Explore Liverpool ‘s Royal Liver Building: The RLB 360 Tour

Explore the Royal Liver Building , Liverpool with an immersive experience: The RLB 360 Tour

If you know anything about Liverpool, chances are you’ve heard of the Royal Liver Building . The Grade I listed building is one of Liverpool’s most recognisable landmarks, much admired for its handsome exterior and the resident Liver Birds watching over the waterfront.

It’s a gorgeous building viewed from street level, but to really appreciate this famous Liverpool landmark, you need to get behind the scenes. The RLB 360 Tour lets you do just that. It’s a brilliant way to explore the building’s history, hear the stories and even head up to those famous clock towers.

I took the RLB 360 Tour recently and loved it. Here’s what makes it such an incredible Liverpool experience…

At A Glance: The RLB 360 Tour Highlights:

• Guided tour inside the Royal Liver Building, accessing areas not usually open to the public.
• Storytelling & an immersive projection show unique to the RLB Tour
• Close up look at the famous Liver Birds
• Fascinating insight to the history of the building with passionate guides
• Photo opportunities throughout.

The Story of The Royal Liver Building

The Royal Liver Building was designed by architect Walter Aubrey Thomas as headquarters to the Royal Liver Insurance company. It’s more than just a beautiful building on the Liverpool waterfront; the Royal Liver Building was one of the worlds first and finest reinforced concrete buildings.

If you’d like to see another city with some impressive concrete architecture, click here for my post on Le Havre: The City That Made Concrete Chic!

The foundation stone was laid in 1908 and the whole thing was completed by 1911- quite a feat considering all work was done by hand, from digging the foundations right up to lifting the giant clockfaces and Liver bird sculptures into place.

The Royal Liver Building became a symbol of Liverpool’s power and wealth as a port city. Now, it’s a much loved landmark building and keeper of local legend in the form of the famous Liver Birds.

Legend has it that if the Liver Birds were to fly away, the city would cease to exist. Luckily, the birds seem content to stay put and you can dive into their story as part of the tour.

The RLB 360 Tour

Delivered by warm and engaging guides The RLB 360 Tour begins with a quick safety brief and is then split into three parts:

1.The History of The Royal Liver Building: How it All Began

The tour begins on the lower ground floor of the Royal Liver Building, where you’ll receive a warm welcome to the visitor centre. Be sure to turn up a a little before your tour begins to enjoy the display that serves as an introduction to the building.

Don’t miss the scale model of the Royal Liver Building, complete with its own little Liver Birds.

Starting on the lower floors, your guide will share stories of how the building was constructed and what it was like for the people who built it. There’s even a few ghost stories…

2. The Immersive Audio Visual Show

A truly unique part of the tour takes place inside the tower behind the clock face. After having a chance to see and hear the clock mechanisms at work, visitors are wrapped up in the history and spirit of Liverpool via a nine minute long immersive audio visual experience.

The soundtrack surrounds you, images are beamed onto the red brick walls and the lovely Liver Birds are your guide. Photography is strictly forbidden, the only way to experience this is to see it on the tour.

3. The Best Views in Liverpool

During the fully guided tour, you’ll access the 10th floor to find out about the Great George Liver Clocks and enjoy magnificent views along the River Mersey. The experience ends on a high, literally, at the fifteenth floor viewpoint.

You’ll enjoy panoramic views across Liverpool and get about as close as you can get to those famous Liver Birds.

The Liver Birds, Royal Liver Building

The RLB 360 Tour is all about the Royal Liver Building, but Liver Birds Bella and Bertie are the real stars of the show.

An integral part of Liverpool’s identity, the Liver Birds are said to watch over the city. The story goes that the female, Bella, looks out to sea watching over the city’s sailors. Liverpool is a proud port city, after all.

Male bird Bertie watches over those left onshore; he faces inland to look over the families of the seamen.

It is said that if the pair were ever to fly away then disaster would befall Liverpool. Luckily, they seem happy on their waterfront perches. They are an intriguing part of Liverpool folklore and their story is wonderful part of the tour.

Bonus Tip: If you want a true idea of the scale of the Liver Birds, after the tour pop into the neighbouring Museum of Liverpool. The free museum has a life size Liver Bird alongside a floor-to-ceiling window with great views along the waterfront.

Highlights of the RLB 360 Tour include:

• Discovering the Royal Liver Buildings Irish connections

• The history of the Great George Liver Clocks, why they might look so familiar and how one clock was put to surprising use as part of an event.

• Rumours of hauntings and ghostly activity in the Royal Liver Building- spooky!
• The story behind the craftsman who created the Liver Birds and why it took so long for him to be recognized.

How to Find The Royal Liver Building 360 Tour

The Royal Liver Building itself is located on the Pier Head, Liverpool.

The entrance to the RLB 360 reception is located at basement level in the courtyard of the building. It can be tricky to spot, look for the planter and signage to direct you to the stairs down into the visitor centre.

My Top Tips for the Tour

• Book tickets ahead of time, tours can be booked on the day but do sell out at peak times.
• Allow some time when you arrive to prepare for the tour. There is an exhibition & gift shop in the visitor centre. You don’t need to be taking the tour to visit this section.
• The visitor centre has toilets and free storage lockers for bags. Only small bags/handbags are allowed on the tour.
• Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. The tour involves a lot of stairs and there’s no lift after the tenth floor. Take all-weather layers for the viewpoints- there isn’t much shelter!
• Children under 5 are not permitted on the tour.

More Things to do in Liverpool

Liverpool City Sights offer a RLB 360 Combo ticket which includes 48 hour access to the Red Route city tour, a great way to see all the city sights from street level and from a (Liver) birds eye view!

Liverpool Central Library is free to visit and absolutely stunning with it’s modern atrium and historic reading rooms. Also home to a small coffee shop and a viewing terrace, a fantastic free thing to do in Liverpool.

Helen x