National Museums Liverpool Blog - Dawn

Money can't buy love but who cares when you can go out any buy the latest line of Beatle merchandise. Beatlemania is back and this time it means business - big business!  Remastered versions of each of the albums have been released and are expected to dominate the charts for the next few weeks. And there’s two enviable box sets – one limited edition remastered in mono, the other in stereo.They were released on 09.09.09 - most auspicious because of John’s obsession with the number 9. 

Not that merchandising is a new thing of course. If you venture over to The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum you can see some of the weird and wonderful Beatle articles from our collection that were produced during the original wave of Beatlemania including Russian Dolls, talc and this rather nifty pair of sneakers.  

The latest must-have Beatles purchase is of course the Beatles Rock Band game. Now I’m no gamer – but I admit this amazing animation has got my purse strings twitching. Who could fail to enjoy this – it's compelling viewing, it even has penguins! The animation is part of the re-launched Beatles.com which has been absolutely crammed full of video, tunes, photos and memorabilia just incase you’re not Beatled up enough.

Anyhow, in the words of the Blue Peter, ‘here’s one we made earlier’. Beatles-themed games they most certainly are, Beatles Rock Band they are not. But they are still a lot of fun, they don’t cost anything and you don’t need any additional kit to play. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm in favour of playing a real guitar. After all, that’s how the boys started out and a very profitable investment it turned out to be for them.

Saturday’s Carnegie Challenge Cup is certainly going to be different. For the first time since the 1986 final between Castleford and Hull, none of the ‘big four’ - Leeds, Bradford, Wigan and  St Helens - will be going Wembley. That privilege will be enjoyed instead by Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves along with coach loads of their thirsty fans. 

Ellery Hanley - a rugby league legend. Photograph by John Ferguson ©

I, for one, am relieved. Not only is it great for the game to share the silverware but we also have a family wedding on Saturday and a congregation made up of Wigan and Saints fans who would no doubt spend the day with their eyes on the score instead of the bride (and I include the groom in that). So hats off to Huddersfield, and the best of luck to Warrington who will be flying the rugby league flag for the region – it’s going to be a rip-roarer!

Anyone involved in the game of rugby league knows what an exciting and entertaining spectacle it can be and is always on the look out for ways to spread the magic. That’s why I am thrilled to see the formidable Ellery Hanley represented in John Ferguson’s photography exhibition ‘Black Britannia’ at the International Slavery Museum. The exhibition features portraits of Black Britons who have contributed to British culture and whose achievements can provide a positive role mode for many Black British youngsters today - and what an inspiration Ellery has been in his field.

Ellery played phenomenal top flight rugby at Bradford, Leeds and most notably for Wigan during the peak of their success, as well as for Balmain and Western Suburbs in Australia. Over the course of his career he was capped 34 times for Great Britain and became Britain’s first Black coach in 1994. In 1999 he also coached the Saints to Super League victory.  His accolades include the Rugby League World Golden Boot Award, Man of Steel, the Lance Todd Trophy, an MBE for services to rugby league and induction into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

When it comes to rugby league Ellery Hanley certainly set the standard. If Warrington and Huddersfield need any inspiration for the weekend’s big clash, then this picture will surely provide it. 

I wanted to write something in tribute to Les Paul who died yesterday at the age of 94. Les Paul was a jazz musician who persuaded guitar maker Gibson to create a solid-bodied electric guitar. He’d already cobbled together such a guitar from a railway sleeper and a couple of pick-ups, but when Gibson refined ‘The Log’, the Gibson Les Paul was born. The Gibson Les Paul is an iconic guitar played by some of the most innovative rock guitarists the world has ever seen. Pete Townsend, Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Slash to name but a few. I visited The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum to see if any trace of Les Paul’s influence could be found, and although there aren’t any Les Pauls in the exhibition I did find this rather familiar walk-through! (I should mention there are several other splendid guitars such as Will Sergeant's customised Telecaster and one owned by Billy Fury). Perhaps I should have also looked in the recording section because Les Paul also developed revolutionary multi-tracking techniques, but that is another story.

I then popped into St George’s Hall to see ‘For George – A Tribute to George Harrison’. (That's a lot of Georges). If you are a Beatle fan or enjoyed The Beat Goes On then make the effort to see this small but heart-warming exhibition dedicated to George. The display was created by fans for fans and features some lovely pictures, a few taken by Patti Boyd. It is like a little snapshot of all things George – his music projects, his film interests, his racing, Friar Park, The Beatles of course. There’s incense burning and a devotional feel, reflecting George’s dedication to his spiritual development, as well as his fans devotion to him.  It is only a small room but there is a lot to see if you take the time to have a proper look.

