My home city of Liverpool has many 'firsts' to its' name - a long and distinguished history of creativity, forward thinking and social reform. Like any city, there are darker bits too. This blog is a photo essay reflecting on and celebrating these various themes - my own considered list of 100 things that set my city apart from any other.
#81
E CHAMBRE HARDMAN - 59 RODNEY STREET
E Chambre Hardman was a talented photographer who worked in Liverpool for many years. His Studio/Home was discovered to have been untouched since he died in 1988. The timecapsule was taken over by the National Trust and it is preserved as a unique example of a working fifties photographic studio.It is a fascinating treasure trove of huge interest to anybody with a passion for photography - or local history.
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THE ROYAL LIVER BUILDING
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#83
KITTY WILKINSON
This is Catharine (Kitty)
Wilkinson who died in 1860 at the age of 75. For those of you who
don’t know of her, she was of Irish origin but lived most of her life
in Liverpool. Her life is a perfect representation of all that makes
Liverpool people special. She was a pioneer of the concept of
wash-houses and improved sanitation as a means of combating cholera
and the many other infectious diseases that blighted the lives of the
poor. She was unstinting and selfless in her care of the sick and the
needy, often putting herself in harms way in order to make a
difference. It is impossible for us to imaginehow hard life was for the poor in Liverpool in 1832. Kitty Wilkinson was a beacon
of light that burned brightly in the lives of all who met her and she
earned her place among the great and the good in St James’s cemetery.
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She helped to establish the sense of community that still exists in
this city. Boris Johnson identified that spirit but made the mistake
of seeing it as something negative, mawkish, sentimental. How could
he, from Henley-on Thames, possibly hope to appreciate that sense of
solidarity that runs through Scousers like a steel cable? It is the
spirit that made Dockers stand united against Thatcher. It is the
spirit that brought the city together to tell the real truth about
Hillsborough. It is the spirit that helped my parents survive the May
Blitz and all that Hitler could throw at them .. and still have their
humour and love of life intact. It is the spirit of people like Gee
Walker who suffer the most appalling personal loss and yet emerge from
it with a quiet poise and dignity that speak more eloquently than ten
thousand words ever could. It is the same spirit that makes me very
proud to call myself a Scouser.
The PEOPLE are what make this city special and Kitty Wilkinson (as an adopted Scouser) personified all of the qualities that set us apart from those who are merely English.
The PEOPLE are what make this city special and Kitty Wilkinson (as an adopted Scouser) personified all of the qualities that set us apart from those who are merely English.
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#84
17 YORK STREET
17 York Street is an innocent looking apartment block in the Ropewalks area of Liverpool. Its' claim to fame is that in 1861, a gun made by the Liverpool firm Fawcett and Preston, fired the first shot of the American Civil War. Their address? 17 York Street, Liverpool.
17 YORK STREET
17 York Street is an innocent looking apartment block in the Ropewalks area of Liverpool. Its' claim to fame is that in 1861, a gun made by the Liverpool firm Fawcett and Preston, fired the first shot of the American Civil War. Their address? 17 York Street, Liverpool.
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#85
MATTHEW DOBSON
MATTHEW DOBSON
Harrington Street is a fairly innocuous looking thoroughfare running between Castle Street and North John Street. It is home to a variety of night clubs and bars - most notably, the venerable old Crocodile pub and the infamous Pen & Wig.
It is actually one of Liverpool's oldest streets and it was here in 1774 that a physician - Doctor Matthew Dobson - who worked at the Liverpool Infirmary, was the first to discover a link between sugar and diabetes. He confirmed that the sweet taste of the urine of diabetic patients was due to an excess of a kind of sugar. So he earned his place in posterity the hard way... and established a precedent. We've been taking the piss out of each other ever since.
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#86
MARTINS BANK
MARTINS BANK
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1960 and Martins Bank at 4 Water Street became the first UK bank to introduce computers. Martins Bank was later absorbed by Barclays. During WW2, this bank was used by the Bank of England to store most of the nations' gold reserves. Thinking it prudent to move the gold out of London and to a location where it could quickly be moved out of the country in the event of invasion, the gold was moved discretely to the vaults under Water Street. The story was later told in the film, The Bullion Boys. _____________________________ #87 WOOLWORTHS |
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Woolworths opened their first British store in Church Street in 1909. Traces can still be seen of their sign on the side of the building - 'Woolworths - 3d & 6d Stores'. This historic building is now a Clarks Shoe shop. Woolworths later moved into larger premises across the road in Church Street.
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STEERS OLD DOCK
1715 - Steer's Old Dock in Canning Place was the world’s first enclosed wet dock controlled by floodgates. It remains largely intact under the Liverpool One shopping complex - a unique piece of Maritime History preserved for future generations.
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#89
CAPTAIN NOEL GODFREY CHAVASSE VC MC (9 November 1884 – 4 August 1917)
Noel Chavasse was awarded both of his medals for gallantry while serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Attending to fallen soldiers in no-mans-land, under heavy fire - and within sight of enemy trenches, his VC citation stated 'His courage and self-sacrifice, were beyond praise.'
His second award was for similar acts of heroism at Passchendaele - courageous service that led to him being severly wounded. In spite of his wounds, he continued to search for casualties, rescuing many before finally succumbing to his own injuries.
It's hard to add anything to the above. The man was the very epitome of unselfish courage and concern for others that characterise this city's favourite sons and daughters.
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#90
SANTA DASH
Liverpool's annual Santa Dash takes place every December and raises lots of money for charity each year. It has also repeatedly smashed the world record for the number of Santas entering the race and seen off competition from the likes of New York and Las Vegas. Liverpool's Santa Dash is also unique as some of the runners opt to run in blue Santa suits to register their support for their local football team, Everton, who play in that colour.
