Tuesday 7 September 2021

Liverpool (2) The Waterfront, The Cavern Club and the St George's Quarter

A UNESCO Listing and How to Lose it, The Beatles, Several Statues and Some Forgotten Worthies

Liverpool Docklands

Liverpool

Liverpool docks are still worth seeing, despite losing their UNESCO World Heritage listing. Strand Street was a short walk from our hotel and we turned southeast along it and strolled in warm sunshine with the docklands to our right. The area has seen major redevelopments over the last two decades, but this was just outside the UNESCO defined zone.

Strand Street, Liverpool
One Park West (nearest camera) extends round the park and is not as oddly shaped as this angle suggests

Around the Albert Dock

Crossing Strand Street we entered the dock area, walking along the side of the 18th century Salthouse Dock and the Royal Albert Dock, its 19th century extension.

Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral across Salthouse Dock

Once the busiest and wealthiest port in the world, Liverpool docks gradually became too small as the size of ships increased until finally the unstoppable growth of containerisation brought them to a full stop in the 1970s. The vast army of dockers required to load and unload cargoes had long been dwindling and the new container port built downstream at Bootle provided far fewer jobs.

And the Catholic Cathedral

After a period of dereliction, the docklands were redeveloped in the 1980s as the city’s cultural hub and in 2004 the docklands and parts of the city centre became the ‘Maritime-Mercantile City' UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Royal Albert Dock from Salthouse Quay

Maritime and Slavery Museums

The red brick buildings on Hartley Quay, separating The Royal Albert and Canning Docks have been repurposed as a Maritime Museum and a Museum of Slavery.

We started with the Maritime Museum a large part of which was given over to a Titanic Exhibition. The Titanic may have been registered in Liverpool, the home of the White Star Line, but she was built and fitted out in Belfast and sailed from there to Southampton to begin her ill-fated maiden voyage. Lacking a substantive Liverpool link the exhibition, like local papers everywhere, attempted (sometimes desperately) to make the most of what connections there were. The leader of the band which played as the ship went down came from Liverpool (mildly interesting), the agency that recruited the band was Liverpool based (meh).

The rest of the museum failed to engage us much, disappointing given Liverpool’s long maritime history.

Figureheads, Liverpool Maritime Museum

The 'Triangular Trade' first made Liverpool wealthy. Manufactured goods were taken to west Africa where they were bartered for human beings who were transported to the Caribbean and the USA where they were enslaved and sugar and cotton were brought back to Liverpool. Although the slave trade became illegal in 1807, the sugar, cotton and other products of enslaved workers were imported from the Caribbean until 1834 and from the USA for 30 years after that.

This was explained with the appropriate hand-wringing, but the teacher in me wanted a clear narrative illuminated by appropriate exhibits and that seemed to be missing.

Liverpool Museum of Slavery

The Tate Liverpool

On the outer side of the Royal Albert Dock we had passed the Tate Liverpool, which had a Lucien Freud exhibition. Despite my half-hearted suggestion Lynne was only interested in the nearby museums, but we returned to use the Tate's café.

Girl with a Kitten was painted in 1947. The girl in question is Kathleen (Kitty) Garman, who married Freud the following year. He depicts Kitty almost strangling the kitten; however you unravel that, it is unsurprising that the marriage did not last.

Kathleen with a Kitten, Lynne with a Cappuccino, Tate Café, Liverpool

From Canning Dock to the Three Graces

Billy Fury

Looking into the bright sunlight I recognised the statue on the end of Canning Dock from the silhouette of the quiff. I must be old!

Billy Fury, Canning Dock, Liverpool

Billy Fury, one of the first to be touted as ‘Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley' (who knew Elvis was a question?) had a string of hits in the late fifties/early sixties. He had the moves, but was trying to grow out of that when four fellow Liverpudlians decisively changed the direction of popular music in 1963. His various comebacks were thwarted by heart disease, he had surgery twice in the 1970s and died of a heart attack in 1983 aged 43.

Merchant Navy Memorial

Passing under the Museum of Liverpool we encountered a memorial to those members of the Merchant Navy who died 1939-45 and have ‘no grave but the sea’.

