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Battle of Waterloo: 200 years

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WaterlooThe keenly-awaited bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo is fast approaching ...but it is not just on this side of the Channel that this significant landmark in history is being marked.

The 200th anniversary of arguably the most famous battle of all time has also very much caught the imagination in the UK, including in Liverpool where a new exhibition features an eye-catching gallery of artefacts preserved from the Battle of Waterloo itself.

To commemorate the event, the UK National Army Museum (NAM) has partnered with Liverpool Victoria Gallery and Museum to mount a temporary exhibition which looks at how the Battle was fought and won.

Rarely seen objects from NAM tell the stories of the regiments, the soldiers, their families and the legacy they left behind.

The gallery itself features 200 Waterloo Collection artefacts, some never before on public view, including the original Wellington Boots, owned by the legendary general, regimental eagles and, most bizarrely, in the ‘Nasty Gnashers and Dreadful Dentures’ exhibit, sets of dentures and real teeth extracted from the mouths of the dead on the battlefield.

These were extracted by battle scavengers who scoured the fields with pliers to loot the mouths of dead soldiers.

Rather than conceal their grisly sources, dentists, who bought the looted teeth, cheerfully advertised their dentures as “Waterloo teeth” or “Waterloo ivory”.

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These were "guaranteed to have come from young, healthy soldiers, killed in the prime of life," rather from rotting corpses dug up by grave robbers, or executed criminals.

Fifty years later, dental catalogues still advertised the teeth of freshly killed soldiers as “Waterloo teeth”.

The 200th anniversary of the famous Battle is on 18 June marking the date when British and Prussian forces, under the command of Duke of Wellington, halted the advance of French Army in Belgium.

The bloody battle claimed the lives of 65,000 of the 200,000 men that took part, and saw the defeat of Napoleon.

Wellington's gnashers aren't the only thing currently linking the small town in Brabant Walloon and Merseyside - just up the road from Liverpool is another Waterloo where some of the buildings are replicas of the ones found in Waterloo, Belgium.

With the Easter holidays fast approaching Liverpool, in fact, makes for an ideal short city break and, of course, no visit to the home of the Fab Four is complete without seeing the Beatles Museum where a new exhibition, "The British Invasion: How 1960s Beat Groups Conquered America" is open until next year.

It includes rare photos of The Beatles and artefacts from The Rolling Stones and others. To see where the band made its name, visit the Cavern Club while the award-winning Beatles Story, located at the Albert Dock, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site which has attracted 2m visitors since opening, is an interactive tour through the lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

This is also a footy-mad city and Belgian folk will also love a behind-the-scenes guided tour of Anfield, home of Liverpool FC and their Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Check out the excellent interactive museum.

You should also try a 50-minute Mersey Ferries River Explorer cruise to the pleasant Wirral peninsula where you will find the wonderful Port Sunlight Museum which tells the remarkable story of William Hesketh Lever who created a village for his Sunlight soap factory workers in 1888.

The village is set in 130 acres of what can only be described as beautifully maintained parkland.

On your way back to Liverpool, pop into Spaceport for a journey through space and the U-boat Experience, a couple of other top notch local visitor attractions.

A really fantastic base for any visit to this vibrant and ever-evolving city is the independent and centrally-located Richmond Hotel which has 152 rooms, including 51 apartments, some with fully equipped kitchens.

Opened in May 2013, this stylish and beautifully-restored grade-two listed building dates back to 1906 and makes for an ideal base from which to discover all that Liverpool has to offer. Ideal for business or leisure visitors, it also benefits from many striking original features which can be seen throughout the hotel while guests also have use of a health club and spa.

After a hard day's work exploring the city you should try the lovely Asian fusion cuisine offered by HOST, a great place to sate any appetite and which has fast become the city's must-visit dining experience.

Located on the iconic Hope Street (recently voted the best street in the UK no less) and formerly student accommodation, HOST provides great views of the idyllic Georgian Quarter, with the impressive Anglican and Metropolitan cathedrals at either side. This is a bright, friendly eatery with exposed brick walls and bench seating, plus a terrace and bar area.

Another highly recommended eating option nearby is the local branch of Las Iguanas, located in the fantastic Liverpool One leisure and retail complex which serves particularly tasty flame-grilled Latin American dishes in a contemporary dining room.

There's a good kids' menu and, as its well-travelled deputy manager Ray Barlow explains, its chefs combine fresh British produce to conjure "delicious, authentic South American food, made with passion, love and lots of Latin magic."

Other good reasons to visit?

Well, there's the Museum of Liverpool, the largest newly-built museum in the UK for 100 years, and Tate Liverpool, the UK's most-visited gallery of its kind outside London.

A couple of important upcoming dates for the diary: from 24 March, a ferry given a psychedelic makeover by Sir Peter Blake, the artist behind the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, will start plying the Mersey and on 4 July, the famous Queen Mary 2 will return to the city's cruise terminal to recreate the voyage of the first Cunard ship, Britannia, from Liverpool to New York.

For families, a couple of great short excursions are Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari Park where you can get up, close and personal with some very lively baboons.

Later this year, the terrific Chester Zoo, the UK's number one zoo with over 1,2000 animals and 400 different species, opens an exciting new part called "Islands", the largest development of its kind in Europe.

Both are great for a day out after which you should head for the nearby Cheshire Oaks branch of Prezzo, the casual national Italian restaurant chain rightly famous for its fantastic stone baked pizza and classic pastas and great selection of other tasty dishes.

This is one of more than 200 of the popular restaurants in the UK, many of them recognized for their architectural value. Each has its own style and character from city bustle to rural retreat and Prezzo Chesire Oaks is located in one of the biggest shopping centres in the UK, making this the perfect place to relax and escape the bustle of shoppers.

From Benelux, Liverpool is easily accessible and, for those traveling by car, P&O Ferries North Sea overnight service from Zeebrugge to Hull (and Rotterdam-Hull) is easily the best way to travel to Liverpool and the North of England.

There are no baggage restrictions, no hassle on gridlocked motorways and the holiday starts on board with cabaret and even bingo sessions. A quick two hours or so by motorway from your arrival in Hull will have you in Liverpool.

Liverpool has over the years greatly benefited from EU funding and, with some €755m invested from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between 2007 and 2013, this has greatly helped reinvent the city.

With its musical heritage you won't be surprised that Liverpool is officially the World Capital of Pop. But less well known is that it has more parks than Paris and more museums and art galleries than any other UK city region outside of London.

The city is steeped in history and whether it's the world famous sports, bustling food scene - or some of the most gruesome souvenirs (including Wellington's own false teeth) from the Battle of Waterloo - you will find what you are looking for here.

Liverpool is renowned internationally for its hospitality so, whatever your preference, one thing you are guaranteed is a very warm Scouse welcome.

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