Shortly after Christmas I paid a flying visit to Liverpool, a place I’ve not explored in a very long time.

It was a city I used to know well, having been born there and living there until my early twenties. All I can say is that in the intervening years it has changed a lot.

The Pier Head of my youth is completely transformed; once it was an uninspiring location – the place where bus journeys started and terminated and where the iconic ferry across the Mersey could be boarded.

The ferry terminus is now a sleek modern building and there’s even an impressive cruise ship terminal. The bus stops have all but disappeared with a transformed waterfront giving uninterrupted views across the water to the Wirral Peninsula. It is a pleasant spot to stroll around, attracting visitors keen to have their photos taken with the larger than life-size statues of the Fab Four.

Further along, the dock buildings have been repurposed into museums, shops, and social spaces, with lots of information panels explaining their history and original uses.

Sadly, it was a Monday and the Museum of Liverpool – a new purpose-built edifice – was closed; to add to my disappointment, the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum were also both closed for essential maintenance and longer term development. Here’s hoping that they get the funding required to re-open as scheduled in three years time.

So, deciding to make the best of things, husband and I made our way to the Royal Liver Building which we knew was open and booked ourselves on the first guided tour of the day. Amazingly, we were the only ones on the tour.

Now, although I’d lived in Liverpool for many years, I’d never been inside this fascinating Grade 1-listed building before. Commissioned by the Royal Liver Assurance Company in 1907, it only took three years to build before it opened on 19th July 1911.

The tour started with a lift journey to the tenth floor, then visitors climb one hundred and twenty-four stairs to the top.

Our first stop was the tenth floor viewing platform beneath the clock towers. The views were amazing, it was such a clear morning that the snow-capped Welsh hills were clearly visible.

Then we found ourselves inside one of the clock towers where we saw the mechanisms behind each clock face. Here, we were treated to an audio-visual show highlighting Liverpool’s history throughout Liver Building’s existence.

A further climb and we reached the fifteenth floor which brought us out beneath the famous Liver birds (nicknamed Bertie and Bella) and the stunning panoramic views of the city and the majestic Mersey. This is a tour I’d thoroughly recommend if you want to see the city of Liverpool from a completely different perspective.

Although this was a flying visit, I have plans to return. With its rich maritime and cultural history I’ve decided that Liverpool will feature as a setting for the next book in my Gentlemen series. Needless to say, lots of research will be required before I can make a start!