Merchant Navy Memorial, Liverpool Waterfront

One such was my mother’s brother (my uncle, had he live long enough) an 18-year-old apprentice on the MV Silver Cedar, torpedoed off Greenland 15/10/1941. It was the return leg of his first convey.

The Three Graces

The Three Graces came into view as we emerged from under the Museum of Liverpool.

Liverpool's Three Graces

Nearest the camera is the Port of Liverpool Building. Designed by Sir Arnold Thornley in Edwardian Baroque style and completed in 1907 it was the home of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board from 1907 until 1994 when it was sold. The top floor now consists of luxury apartments with 2,000m² of office space below.

The Italian Renaissance/Greek Revival Cunard Building was popped into the space between the other two in 1917. It was the headquarters of the Cunard Line until they decamped to Southampton in 1960. It is now owned by Liverpool City Council.

Biggest and best is the Royal Liver Building. Designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas it was completed in 1911 for the Royal Liver Assurance group. The ‘liver’ in Liverpool is pronounced like the internal organ, but the ‘liver’ in the company name, and the birds on the towers is pronounced as in ‘not-dead-er’. (Almost everyone in Britain knows this, but 80% of this blog’s visitors are not British, so it is worth pointing out). In 2011 Royal Liver merged with the Royal London Group and the building was sold. It is now owned by Corestate Capital whose tenants, including ITV and Everton Football Club.

The Liver Birds on the towers were designed by Carl Bernard Bartels. One looks out to sea, the other looks over the city. They were based on the cormorants on the city crest (see top of post) but are now more closely associated with the city than the cormorants. Should they ever fly away Liverpool would cease to exist.

The Beatles Statue

Striding towards the peer head from the direction of the Liver Building is a group of four young men. Their movement looks natural and from a distance they could be real, though in fact they are considerably larger than life-size.

The statues, installed in 2015, are the work of Stoke sculptor Andy Edwards and show the Beatles as they were in 1964, just before they set off to conquer America. They are instantly recognisable as a group and as individuals, which is important in a work of this nature.

The Beatles, Liverpool Waterfront

John has two acorns clasped in his right hand; they are small, difficult to see and impossible to photograph. After the Amsterdam bed-in following their 1969 marriage, John and Yoko sent acorns to world leaders asking them to plant a tree for peace. Alternately they are cast from acorns picked outside the Dakota building in New York where John was murdered. It is not impossible they were just irregularities in the casting it was impossible to file off.

Paul carries a cine camera, a reference to his constant cine-recording of the band – and/or to his future marriage to photographer Linda Eastman.

Paul's cine camera, Beatles' Statue, Liverpool waterfront

Ringo’s boot allegedly bears the number 8, because that is his boot size. Interesting? Not much. We could not find it, but if, as another source says it is on the sole that is not surprising. And maybe it says L8, a reference to Liverpool 8, the district where he was born

The writing on George Harrison’s belt is in Sanskrit, a refence to his interest in Indian philosophy – or possibly Bengali to commemorate his 1971 concert for Bangladesh.

George's belt, Beatles' Statue, Liverpool Waterfront

Different sources tell different stories about each Beatle, as though the ambiguities were deliberately planted.

Problems with the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Liverpool lost its UNESCO listing in 2021 over problems in the dock area. Nothing in this post so far has suggested why – but here are some photographs I did not include.

The Three Graces from beneath the Museum of Liverpool with Peer Head Building left

Three Graces first came into full view was as we emerged from beneath the Museum of Liverpool. The museum is, I am told, very good, and there should be a Museum of Liverpool, but should it be in an angular concrete slab perched diagonally across the waterfront walkway between the 18th/19th century docks and the three great early 20th century buildings. It is the right museum in the wrong building in the wrong place.

On the left of the picture above is the Peer Head building. The Mersey Ferry needs a ticket office, but it does not have to be this big – the building also contains commercial premises – nor this ugly.

The Waterfront with the Peer Head providing a 'new façade' for the Cunard Building and the Museum of Liverpool to the right

Looking at the Three Graces across Canning Dock, the Museum intrudes on the left while the modern Latitude Building intrudes from the right.

Three Graces across Canning Dock

From the eastern corner of Canning Dock, the Latitude Building is hidden by the Longitude Building and beside it as a box known as Building Three.

