could need.