If you've ever seen a photo of Anfield, you've seen them — a set of wrought-iron gates with "You'll Never Walk Alone" arched across the top. They're the same design that appears on Liverpool's club badge, and they've become one of the most recognisable football memorials in the world.
But most people who recognise the gates don't actually know the story behind them. Here's how they came to exist, who built them, and why they still matter so much to Liverpool fans today.
A Tribute to the Man Who Built Modern Liverpool
Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in December 1959 to take over a club that was going nowhere. Liverpool were stuck in the Second Division, the stadium was in poor shape, and even the training ground left a lot to be desired. Over the next fifteen years, Shankly rebuilt the club from the ground up — culture, philosophy, and results all included. By the time he left, Liverpool weren't just back in the top flight. They were on their way to becoming one of the most successful clubs English football had ever seen.
Shankly died on 29 September 1981, and the loss was felt deeply across the city. Almost a year later, on 26 August 1982, his widow Nessie unveiled a set of memorial gates at Anfield in his honour — a quiet ceremony attended by former chairman John Smith, along with Bob Paisley and Graeme Souness.
Interestingly, the idea of gates honouring Shankly wasn't entirely new. As far back as the early 1970s, a local journalist had floated the idea of a tribute at the ground, and in 1972 gates were installed at the stadium's car park entrance. But it was the 1982 memorial — built specifically to honour Shankly after his death — that became the version fans know today.
Built by a 25-Year-Old Blacksmith in Somerset
Here's the part most people don't know: the Shankly Gates weren't made in Liverpool. When the club put out a call for designs, the job went to County Forge, a small blacksmith's workshop in Frome, Somerset — a couple of hundred miles from Anfield.
The workshop was run by Ken Hall, who was 25 at the time and had supported Liverpool since the early 1970s. Nessie Shankly chose his design over all the others submitted from around the country, reportedly saying there was nothing else that came close.
Hall built the entire structure — three and a half tonnes of wrought iron — in around ten weeks over a single summer, then had it loaded onto a lorry and driven north to Anfield. If you look closely at the gates today, near the central lock, there's a small brass plaque that simply reads: "Shankly Gates, designed and manufactured by County Forge, 1982." A quiet signature from a young fan who ended up building one of football's most famous structures.
The Words Across the Top
The phrase arched above the gates — "You'll Never Walk Alone" — didn't start out as a football chant. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for their 1945 musical Carousel, originally sung as a message of comfort to a grieving widow.
The Liverpool connection came in 1963, when local group Gerry and the Pacemakers recorded their own version and took it to number one. Liverpool supporters adopted it soon after, and it's been sung before kickoff at Anfield ever since — long before it ended up cast in iron above the gates that carry Shankly's name.
Alongside the lettering, the gates also feature a Scottish thistle and a Scottish flag, a nod to Shankly's roots in Glenbuck, Ayrshire, plus the Liverpool badge itself.
Still Standing, Just in a Different Spot
The gates stood at the corner of the Main Stand and Anfield Road for over three decades. When Anfield underwent a major redevelopment in 2016 to expand the Main Stand, the gates were carefully removed and placed into storage during construction. Once the work was finished, they were reinstalled nearby, at the corner of Anfield Road and the Centenary Stand, close to where they'd always been.
Shankly's granddaughter, Pauline Robinson, was involved in choosing the new location and called it a fitting tribute to her grandfather's legacy at the club.
More than forty years on, the Shankly Gates are still one of the most photographed spots outside Anfield. For a lot of fans, they're not just a photo opportunity — they're a physical reminder of the man who built the modern club, and the words that have carried it through everything since.
