LIVERPOOL.- From Port City to City of Pop, the world’s first elevated railway to the first British female number one, Liverpool made history again as Tuesday 19 July witnessed the opening of the largest newly-built national museum in Britain for more than a century on the city’s waterfront at 1000hrs.

Telling the fascinating story of Liverpool and its world-renowned people, the £72m Museum of Liverpool is testament to those who have shaped and continue to influence the history of the city. A People’s Opening is being held to honour ‘Scousers’ from Liverpool and beyond.

This is taking place at 1000hrs on Tuesday 19 July, led by Professor Phil Redmond CBE, Chairman of National Museums Liverpool, Director Dr David Fleming OBE, and special guest Finn O’Hare, aged six, representing the youngest generation of Liverpudlians.

Phil Redmond said: ”It is fitting that in Finn we have a regular Liverpool lad helping out at such a pivotal event in our city’s history. Liverpudlians across the ages have created a city with a host of tales to tell, and that is what the Museum of Liverpool is all about, and why we have chosen to celebrate with a People’s Opening. We look forward to sharing the Museum with the people of Liverpool.”

The Museum of Liverpool has been made possible with generous support from major funders, including the North West Development Agency (NWDA), The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).

Funders quotes: Robert Hough, Chairman of the NWDA, commented: “The rejuvenation of Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront is a major part of the legacy the NWDA leaves for this city and the region. The Museum is a great and fitting representation of Liverpool’s identity as a cultural Mecca, celebrating the city’s past and looking towards a bright future. The NWDA invested more than £33 million towards the build of the Museum, and I look forward to seeing the it in all its glory at the opening event.”

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “The Museum of Liverpool is a spectacular new landmark for the waterfront area as well as a much-needed learning resource about Liverpool’s unique place in both British and world history. Over the years, the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported a number of major projects in the city and we are delighted to see this latest one completed and opening its doors for everyone’s enjoyment this summer.”

About the Museum of Liverpool: From small beginnings, Liverpool began as a tidal inlet, growing into one of the wealthiest port cities in the world. Taking on highs and lows of all proportions, this once prosperous city has encountered war, poverty and decline, yet continued to flaunt its determination to re-emerge as a dynamic 21st century city. The Museum of Liverpool continues this legacy.

From the world’s first wet dock, to the invention of goal nets, Liverpool has been at the forefront of innovation and pioneering successes. The city has achieved fame through the talents of a staggering roll call of entertainers, writers, poets, performers, musicians, artists, comedians and sports people. Continuous top-flight football and the birth-place of the greatest band in the world are just two tips of the iceberg.

Dr David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool said: “Our ambition for the Museum of Liverpool was to create the world’s greatest urban history museum. For the past ten years our team has worked tirelessly, with a great deal of help from the public, to channel this ambition and develop a museum which explains Liverpool using objects to illustrate its story.

“Liverpool is very easily misunderstood, not least because in living memory it has been a poor city, plagued by unemployment and poverty. But less than 100 years ago Liverpool was one of the greatest cities on earth, and only through knowing this, and understanding why this was, can anyone understand the modern city.

“The Museum of Liverpool is a living biography of the city, a biography that is honest, ever-changing, created by people who love living here, many of whom were born here.”

The Museum has opened in several phases, featuring four main galleries and a number of smaller gallery spaces. From 19 July, three of the four main galleries Wondrous Place, The People’s Republic and Global City have opened. Also opening is Little Liverpool, a dedicated gallery for children aged six and under, the stunning Atrium space and Skylight Gallery.