Thousands turn out for Cunard Building's 100th birthday party
Cunard's Queen Elizabeth sailed up the River Mersey on Saturday morning, heralding the start of a series of events marking the centenary of the Liverpool waterfront Cunard Building.
A new 160ft granite bench outside of the Cunard Building was unveiled by Lord Mayor Cllr Roz Gladden, and Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge.
Named ‘The Journey’, the specially commissioned bench, was designed by the city’s BC Architects and Smiling Wolf and traces the intertwined history of Cunard Line and Liverpool over the past century and tells the story of some of the shipping giant’s greatest ever liners including the Carpathia, Lusitania, the original Queen Elizabeth, the QE2 and the Lusitania.
Two ‘Best of British’ celebratory concerts took place on the UNESCO World Heritage waterfront at Pier Head.
Visitors were encouraged to bring their Union Jack flags and their singing voices as they were entertained with performances from the Royal Marines Band Scotland, Liverpool Welsh Choral and opera singer Danielle Thomas.
They performed classics such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory alongside contemporary numbers such as Proud Mary and All You Need is Love. Each concert featured Happy Birthday as the finale.
A special service of celebration also took place at St Nicholas Church, known locally as ‘the sailors church’ which was attended by David Noyes, ceo of Carnival UK and Simon Palethorpe, svp of Cunard Line who in the evening hosted a VIP dinner on board Queen Elizabeth for specially invited guests.
Angie Redhead, head of cruise operations Liverpool said 'The arrival of Queen Elizabeth on the Mersey was, as always, a spectacular sight and her visit was a real nod to the role Liverpool, and the Cunard Building itself, has played in Cunard’s history.'
The weekend also saw the Cunard Building opening its doors to a brand new exhibition charting the rise and success of The Jam, the English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
About the Author
You May Also Like