York Association of the National Trust
YANT Holidays 2023
Holidays Organiser: holidays@yant.org.uk
Liverpool & Shakespeare North Playhouse
6th – 7th December 2023
Our December mini break includes a visit to the new Shakespeare North Playhouse for a tour and a performance of “Wind in the Willows”; plus there is a chance to explore Liverpool’s cultural offering.
Shakespeare North Playhouse
Photographs courtesy of Peter Drew
Lverpool
Photographs courtesy of Peter Drew
CHRISTMAS TRIP TO LIVERPOOL
6TH/7TH DECEMBER 2023
Thirteen YANT members set off from York on a cold frosty morning for Liverpool for a brief pre-Christmas trip. Our first stop was the Albert Dock for lunch and a wander around the shops, museums and waterways, taking in a statue of Billy Fury and the Beatles shop on the way.
Then on to Prescot, a suburb of Liverpool, where there is a new theatre designed as a Shakespeare theatre like the Globe only with a roof! It was built on the site of a theatre once used by travelling acting companies in the time of Shakespeare. We had an interesting guided tour and learned about its history and modern use. The theatre was built using lovely oak and in a traditional way with no nails, screws or glue! We had a soup and sandwich meal break before seeing a theatre-in-the-round performance of The Wind in the Willows with 6 very energetic young actors and minimal props and scenery. It was a really good experience apart from very uncomfortable benches to sit on (very authentic).
Our hotel was very new and very comfortable with a great breakfast as usual.
Our first event on Thursday was a brilliant guided tour of the Liver Building. 10 floors up in a lift and then 100 plus stairs up to the level of the Liver Birds. Great views over the city in strong wind and rain! A guided tour of the main sights of the city followed, taking in the cathedrals and other grand buildings and places associated with the Beatles (Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields etc) A quick stop for a light lunch took us to the Library with its amazing Reading Room.
Finally back home in driving rain on the M62, stopping for a late Christmas lunch at the Booth Wood Inn outside Ripponden just off the motorway. A lovely meal in good company. As the coach could not turn around, we drove through Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge and the outskirts of Bradford before re-joining the M62 - a long and slow trip!
This was a very enjoyable couple of days, a good way to start Christmas. Peter as ever was very patient with us and our Driver did valiantly in some awful weather
Gill Jones
Holiday Itinerary: Liverpool & Shakespeare North Playhouse
6th - 7th December 2023
from £245.00
Our December mini break includes a visit to the new Shakespeare North Playhouse for a tour and a performance of “Wind in the Willows”; plus there is a chance to explore Liverpool’s cultural offering.
Day 1 – Wednesday 6 December 2023
We depart from York at 09.30 and head for Liverpool. On arrival we will head to the Royal Albert Dock, where we will have some free time and an opportunity for lunch (not included). Home to the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK, the Royal Albert Dock is the most-visited free trourist attraction in the Northwest, boasting over 2 million visitors a year. Here you can visit attractions such as The Beatles Story, the award-winning Tate Liverpool, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the stunning International Slavery Museum (entrances not included).
We later make our way to the Shakespeare North Playhouse. Located in the heart of Prescot it opened its doors in July 2022 and is dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare which we will learn all about during our guided tour here. Following our tour, we will enjoy some soup and sandwiches before our evening adaptation performance of The Wind in The Willows. This timeless tale of friendship, courage, consequence and bravery will bring the magical world of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger to life in an extraordinary theatrical experience.
We continue to our comfortable hotel the 4-star Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village.
Day 2 – Thursday 7 December 2023
After breakfast, we will explore what is probably Liverpool’s most iconic landmark, the Royal Liver Building. Here we will enjoy a tour of some of the building’s hidden secrets, journeying to the 15th floor to get breath taking views across the city and getting close to the famous Liver Birds, each of which weighs four tonnes. We will also see a world-class immersive audio-visual experience set in the original mechanism room, telling the story of Liverpool’s recent history, exploring the building’s significance and how a city full of culture, sport, history and music has made its mark across the world.
Following this we will be joined by a local guide and depart on a two-hour guided coach tour of Liverpool featuring the principal sights of this great city. During our tour we will visit Liverpool’s St George’s Quarter, whose Victorian architecture is some of the finest in Britain. Here you may wish to visit the World Museum, which reveals millions of years of the Earth’s history through thousands of exhibits and hands-on activities, or the Walker Art Gallery, which holds a stunning collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts spanning over six hundred years. Home to outstanding works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin and Gainsborough, the Walker is also one of the finest art galleries in Europe (both are free admission).
We later return to York where we expect to arrive in the evening.
You can find out more about the Shakespeare North Playhouse on their website.
On the way back to York we will stop at 'The Booth Wood Inn', Halifax where, at a reasonable cost, one can order Christmas Lunch or pub food.