Liverpool Becomes Shiverpool
Liverpool, 2008 European City of Culture, is also a City of Ghosts
As Liverpool prepares to be European City of Culture 2008, a new company offers ghost tours on Merseyside. Shiverpool Tours will lead spooky ghost tours of Albert Dock
Liverpool, chosen as the 2008 European City of Culture, will live forever with the ghosts of the Beatles. The fab four's connection with the city is celebrated in the Beatles Story at Albert Dock, at the Cavern Walk and in Magical Mystery Tours of the Beatles' Merseyside. Just along from Albert Dock is the landing stage where visitors from all over the world catch the famous Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, and listen to the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit song as they travel across the River Mersey.
But there are many other ghosts in Albert Dock and the rest of Liverpool, as visitors who take a Shiverpool Ghost Tour will soon be discovering for themselves. So successful has the make-over of the Albert Dock been, that its historical past can easily be forgotten. Today it's the home not only of the Beatles Story but also the Tate Liverpool modern art gallery, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, lots of shops and eating places, the Yellow Duckmarine Tour, an impending multi-million pound Museum of Slavery and, now, the home of Shiverpool Ghost Tours.
Shiverpool Ghost Tours was created in late 2005 by the brother and sister team of Alexandra and John Stone. The two of them spotted a gap in the market, because while there are successful ghost tours in cities like London and Edinburgh, there were no such tours in Liverpool. In fact there are so many good spooky ghost stories in Liverpool that two tours have been started, and there are more tours being added in different parts of the city.
'Hope Street Shivers' explores one of the city's most haunted streets, while ‘Auld City Shivers’ takes visitors on a tour of the oldest part of the city, recounting chilling tales from Tithebarne Street to the River Mersey. The tours last 75 minutes, and as well as the costumed guide, guests will encounter a few spooky surprises along the way. But Shiverpool Ghost Tours emphasise that all the tours are based on hard fact. They just like to throw in a bit of theatrical drama, to add to the fun.
Shiverpool Ghost Tours uses six costumed guides, including founders John and Alexandra Stone. They attracted 8000 spooky fans in their first year in business, with numbers growing, and today they employ eight people and plan to make that fifteen by the end of 2007. Several new tours are being researched and written, and they include themes like 'The Rats and the Baker', 'The Maritime Shivers' and 'The Ghoul from Watery Grave'.
When Liverpool becomes European City of Culture in 2008 and more overseas visitors arrive, it looks set to be a good ghostly year for Shiverpool Ghost Tours.
For more information including details on how to book visit the Shiverpool Ghost Tours website.
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Read more about Liverpool as European City of Culture by clicking here.
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