Cunard Building behind the scenes tours launched for Christmas
- Catherine Jones
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Visitors are being given the chance to peek behind the scenes at the city’s historic Cunard Building between now and Christmas.
A series of exclusive heritage tours will take people both above and below ground at the 108-year-old Grade II* listed waterfront landmark.
People will be able to enjoy learning about the construction and history of the Italian Renaissance-style building, its role as an embarkation point for thousands of ships’ passengers along with the history of Cunard itself.
Tours, which last around an hour, will take in the impressive passenger hall on the ground floor, basement areas where valuables were stored and where steerage passengers waited in huge underground rooms, and examples of the luxurious accommodation for first class travellers and Cunard staff on the upper floors of the Pier Head building.
There is also an opportunity to visit the sub-basement which was transformed into a giant air raid shelter in the Second World War, but access is weather dependent as it floods when heavy rain raises the city’s water table.
Above: A slideshow gallery of photos from the new Cunard 'behind-the-scenes' tour. Top: A boardroom ceiling in the Cunard Building.
There will be four tours a day from Thursdays to Sundays, starting from this Sunday, November 30 and running until December 21, and each tour will have a maximum of 15 people. The cost is £15 per head.
Alan Smith, the city’s Head of Heritage, says: “We’re thrilled to invite the public inside one of Liverpool’s most historically significant buildings.
“The Cunard Building is an icon of our waterfront, and these tours offer a rare opportunity to explore its hidden spaces, learn about its remarkable story, and experience the legacy of the Cunard Line in a completely new way.
“We’re proud to open these doors and share this important heritage with the city.”
Cunard Building behind-the-scenes tours run on selected dates between November 30 and December 21. More details and booking HERE