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#91
THE GRAND NATIONAL
THE GRAND NATIONAL
The world’s greatest - and oldest - steeple chase was first run near the current home of the race at Aintree race course in 1839. It is still run every April and remains one of the worlds great sporting spectacles.
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#92
DIXIE DEAN
I'm a practising Red - but you have to respect and admire the achievements of Dixie Dean. William Ralph Dean was Birkenhead born and bred. He started his playing career with Tranmere but moved to Everton in 1925. His 60 goals during the 1927/28 season remains a scoring record that may never be equalled.
My Dad always told a tale of a friend - Harold - who my Dad used to drink with. On match days, Dixie would travel across from Birkenhead on the ferry and get the tram up to Harolds modest terraced house off Boaler Street. Here he would have his lunch. He would then walk down to Shiel Road and get the bus along to the ground. I can't see any of the current over-paid, over-rated prima donnas adopting such a modest pre-match routine any time soon, can you?
Dean's international career was equally impressive with 18 goals in 16 games. Dean was never booked or dismissed - an all time great.
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#93
BILL SHANKLY
Today – 2nd September 2013 – would have
been Bill Shankly’s 100th birthday. Bill Shankly became the manger
of Liverpool Football Club in December 1959. He transformed the club and during
his tenure, he dragged them up from the second division to European domination.
Bill’s blueprint was based on a simple socialist work ethic where the players
played as a unit and helped each other out. It was a solid foundation on which
the club went on to build unprecedented success.
It was all masterminded from Bill’s modest
semi-detached house in West Derby. The Shankly legend lives on and his
philosophy continues to inform the way the club is run and the expectations of
the fans, to this day.
The inscription on his statue reads ‘He made the
people happy’. That’s not a bad epitaph, is it?
And to anybody who thinks this is turning into a
Tom Murphy project – I can assure you it isn’t especially as I’m certainly not
a fan of his work. His bronzes have sprung up around the city – none of them
are worthy of the people they (allegedly) represent.
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#94
ST GEORGES CHURCH EVERTON
ST GEORGES CHURCH EVERTON
Built in 1814, St George's, in Everton, is the world's first all cast iron framed church. This beautiful building dominates the Everton Brow backdrop to the city centre.
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#95
GREEN LANE - TUEBROOK
GREEN LANE - TUEBROOK
I've walked past these annonymous gate posts and the walled-up entrance, many times. They are in Green Lane, Tuebrook. Only recently did I learn that they were the gateway to the first Municipal Jewish Cemetery in the country - opened 1927 - and sealed off after it reached capacity.
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#96
8 BROUGHAM TERRACE
8 BROUGHAM TERRACE
The first ever mosque in England was built in Liverpool. It was opened in a building at the rear of 8 Brougham Terrace by a solicitor and Muslim convert William Abdullah Quilliam on 25 December 1889. Quilliam was a convert to Islam after travelling in Morrocco in 1882.
The mosque he constructed was maintained until he left for Turkey in 1908. At its' height, it attracted 150 members to worship there.Quilliam and many of his fellow Muslims were persecuted but he persevered with the project undaunted. Quilliam went on to found a children's home - 'The Medina' - on nearby Sheil Road.
The Liverpool Muslim Society plans to refurbish the mosque - currently hidden behind the ubiquitous urban buddleia overgrowth on the left of the shot above.
The mosque he constructed was maintained until he left for Turkey in 1908. At its' height, it attracted 150 members to worship there.Quilliam and many of his fellow Muslims were persecuted but he persevered with the project undaunted. Quilliam went on to found a children's home - 'The Medina' - on nearby Sheil Road.
The Liverpool Muslim Society plans to refurbish the mosque - currently hidden behind the ubiquitous urban buddleia overgrowth on the left of the shot above.
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#97
LEEDS LIVERPOOL CANAL
LEEDS LIVERPOOL CANAL
In 1770 work began on the construction of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. At the time it was the longest and highest canal in Britain and was completed in 1816. It was another bold project to move raw materials - cotton arriving in the port - to the mills of Yorkshire and East Lancashire.
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#98
ISLINGTON SQUARE
ISLINGTON SQUARE
This innocent looking building in Islington Square has a tale to tell. On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpool businessman Thomas Agnew (1834–1924) visited the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was so impressed by the charity, that he returned to England determined to provide similar help for the children of Liverpool. In 1883 he set up the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC). It had it's headquarters at Islington Square. It went on to evolve into the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) - another unsung vision of social reform and care had its' origins in Liverpool.
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#99
BLACKBURNE HOUSE
BLACKBURNE HOUSE
In 1844 Blackburne House opened as the first girl's day grammar school in England - demonstrating a pioneering and bold approach to educating girls at a time when it was an unacceptably low priority in society.
The school eventually closed but the premises became home to various Women's groups and afforded pioneers like Claire Dove the opportunity to advance social reform and womens education in the 1980s. The centre remains open and active to this day - a centre of excellence for women's education and equality.
The school eventually closed but the premises became home to various Women's groups and afforded pioneers like Claire Dove the opportunity to advance social reform and womens education in the 1980s. The centre remains open and active to this day - a centre of excellence for women's education and equality.
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#100
108 VAUXHALL ROAD
108 VAUXHALL ROAD
108 Vauxhall Road no longer exists as an address. However, it was the location at which, in 1822, James Muspratt established his alkali works. From such humble beginnings, his company went on to evolve into the chemical multinational, ICI.
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Things 61 - 80
Things 41 - 60
Things 21 - 40
Things 1 - 20
PS - Please be patient - this project will unfold over the coming weeks and months- so bookmark the blog and come back often to follow progress
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