How to lose a UNESCO World Heritage listing

Building Three jars with the other two though all were part of the same development. They might have been acceptable elsewhere but not here?

Liverpool Council knew the development was controversial and UNESCO have been in conversation with them for some time. The construction on Bramley Dock of a new 55,000-seater stadium for Everton (construction started August 2021) was the final straw.

Liverpool Council argued that Our World Heritage site has never been in better condition and if they are talking about the physical state of the buildings, they are right, but the site is more than the sum of its parts. Liverpool has chosen commercial development over heritage and I think that is a shame, particularly as other parts of the city would have benefitted from such development.

Matthew Street and The Cavern Club

From the Peer Head we walked in a straight line between the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings….

Down the side of the Cunard Building, Liverpool

….back across The Strand and Castle Street…

Castle Street, a wilted self-importance from every angle

To North John Street. In fifteen minutes, we were at the entrance of Matthew Street, home of the legendary Cavern Club. Unfortunately, the John Street end was closed by roadworks so we made our way to the other end – a long detour for a short distance.

Matthew Street is an alley a little over 100m long. It is narrow, dingy and even on a bright sunny day looks dark and, well, greasy – the slight shine of the paving stones makes them appear permanently slicked with urban drizzle.

There is still a Cavern Club and you can pay a fiver to have a look around if you like, but it is not where the Beatles performed almost 300 times. That was just across the alley but was filled-in in 1973 during construction work on the Merseyrail underground loop..

The Cavern Club, Matthew Street, Liverpool

Opposite, John Lennon leans against the wall of the Cavern Pub. Being instantly recognisable (like the Peer Head sculptures) is important in this kind of work, but this could be any young man of a certain period. Arthur Dooley (1929-94) was a well-respected Liverpool sculptor, but I would say this was not his best effort.

John Lennon leans against the Wall of Fame, Matthew Street

Lennon leans against the Wall of Fame, the names of 1801 bands and artists who performed at the cavern are inscribed in the brickwork. Apart from The Beatles, the list includes the other leading lights of Merseybeat like Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers and many big names not normally associated with Liverpool such as The Rolling Stones (performed Nov '63), Ben E. King (Nov '66) and Queen (Oct '70). Being the right age we recognised many names well-known at the time, several stirring up memories I had all but forgotten.

According to guide books, and Google maps, Matthew Street also has a statue of Cilla Black. We could not find her, so asked the doorman at The Cavern. Cilla’s outspread welcoming arms had proved too tempting to those wanting to swing on them, he told us, and she had been taken away for repair.

Stanley St runs across the bottom of Matthew Street and that is where Eleanor Rigby can be found. She sits on a bench in an attitude of weary resignation looking down at a sparrow pecking crumbs off a copy of the Liverpool Echo, though that part of the statue has apparently gone missing.

Eleanor Rigby, Stanley St, Liverpool

Unlike the previous statues in this post, being instantly recognisable is not an issue and the sculptor, Sir Thomas Hicks, was free to use his imagination. Sir Thomas Hicks, better known as Tommy Steele, was a lad from London’s East End who graduated from singing in coffee bars to his first No 1 single in 1957. He was soon dubbed as ‘Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley’ but like the equally durable Sir Cliff Richard and Billy Fury, who suffered under the same soubriquet (Elvis was apparently a multiple choice question!), he was nothing of the sort. His career of 65 years (and counting) diversified into musical theatre, song writing, sculpture and more.

While performing in Liverpool in 1981, he offered to create a sculptural tribute to the Beatles. Liverpool City Council accepted and Eleanor Rigby has sat there since 1982. I hope she gets her paper and sparrow back soon.

St George’s Quarter

We found somewhere nearby for a snack and a beer and then headed north east along Victoria Street to the St George’s Quarter.

All cities have to deal with the juxtaposition of modern and much older buildings. Sometimes it looks fine, sometimes it doesn’t. I can’t make my mind about the building – student accommodation, I think – on the corner of Victoria and Crosshall Streets, but it is hard to ignore.

The corner of Victoria St and Crosshill St, Liverpool

In the next block we walked between the Dixie Dean and Shankly Hotels. The Liverpool music scene may wax and wane, but football goes on for ever."

