Be mindful rather than having your mind full.
Modern life can sap the soul. The clogged up timeline, the never-ending snapchat stories and the claustrophobic daily commutes. It can all be very tiring on the brain and body and we’re here to offer some precious rebooting time. A place to sit, in silence or with people, where time pivots and the world spins on a different kind of axis. Where things are slow, where people smell the flowers and where you can tuck into a good book. For books, head to News From Nowhere, Reid of Liverpool or Kernaghan Books.
Liverpool Festival Gardens
Come down and enjoy a coffee in a flash or share a picnic with friends. Take a stroll through the woodland trails and on to the promenade. Relax in the oriental gardens with a book amongst the waterfalls and cherry blossom. Test your climbing skills in the playground and look out for the many animals and birds that have made the Festival Gardens home.
Oh Me Oh My
The architecture, both inside and outside, is as good as it gets in Liverpool. The inside looks like a Marilyn Monroe makeup set, large mirrors with incredible details on the frame are lit up with fairy lights that cascade themselves around it. Piano pieces treacle out from the sound system and it all makes for a classy and romantic affair. The perfect place for a daytime hot drink as they’re a tea emporium with a got a huge selection of loose leaf teas as well as coffees.
Garden At Fact
We can’t ever remember venturing into The Garden At Fact without seeing someone there with a book. And another constant was that they always looked happy. There’s a little book shelf where the main focus is on mindfulness and wellbeing to quench your thirst for knowledge and there’s a pretty extensive tea range to just quench your thirst. Grab a cuppa, plonk your page turner on a table and enjoy.
The Egg
An elaborate vine leaf design, reminiscent of Grimm’s fairy tale illustrations, leads the way up a stairwell to a narrow double doorway in the same red-violet hue that gives access to the café – a large attic filled with wooden tables and all the ambiance of a monastery refectory. The perfect hideout for a good cuppa and book.
St George’s Hall Pillars
At the heart of Liverpool’s St George’s Quarter and directly opposite Lime Street Station, St George’s Hall is a breathtaking venue. Whilst they aren’t short for splendour inside, the beauty of grabbing a seat on the steps outside by the pillars is understated. Not quite by any means, but still a private moment with the city.
92 Degrees Coffee
Located in the Old Blind School, 92 Degrees Coffee calls a neo-classical building home that was founded in the 1790’s that most recently housed one of the Liverpool Biennial’s exhibitions. It’s a real beautiful building, with hobo-chic couches that almost feel like they’re hugging you. The tall windows, natural light and great coffee are a perfect combination for a good book.
Bixteth Street gardens
Bixteth Street Gardens is an oasis of green space familiar to some who work on Old Hall Street – but many people don’t know about this tranquil sun trap just yards away from Tithebarn Street. Favoured by office workers for a sunny spot to have a sandwich, the area features covered benches and plenty of greenery to break-up a grey day at your desk.
Cuthbert’s Bakehouse
A teacup collection larger than the most avid Granny’s assemblage is the first thing you are captivated by when you enter. Your eyes then follow your nose which leads you to the sight of home baked cupcakes and fresh croissants. A real hidden gem that is popular amongst the student and lecturer population which has inspired a little intellectual hub.
Our Lady and St Nicholas Gardens
The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is the Anglican parish church of Liverpool. The site is said to have been a place of worship since at least 1257. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building and is an active parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Liverpool and the deanery of Liverpool North.
Photo credit: Anonymous Widower
Root Coffee
Root Coffee are the new kids on the block in the ever-growing and effervescent Liverpool independent scene. Only a couple months old, each day they rise and grind to create a progressive coffee shop with an emphasis on developing the general public’s understanding and appreciation for speciality coffee. It’s a real remote and beautiful space where soft acoustics treacle out of the sound system. Warning: you will at least once look out the window and pretend you’re in a music video.
Temple Street
Another city centre hideaway is the gardens between Temple Street and Princes St. This small green space is nestled down an alleyway but is a great spot to get some sun on your face during your break. There are plenty of benches to sit and enjoy some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the business district.
Cow & Co
Slightly and proudly off the beaten track is Cow & Co Cafe, a design store offering unique gifts and well-designed products, all carefully hand selected. They stock unique magazines from all over the world and as a good cup of coffee compliments flicking through them all so well. Read their literature or take your own, either way, grab a window seat and wash the day away.
Photo credit: Antonio Franco
The Bluecoat Courtyard
The Courtyard is not only the front entrance and gateway to the retail units but often a performance space in its own right and an extra space where you can sit with a cup of coffee and watch the world go by. A rather picturesque view of Liverpool where you can gather your thoughts and enjoy some Hemingway.
Falkner Square
Falkner Square is a square in Canning on the border of Liverpool city centre and Toxteth. Falkner Square Gardens occupy the centre of the square. The Georgian Quarter is a legacy of Liverpool’s former wealth and offers some of the best views of the city. The leafy Falkner Square is a beautiful space to escape the crowded city and relax.
St Luke’s Gardens
St. Luke’s Church, which can be viewed from Bold Street, aptly stands bold at the top of the street after being badly damaged during the Liverpool blitz in 1941. It is now known as the ‘bombed-out church’ and stands as a memorial for those who lost their lives. Around the beautifully detailed church there are lots of secret spaces to sit, where you will be surrounded by fifty shades of green.
Ryde
A coffee shop, bike workshop, selling parts, accessories and clothing that offers the perfect place to refuel after a day of pedal pushing. The coffee culture and cycling community are both strong in Liverpool and this is an exciting way for them to both come together. All in the beautiful courtyard of Cains Brewery, next to a plethora of independents ranging from antique and vintage offers to The Wild Loaf bakery.
Abercomby Square
Abercromby Square is in the University of Liverpool, England. It is bordered by Oxford Street to the north and Cambridge Street to the south. It is named after General Sir Ralph Abercromby, Commander of the British Army in Egypt, who was killed at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. One of the most peaceful and green spots in the city and a reminder of Liverpool’s natural and man-made beauty.
Quadrangle behind Victoria Gallery & Museum
Honourable mentions:
Homebaked Anfield, Bridgewell Courtyard, 81 Renshaw, Bold St Coffee.
Did we miss anything? Let us know.
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