Liverpool Central Library Entrance Riddle

Entrance to Liverpool Central Library. Jim Allan / Alamy

The entrance path to Liverpool’s new Central Library is a 72-foot-long walkway engraved with famous titles from books, cinema, and music. The white names contrast with the gray granite, and you can’t help but notice a seemingly random sprinkling of red letters hidden among the words.

The red letters form a puzzle, a mystery code purposefully embedded in the pavement to pique the curiosity of visitors. The library has never revealed the answer to the red letter riddle; that’s up to visitors to figure it out. Crack the code by placing all the red letters in order. Together, they form the clue.

Secret codes aside, library itself is a gem of the city, situated between the World Museum and Walker Art Gallery. The magnificent old Victorian architecture is juxtaposed with a modern, renovated space. The collection holds tomes dating back 800 years, including some British gems such as handwritten letters by Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and Florence Nightingale, and a childhood essay by Paul McCartney.

Know Before You Go

Located at the entrance to the library. The library is easy to find, between the World Museum and the Walker Art Gallery, across from St. John's Gardens and the rear of St. George's Hall. The closest train station is Liverpool Lime Street which is around the corner, on the other side of St. George's Hall.

There's limited pay and display parking on William Brown Street, with disabled parking directly in front of the library. At busy times, the nearest parking is the multi-storey Queen Square.