Liverpool, Merseyside 1207

“As the city’s symbol for over 800 years, the magnificent metal Liver Birds have held position across Liverpool’s breathtaking skyline since 1911.” - Explore Liverpool, 2022.

Liverpool has become synonymous with Liver Birds, which originally I thought was just because ‘Liver’ is part of the word Liverpool… Oh, oh, oh, was I a fool. Of course there’s local legends and folklore tales linked to the famous Liverpool Liver Birds!

If you look upwards at the very tippy top of the Royal Liver Building, you’ll see two majestic metal birds perched on top. The Liver Birds supposedly originate from 1207 when King John granted a Royal Charter to register the city of Liverpool as a borough. Wanting a unique symbol to differentiate his documents and sterling, the Liver Bird was chosen to be part of his crest.

But the tales of mythical birds dates back way further than King John and his crest. The legend goes that the two Liver Birds are a male and female named Bertie and Bella (adorable) who swooped down around the shores of the medieval city. Bella’s role was to keep a watch out for boats to grant a safe passage home for seamen. Bertie decided his role would be to look into the city, not out to sea, to make sure that the seamen’s wives and families were looked after whilst their husbands were at sea.

Some of the stories claim that the two Liver Birds were chained down to a building by the River Mersey to ensure they wouldn’t fly away, which would cause the river to burst and its banks would flood the city. Other tales state the birds are facing away from each other so they wouldn’t be tempted to mate, thusly flying away and exposing the city to potential flooding or danger.

Despite the Liver Birds being forbidden to mate, some legends say that if an honest man and a virgin women were to fall in love in front them, the birds would suddenly gain life! The Liver Birds have sacrificed all these years to protect Liverpool, come on honest men and virgin women, free them!

So let us all say a big thank you to the 18ft tall, copper Liver Birds for giving their lives to protect the city of Liverpool.