The popular and much-loved grotto at the former Lewis's Department Store in Liverpool was synonymous with Christmas magic and although it is now in a different location it remains as popular as ever.
The famous cavern-like venue celebrate its 140th anniversary this December, making it officially the world's oldest Santa's grotto, according to Guinness World Records.
The famous grotto venue was the world's first Christmas grotto when it opened in 1879 and generations of Merseyside children have visited for a glimpse of Santa Claus.
Because it meant a great deal to many people in Liverpool, it was decided that the huge grotto would continue following the closure of Lewis's in 2010.
That year it relocated to Rapid Hardware in the former George Henry Lee building on Church Street.
It remained there until 2017 when Rapid closed, before moving to its current home in St John's shopping centre.
Here we take a trip down memory lane with a nostalgic look at the grotto through the years.
Christmas Fairyland at Lewis's
When the grotto first opened in Lewis's 140 years ago it was know as 'Christmas Fairyland'.
In 1877, David Lewis - the owner of Liverpool 'Lewis's Department Store - visited Paris to see the Bon Marche which was the world's first department store.
From that visit he set about opening a similar store in Liverpool.
Lewis opened the world's first Christmas grotto in Lewis's Bon Marche Department Store, and it offered everyone’s Christmas presents all under one roof.
It was packed with festive decorations and elves and children sat on Father Christmas’s knee to find out if they had been naughty or nice that year.
The grotto idea cottoned on elsewhere and it expanded in the 1890s to American and Australian department stores, which sought to attract customers to buy their goods.
The grotto at Lewis's never stayed with a constant theme. A grotto from the 1960s had Father Christmas 'on the moon'; while a latter theme was Alice in Wonderland.
The grotto moves to Rapid Hardware
In 2010, the grotto relocated to its new home in Rapid and the staff moved with it.
All the original fittings from the old grotto were taken to Rapid, including two eight-foot animatronic polar bears and models of famous Liverpool landmarks like the Radio City Tower.
The first grotto at Rapid was themed around how Santa lost his home in Lewis's and how he would then find a new home at Rapid.
Then in 2011 there was an Alice in Wonderland story, set in Liverpool.
Its new home at St John's
Today, children can enjoy the festive grotto at St John's Shopping Centre, where it has been every Christmas since 2017.
As the grotto celebrates its big anniversary this year, it takes visitors on a trip down memory lane, recreating some of its most magical and popular displays from years gone by, including Fairytale from 1879, Peter Pan from 1935 and Magical Winter Wonderland from 1982, 1992 and 2005.
Both Everton and Liverpool football clubs are represented in the displays, alongside The Beatles in The Cavern, the Radio City Tower and the Liverpool ECHO, too.
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