It is no surprise that the Liverpool Docks have been made a UNESCO world heritage site. The dock area played an important part in the growth of the British Empire and was one of the most important trading centers of the world in the 18th and 19th centuries. A visit to the Merseyside Maritime Museum is a must to understand and get a greater sense of the importance this area had on the whole of the United Kingdom, open daily and its free!!

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/

The museum, is situated on the Albert Dock, opened in 1846 by Prince Albert and is the most visited tourist area in the whole of the city. Also here are the unmissable Tate Liverpool art gallery http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/ Beatles Museum http://beatlesstory.com/ and no trip to Liverpool is complete without taking a trip on the famed Ferry Across The Mersey, just wrap up warm!
http://www.merseyferries.co.uk/

As Liverpool prospered in the mid eighteenth century due to its importance of an international trading port, its also played an important part in the transatlantic slave trade. A visit to the International Slave Museum makes for a sobering look at the slave trade, as well as covering issues such as Racial Discrimination and Human Rights http://www.visitliverpool.com/blackheritage/places-to-visit/ism