Liverpool's Artistic Delights

Year 10 GCSE artists set off on an exciting visit to Liverpool a few weeks ago. After settling onto the Euston to Liverpool train, we were surprised by an announcement telling us that the train would now terminate in Crewe. We drew portraits of each other while we waited for a replacement bus…which turned up eventually.

We arrived in Liverpool in time to visit the Walker Gallery. There was a wide range of art and everyone found something to inspire them. We then walked through Liverpool to the Youth Hostel.

After dinner on the first evening, we took the train from Liverpool Central to Crosby Beach, where there are 100 statues of Gormley on the beach. We spent an hour on the beach taking photos and completing a drawing challenge using an ink pen and a water brush pen.

We walked a mammoth 20,000 steps exploring Liverpool on our second day! Firstly we visited Liverpool Cathedral. Standing at 331ft, it was a very remarkable site to see. Although it was built in 1978, it has a traditional style. We took advantage of this wonderful piece of architecture and drew continuous line drawings of the outside, taking black and white photos of the inside.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is an equally impressive structure but built in a very different style. The ‘wigwam’ has the most amazing stained glass by John Piper.

After the visits to the cathedrals, we arrived at the Liverpool Central Library, a building that encapsulates Liverpool's contrast between old and new. One half of the library is an ornate circular library whilst the other half is a 21st-century new building that wraps around it. Following the tour of the facility, a visit to the roof provided spectacular views of the Liverpool skyline.

After going through the Tate Gallery, we were surprised with an invitation to see a Turner exhibition which had been extended. The exhibition contained various paintings and a look at Turner’s sketchbooks. At the end of our full and busy day, we were able to relax and enjoy the fantastic new Spiderman film. The quality of the animation made watching it an art event - amazing!

On our final morning, we walked to the waterfront. After passing the Liverpool Landscape Artist of the Year Competition, we boarded the Mersey ferry and enjoyed an hour-long trip along the river gazing at the famous architecture along the banks; this included the well-known Exhibition Centre and the Liver Building.

Then we returned to the Youth hostel to collect our bags and walk to the station. In true UK railway sector fashion, we found out that our train was cancelled - alas, we managed to get seats on the next one and make our way home. Thank you to the Art Department for planning and running such a great trip.