17 hidden gems you’ll only know if you live in Liverpool, including a speakeasy and Bluecoats’ secret garden
From an underground farm to a radical bookshop and a seaside resort lost to the sands of time, Merseyside is home to many wonders.
Merseyside has a variety of brilliant hidden gems which only locals know about.
We’ve created a list of the best secret bars and monuments Liverpool and the surrounding areas have to offer.
How many do you know?
1. Farm Urban, Baltic Triangle
Farm Urban is a vertical farm located in a secret underground tunnel, in the Baltic Triangle. Based beneath the UTC Life Sciences building on Upper Parliament Street, the farm grows green vegetables and has a focus on sustainability and community values.
2. MerseyMade, Liverpool
A creative oasis in the heart of the city, MerseyMade is one of Liverpool’s hidden gems. Visitors can explore a treasure trove of delights from over 100 local businesses, ranging from original paintings, prints and jewellery to homeware and gifts. Guests can also soak up the atmosphere over a slice of homemade cake whilst artists and makers work on bespoke pieces in the open studios. Photo: Emily Bonner
3. 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. Photo: The Bridewell
4. For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds (Wings), Jamaica Street, Baltic Triangle
“It’s a secret. If the wall ever gets knocked down then I might reveal what it means,” says artist Paul Curtis, creator of the iconic Liver Bird wings artwork on a wall in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle.