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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Jess Molyneux

Liverpool's record breaking Christmas grotto beloved by generations

David Lewis Grotto Echo Rapid Andrew Teebay Merseyside St Johns

There's a reason why Liverpool's oldest Christmas grotto is so cherished and has been saved through the years.

Liverpool retail entrepreneur David Lewis, founder of the famous Lewis’s store, opened the world’s first Christmas grotto in his Bon Marche store in Church Street in 1879. And from there, generations of Merseyside children had the magical moment of meeting Father Christmas for the first time.

When the grotto first opened in Lewis's, it was know as 'Christmas Fairyland' and packed with festive decorations. The grotto at Lewis's never stayed with a constant theme either, from Father Christmas being 'on the moon,' to Alice in Wonderland and more.

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