Liverpool’s World Museum is easily one of our favourite places to visit. There’s so much to do that you could happily spend a whole day there, and it’s right in the heart of the city – an easy walk from Lime Street Station and not too far to walk to the docks on the banks of the river Mersey. Safe to say that we don’t need an excuse to visit. But as we have a big Percy Jackson fan in the family (Peggy) who is very interested in the ancient Greek gods, when we saw that this exhibition was running we knew we needed to get on a train and get ourselves back there.
Just to note – this is a limited-time exhibition running until 25th of February, 2024.
It’s all Greek (or Roman) to us
The exhibition displays a cleverly curated collection of artefacts that show the history and mythos of the Greek gods. Many items in the collection were the property of Sefton-based antiquarian Henry Blundell, who was so taken by this period of history that he had a pantheon built at his house in order to show them all off.
Each stop on the journey presents the god with their Greek name (as well as their Roman equivalent), along with the story of their creation and how they impacted life in ancient times. Starting with Zeus, the most important of them all, we are led on a journey through the gods learning plenty of facts along the way. There’s also a really handy “family tree” at the start of the exhibition so you can start to get your head around the relationship between them all (which is not always easy when you have children appearing from their father’s head and such like).
Further on through the exhibition we met some Roman emperors and saw how the stories of the gods adapted and changed over time in order to fit into their society.
The final stage of the journey takes us across the river Styx and into the underworld to find out about Hades, Persephone and what people thought happened after you died.
Our top tip for visiting
Aside from this exhibition, if you get there fairly early, have a look for the films that are playing on the top floor, in the planetarium section. There are usually a good selection of things to watch, for a reasonable extra charge. We’ve previously watched a fascinating film about a telescope array in Chile.
What age range is it suitable for?
The Return of the Gods exhibition is suitable for all ages; there’s nothing very gruesome on display despite the gods’ involvement in death and punishment. That said, it is pretty much entirely a display of statues and information boards so there’s the chance that younger children might find it a bit boring; especially when there’s an aquarium, dinosaurs and minibeasts on display elsewhere in the museum.
How long were we there?
We spent about an hour in the gods exhibition. As we said, if you haven’t visited the World Museum before then you’re in for a treat and could easily spend four or more hours wandering around all of the floors and exhibits.
How much does it cost?
The museum is free to enter – a donation box is available, with cardless donations possible. The Return of the Gods exhibition is free for under-17s. Adults are charged £8 each.
Is there a gift shop?
Yes, a decent one, with offerings both of museum-related items (and a great selection of books) as well as more general Liverpool-themed things.
Is there a cafe?
Yes, but we haven’t used it. There is a place to eat your picnic on one of the floors, but if you time it wrong, like we did, you might be crowded out by a school trip. We ate our lunch sitting on the benches outside the museum, which is a very pleasant place to sit.
Is it accessible?
Yes, very. Ramps and lifts are everywhere, and the museum website has a very comprehensive section on its access and facilities.
How did we get there?
We always go to Liverpool by train. We use the Trainline app and have managed to buy ridiculously cheap tickets (ie less than £15 for all four of us, return) from Manchester Victoria into Liverpool Lime Street. We also have a family railcard which knocks a bit more off the price.
When did we go?
Wednesday 28th June, 2023
Information about the World Museum
World Museum, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN
0151 478 4393
worldmuseum@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/world-museum