St George’s Hall

No less an authority than Nikolaus Pevsner called St George’s Hall one of the world’s finest neo-Grecian buildings. It contains a concert hall, Liverpool Register Office and the Coroner's Court. Opened in 1854 it was part of Liverpool's World Heritage Site.

St George's Hall, Liverpool

St John’s Gardens

My photograph is of the rear of the hall as we approached through St John’s Gardens – no, not a typo, St John’s gardens really are outside St George’s Hall.

Minor memorials clutter the park, but there are seven major statues dating from the first decade of the 20th century, when the garden was laid out. The Boer War themed memorial to the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment has a commanding central position.

King's Regiment Memorial, St John's Gardens, Liverpool

The other six are of individuals. Liverpool born William Gladstone, Prime Minster four times between 1868 and 1894 lurks behind the memorial above. The remaining worthies are generally long forgotten and I photographed William Rathbone rather at random.

William Rathbone,, St John's Gardens, Liverpool

He was, I have learnt, responsible for the first District Nurses, and founded the institutions which became the Universities of Liverpool and Bangor - a contribution worth remembering and celebrating (someone ought to tell the pigeon).

Wellington’s Column and the Steble Fountain

On the north side of St George’s Hall is the Walker Art Gallery.

The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Beside it is a patch of open concrete where the Duke of Wellington - cast from melted down cannons captured at Waterloo - has balanced on his pillar since 1865. The city decided to honour him after his death in 1852 and then spent 13 years raising the money and finding a suitable site. In front is the Steble Fountain, donated in 1879 by a former city mayor, just to fill this space.

Wellington's Column and the Steble Fountain, Liverpool

Whatever you might think about pillar and fountain, it is impossible not to admire the dolphins playing round the bases of the street lamps.

Dolphins on the street lights, Liverpool

Back to the Waterfront

We returned to the waterfront to ensure we had tickets for the Mersey ferry tomorrow morning, the walk providing an opportunity to photograph the Liver Birds silhouetted against the early evening sun….

Liver Birds silhouetted against the evening sunshine

… and all three Graces in evening sunshine.

The Three Graces, Liverpool

We had to dodge the skateboards and electric scooters to get the right distance and angle, but I don’t begrudge the youth of Liverpool their fun on this huge paved open space. We had a free and interrupted view of the buildings, which is now available only from here. Had we gone a little further back (and been capable of walking on the Mersey) we would have no view at all as someone had parked an enormous cruise ship in the way.

Cruise ship docked at Liverpool
MSC Virtuosa, 331m long, 16 decks and capable of carrying 5,000 passengers. Don't fancy it myself.

Dinner at Gino D’Acampo’s

Having booked Lynne’s birthday dinner at Gino D’Acampo’s yesterday, it seemed appropriate to turn up and eat it.

Gino D'Acampo. Restaurant, Liverpool

The restaurant is large and busy with an open kitchen and, I thought, tables too close together for the current conditions.

Aperol has existed since 1919, but we first noticed it two years ago in Portugal and now it is everywhere. Is it just a dumbed down Campari (sweeter, less bitter and lower in alcohol), and is its recent success due to marketing or is there more to it? Lynne nobly volunteered to test a pre-prandial Aperol spritz while I had a Negroni – a more grown-up cocktail (I have become more accepting of cocktails since out Cuban trip last year). Aperol, she said was all right - but she wouldn’t bother again.

They accompanied the bread board - focaccia studded with tomatoes and olives, ciabatta, pecorino flavoured grissini and pesto.

Aperol Spritz and bread board, Gino D'Acampo, Liverpool

Lynne had a swordfish steak with sautéed potatoes and salsa verde, I had slow roasted pork belly with radicchio, balsamic vinegar and hazelnuts. We drank a Sicilian catarratto, crisp and dry it was a fine accompaniment, but definitely a wine that needed food.

The restaurant was large and busy, the menu was enormous – a host of mains, not to mention pizzas, pastas and bruschettas - and the staff buzzed around efficiently. There was nothing wrong with the food, indeed it was good, but I felt like our dining was the final process in a vast factory. Perhaps it is me, perhaps I just prefer smaller, less industrial, restaurants.

The Travels of a Curious Old Man