The Three Graces

The Three Graces, in Liverpool

The Three Graces are the most emblematic ensemble of buildings of Liverpool, three monumental buildings erected on the waterfront of Pier Head. The Liverpool audio-guided tour stops here to evoke the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building, symbols of the maritime power of the city at its golden age, classified and inscribed in the heritage.

The three giants of Pier Head

You have in front of you the most emblematic ensemble of buildings of Liverpool: The Three Graces. It is composed of the Royal Liver Building on the left, the Cunard Building in the centre and the Port of Liverpool Building on the right. This last was the first to come out of the ground, in 1907, to host the administration of the Mersey Docks. It represents the maritime power of the city and impresses with its dome, originally planned for the Anglican cathedral. Classified Grade II, it today contains offices and is therefore not open to visit, but the curious can still enter the main hall, covered with marble, to admire the stained-glass windows representing each country of the British Empire. On the far left, the Royal Liver Building, completed in 1911, is doubtless the most famous of the three: nearly a hundred metres high, it is crowned with two towers surmounted by the Liver Birds, these mythical birds emblems of the city, of which the legend says that, if they flew away, Liverpool would cease to exist. In the centre, the Cunard Building, raised for the famous transatlantic company, evokes the great crossings to America. Together, these three monumental buildings, classified in the heritage, embody the grandeur of Liverpool in the time when its port was one of the most active of the world. A monumental ensemble and a maritime symbol, the Three Graces are a fine stop of the discovery of Liverpool.

What to see

Here you admire the most emblematic ensemble of Liverpool, three monumental buildings of Pier Head: the domed Port of Liverpool Building of 1907, the Cunard Building of the transatlantic company, and the famous Royal Liver Building of 1911, crowned with the Liver Birds, mythical birds of the city; classified in the heritage, they symbolise the maritime power of Liverpool. The Three Graces are the image of the city. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Three Graces stand on the waterfront of Liverpool, at Pier Head, reachable on foot. You admire their façades from the quays; they are buildings in activity whose interior access follows the conditions in force, which vary, and some tours are offered. You discover them during a walk along the water.

What are the buildings of the Three Graces of Liverpool?

They are three monumental buildings of Pier Head: the domed Port of Liverpool Building, come out of the ground in 1907; the central Cunard Building, raised for the transatlantic company; and the Royal Liver Building, completed in 1911 and crowned with the Liver Birds, mythical birds of the city. Classified in the heritage, they symbolise the maritime power of Liverpool at its golden age.

Where are the Three Graces in Liverpool?

On the waterfront of Liverpool, at Pier Head, in England.