Liverpool has a rich history and walking through the streets of the city there's many clues to what life was like in the past. If like me, you wonder how different people's lives looked like in yesteryear there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clue in the suburbs of the city. Squeezed into an old alleyway next to The Cock & Bottle pub in Wavertree High Street stands what was once the smallest house in England. It was absorbed into the pub after the final tenant departed, but the unique frontage and a commemorative plaque remain.Liverpool has a rich history and walking through the streets of the city there's many clues to what life was like in the past. If like me, you wonder how different people's lives looked like in yesteryear there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clue in the suburbs of the city. Squeezed into an old alleyway next to The Cock & Bottle pub in Wavertree High Street stands what was once the smallest house in England. It was absorbed into the pub after the final tenant departed, but the unique frontage and a commemorative plaque remain.
Liverpool has a rich history and walking through the streets of the city there's many clues to what life was like in the past. If like me, you wonder how different people's lives looked like in yesteryear there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clue in the suburbs of the city. Squeezed into an old alleyway next to The Cock & Bottle pub in Wavertree High Street stands what was once the smallest house in England. It was absorbed into the pub after the final tenant departed, but the unique frontage and a commemorative plaque remain. | Emily Bonner

30 incredible hidden gems in Liverpool and Merseyside to discover in 2025

Emma Dukes
By Emma Dukes

Digital Journalist

Published 30th Dec 2024, 08:00 GMT

Unearth Liverpool's best-kept secrets: 30 hidden gems to explore in 2025, from underground bunkers to historic towers.

Liverpool is known for its incredible culture, history, architecture and nightlife but some of its most incredible monuments are pretty unknown to tourists. Hidden away in lesser known locations around Merseyside are a whole host of incredible treasures that are just waiting to be explored.

In Birkenhead, you’ll find an incredible example of Outsider Art that was kept secret for many years, and, in Aigburth, you can discover a majestic tree that has been standing for more than 120 years.

- 19 Liverpool listed buildings in Woolton, Allerton and Speke which you may have walked past without knowing

- Inside the historic gem at the heart of the Crosby community

From a secret, underground war bunker and a lost seaside resort to the remains of an historic tower and a legendary stone, here are 30 hidden gems in Liverpool and Merseyside that you need to visit in 2025.

Take a look at the gallery below and let us know your favourite hidden gems in the comments section.

Peter Kavanagh's is a Liverpool institution named after the eccentric landlord who ran the pub for 53 years. A hidden gem, brimming with charm, the pub in the Georgian Quarter, along with its cast-iron railings, is Grade II listed.

25. Peter Kavanagh's, Egerton Street

Peter Kavanagh's is a Liverpool institution named after the eccentric landlord who ran the pub for 53 years. A hidden gem, brimming with charm, the pub in the Georgian Quarter, along with its cast-iron railings, is Grade II listed. | Emily Bonner

Dickens visited Liverpool regularly following his first recorded visit in 1838 and in February 1860 arranged to go on patrol with the police as part of his research for his Uncommercial Traveller series of articles. Sworn in as special constable, Dickens’ night-time expedition ‘began by diving into the obscurest streets and lanes of the port.’ Dickens’ headquarters for the night was Campbell Street bridewell and a plaque commemorating the famous author’s day with the Liverpool police now adorns the wall of the pub - The Bridewell - that stands on the site of the former police station.

26. The Charles Dickens Plaque at The Bridewell

Dickens visited Liverpool regularly following his first recorded visit in 1838 and in February 1860 arranged to go on patrol with the police as part of his research for his Uncommercial Traveller series of articles. Sworn in as special constable, Dickens’ night-time expedition ‘began by diving into the obscurest streets and lanes of the port.’ Dickens’ headquarters for the night was Campbell Street bridewell and a plaque commemorating the famous author’s day with the Liverpool police now adorns the wall of the pub - The Bridewell - that stands on the site of the former police station. | @the_bridewell/instagram

MerseyMade is a hidden gem full of local creatives’ work. The Liverpool branch sadly closed in 2024 but you can still explore the West Kirby store.

27. MerseyMade, West Kirby

MerseyMade is a hidden gem full of local creatives’ work. The Liverpool branch sadly closed in 2024 but you can still explore the West Kirby store. | Local TV

Ron Gittins’ treasure trove of Outsider Art remained a secret until his death in 2019 but his home in Birkenhead is was granted Grade II listed status earlier this year. From intricate murals depicting historical scenes to hand-crafted concrete fireplaces. This home has an incredible interior, and it was all created by one man. The ground-floor flat at 8 Silverdale Road was rented by Ron Gittins in 1986, and he spent the next three decades creating a visionary environment. With limited formal artistic training, he developed his own very particular world, articulated both through his flat and through the creation of historic costume

28. Ron's Place, Birkenhead

Ron Gittins’ treasure trove of Outsider Art remained a secret until his death in 2019 but his home in Birkenhead is was granted Grade II listed status earlier this year. From intricate murals depicting historical scenes to hand-crafted concrete fireplaces. This home has an incredible interior, and it was all created by one man. The ground-floor flat at 8 Silverdale Road was rented by Ron Gittins in 1986, and he spent the next three decades creating a visionary environment. With limited formal artistic training, he developed his own very particular world, articulated both through his flat and through the creation of historic costume | Historic England

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