In particular I really enjoyed seeing some of the instruments that shaped George’s music, including a rare Gibson longneck banjolele (a cross between ukulele and a banjo) and a sitar. There wasn’t a Les Paul in sight – but it matters not, because here is where we find our Les Paul connection. George is associated with all manner of guitars, such Epiphone, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and Fender , yet that mellow, rich and warm Les Paul sound will always define one song in particular - ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. The guitar solo was played on a cherry red 1957 Les Paul Standard – a gift from Eric Clapton – which he christened Lucy. (Infact it was Eric that played on the track)

Just put on the record. It’s as fitting tribute as any to Mr Les Paul – and it will explain better than my words just what all the fuss is about.

Jazz at the Walker - free on Sunday afternoons

I think we are all used to the concept of free museums and galleries and there’s nothing that my family likes better than a bit of free art and culture. The words ‘free entry’ are music to my husband’s ears. He doesn’t like to pay for anything that he doesn’t have to and is, by his own admission, ‘tighter than Rambo’s headband’ which I think is fair enough in these frugal times. I have just been looking at the possibility of a summer visit to Cadbury’s World which will cost just short of £40 for the two adults and one paying child, so we may well be hunting down free museums and galleries instead. Not that we won't fork out for special occasions - but there's a long summer holiday ahead that's a lot of days to keep little people entertained!

The one thing that we don’t begrudge paying for is live music. Whether it’s a local band or blockbuster tour, there’s generally a cost associated and I am more than happy to put my hand in my pocket - particularly for struggling musicians and bands starting out. Anyway this weekend we are lucky to have not just one, but two bands playing for free on William Brown Street. At World Museum on Saturday 18th July (1.30pm and 3pm) there will be live music in the atrium from The Nile Band as part of the Arabic Weekender. Then on Sunday up the road in the art gallery there will be another of our Jazz at the Walker sessions. This week it is the turn of the Tony Judge Quartet from 12.30-3pm. (And by the way, if you’re a jazz lover then don’t miss a special guest session on Sunday 2 August featuring The Downtown Dixieland Jazz Band).

So it looks like it will be a weekend of entertainment on the cheap for me – topped off on Saturday by a trip to see some of my colleagues (including at least two blog writers who shall remain nameless) dangling from the Liver Building for the ‘Liverpool Rocks’ abseiling event. If you want to know which ones they are, turn up at 3pm and just think Rambo’s headband – therein lies a visual clue.

As a child I spent a time living in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We moved out in the mid 1980s when Britain was still dealing with the fallout of a recession. There couldn’t have been a greater contrast between a northern pit town reeling from miners' strike and the opulence of this beautiful city. Fountains, chandeliers, marbled floors, lavish buildings and startling architecture set against the evocative backdrop of red sand dunes and desert plains. I’d never seen anything like it. It’s such a fascinating city full of wonderful contrasts - Bedouins with camels, princes and palaces, souks and luxurious shopping malls, unimaginable wealth and the observance of sober traditions.

Perhaps it is because of this that I have always found Arabic artwork to be uplifting and inspirational, the patterns and intricacies, the traditional craftsmanship and the mathematical precision. Whenever I visit V&A Museum I always love to visit the Islamic Middle East gallery and soak up the atmosphere – there’s something incredibly calming and yet awe-inspiring about the immense rich tapestries and the subtle colours. I’m really thrilled that the inaugural Jameel Prize  - a new prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by the Islamic traditions of craft and design - is bringing such beautiful work into the spotlight.  The winning piece 1001 Pages (2008) by Iranian born Afruz Amighi is absolutely stunning.    

Halima Cassell's work is on display at the Walker

If you haven’t experienced any Arabic artwork then I urge you to come along to the Arabic Weekender which is being hosted by the Bluecoat and other venues across the city. At World Museum there are displays, talks, music and craft activities while at the Walker we have ‘The Art of Halima Cassell’. Halima was born in Pakistan in 1975, brought up in Manchester and is now living in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her ceramic work has been inspired by traditional forms of Islamic art and architecture but ‘juxtaposes established styles with a more modernist approach’. I have strong memories of Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport and for some reason these beautiful creations remind me of the architecture. When you take the intricate and complex forms of traditional Islamic art and turn them into three dimensional structures something really special happens. Halima Cassell will be talking about her work at the Walker on Friday 17 July (tomorrow) at 1pm.

