Museum of Liverpool themes and displays
Artist's impression of the Global City gallery
© National Museums Liverpool and Haley Sharpe Design
19th century Liverpool sat at the heart of a global business network, the commercial and mercantile equal of London or New York, and the second most important city in the British Empire. The Global City gallery will explore the extent of Liverpool's global links and uncovers the stories of the workers, innovators, entrepreneurs and reformers behind the city's international connections.
The main attraction will be the 180-seat theatre featuring work created by Liverpool film makers, writers and artists, using local voices to tell the blockbuster story of the city’s history. Visitors will also be able to explore a series of major exhibitions that highlight the enduring relationships that exist between Liverpool and other cities and communities around the world.
Significant to the theme of Global City is an understanding of Liverpool and Britain’s role in the British Empire. The gallery will examine the people who took advantage of the opportunities of both the growth of the British Empire and the Industrial Revolution to make Liverpool a global city: the investors and risk takers, innovators and entrepreneurs as well as social and political reformers.
In becoming one of the leading general cargo and liner ports of the 19th century, Liverpool sat at the heart of a world maritime network, linked to every port of importance in every quarter of the globe. Global City will give an overview of the places Liverpool traded with across the world, what was imported and exported, and where people who settled in Liverpool migrated from. This provides a context for understanding the city. Aspects of the story will be explored in more detail in the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
The displays within Global City will include:
A public forum to discuss the key themes of the Global City gallery was held on 7 November 2007. A podcast and transcript of the key speakers at the public forum, including Graeme Milne, Ron Noon and Jon Murden, is available on this website.