The next stop on our Residence tour sees us arrive in the red half of Merseyside and into Liverpool's iconic Anfield Stadium. England's most atmospheric cauldron full of optimism, passion, and glorious history. It's a special place.
Anfield is forever on hold. Everything around the stadium revolves around the fixture list and that next game. A bustling beacon of footballing electricity on match day, that eerily slips back into the community when the lights turn off, taking its numerous pubs and takeaways with it – each red & white cladded establishment filled with as much character as the Liverpudlians that occupy the seats on match day.
Liverpool FC is a club that entertains love and hate. Why? The success, the enviable atmosphere, the blind optimism. It's infectious, it's a symbol of identification throughout this magnificent city. Anfield is more than your average football stadium. It's a storyboard for generations, a playground for true legends, a heavyweight scalp for any opposition, with an atmosphere that lures in sports fans from across the world.
On our visit the surrounding area is in a transition period. The Main Stand dominates the skyline and will eventually form part of a scrubbed-up fan zone. There's always been a certain beauty in Anfield's cramped surroundings, boxed in by rows of terraced houses and roads. A venue of intimidating intimacy with a real old school match day experience.
The reality is, that Liverpool are one of the biggest football clubs in the world. They need room to grow. The land at the back of the Main Stand has been secured and the club are in the process of enhancing the match day experience with a communal space for all fans to enjoy. Once in the stadium, your allegiance to other clubs is put to one side (we'll forgive United and Evertonians), while Anfield isn't the biggest, it packs one almighty punch on the senses.
There's always something infatuating about an empty stadium. The deafening silence in a venue such as Anfield, so associated with raw emotion and atmosphere, is hypnotic. A place you could sit and stare for hours on end.
A pristine, modern stadium with beautiful imperfections throughout. Stands overlapping as the stadium has developed, odd-job seats filling any space. A move away from Anfield would have been heart-wrenching. You simply wouldn't and couldn't build a stadium with as much character as this illustrious landmark.
See the church over the back of the Anfield Road stand? The one that looks like Batman's head? Liverpool's Melwood Training Ground is tucked in just behind that.
The Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand meets the two-tiered Anfield Road Stand behind the goal.
Anfield has a capacity of 54,074 making it the sixth biggest stadium in the Premier League. The famous Kop (above) holds 12,390.
Blue view: The concourse area inside the new Main Stand at Anfield offers views across to Everton's Goodison Park.
From the Shankly Gates to the Hillsborough Memorial, Anfield is more than four stands – it's the centre of a community, a community that has seen and felt it all. Standing tall in the most obsessive footballing corner of the country, Anfield is quite simply an essential visit for any sports fan.
Have a nosey around Everton and Tranmere while you're up these parts.