If you’re heading into town for Beatles Day on 10th July stop off at The Beat Goes On to see its fantastic array of Beatles memorabilia - but don’t neglect the Walker Art Gallery. The Walker may not stand out as major landmark on the Beatles trail but it is actually a rather interesting (and not insignificant) footnote in the Beatles' story.

When Paul McCartney’s exhibition of paintings at the Walker was planned, he recalled how he and John would spend 'many a pleasant afternoon’ in the gallery. It’s difficult to get your head round - the young two mates swaggering through the galleries, fooling about, mulling over the paintings. Boy, would I have loved to have been a fly on the wall, listening to what they said about the pictures - I have a suspicion they may have had a few things to say about the nudes, for one!

John Lennon on a visit to the Walker Art Gallery .. come on, work with me here!

In fairness to John it makes perfect sense that they spent time in the Walker. Art was a recurring theme that ran throughout his life and here was this highly-acclaimed gallery right on the doorstep. John was at art school after all and he had a talent for sketching that he later shared in his books, 'In His Own Write' and 'A Spaniard In the Works'.

Another major artistic link in the chain was of course Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart was John’s best friend and they were at college together. Such was Stu’s talent that he exhibited a painting at the Walker in 1959 and artworks by Stu remain in the gallery's collection. The way history tells it, Stu used the money from the sale of his painting to buy a guitar. When he set off to Hamburg with the band he met photographer Astrid Kirchherr and her boyfriend Klauss Voorman. The couple had a big influence on the style of the boys giving them their trademark ‘mop tops’ (and coincidentally Klauss went on to design the Revolver album cover). Stu and Astrid became an item and the young artist swiftly returned to his true calling of painting. Sadly he died prematurely of a brain haemorrhage before he could fulfil his potenital. He is buried locally in Huyton.

Despite Stu’s passing, art continued to play a decisive role in John Lennon’s life. It was in an art gallery (the Indica) that John met Yoko Ono, herself a credible and well-established avant-garde artist. It’s clear that Yoko stimulated John creatively and intellectually. John had loved and admired Stu but he may well have felt inadequate in his shadow. Yoko on other hand  gave him the confidence to take himself seriously in artistic terms and validated his ideas outside the field of music. I sometimes wonder if it the loss of Stu that later propelled John into such an all-consuming and intense relationship with an artist. All I can say for sure is that art had a pivotal role to play in the lives of John, Stu and even Paul – and I’d like to think that the Walker played some small part in that.

Note: You can see the pictured Beatle suit as well as other garments and memorabilia in The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum until 1 November 2009.The photograph shows the suit in the Walker's Craft & Design gallery in a previous display.  

In the centre of Francesco Mellina’s Sound & Vision exhibition there’s a screen slideshow which is well worth dwelling over. There are some really impressive names in terms of rock pedigree – people like Joey Ramone, Johnny Thunders and Joe Strummer.  However, the person who took my eye was a youthful, mop-haired Wayne Hussey propping up the bar in The Pyramid Club alongside Pete Burns. I completely forgot that before creating goth band The Mission and spawning a legion of devoted fans Wayne had been a member of both Sisters of Mercy and Dead or Alive. I really like the picture because he looks like an average guy – not the untouchable, lamenting, god-like stage persona that my friends and I worshipped. (Or maybe it's just because he is standing next to the ever-flamboyant Mr Burns!)

I’m still a little bit fond of Wayne as he touched our lives albeit briefly. Tasked with devising a social studies project at school, we set out to find how music impacts on youth culture. While I interviewed local Smiths' fan ‘Sad Eric’ and a Lemmy-alike Motorhead fanatic, my buddy set her sights a little higher and wrote to Wayne to find out how music had helped to shape his identity. Imagine our joy (and I mean the sort of ecstasy that only an unhealthily preoccupied teenager can experience) when a pale purple envelope dropped through the door containing an eloquent, beautifully handwritten letter on Mission branded paper! Pure bliss.

The Sound & Vision exhibition has sparked a lot of gigging memories for me. So much is captured on digital cameras and phones and uploaded to Facebook nowadays, whereas I have rely on my rather grainy recollections. I have this mad idea that I saw The La’s supporting The Mission at the Royal Court and there was a power failure. Someone jumped on stage and did an acoustic spot until the lights came back up and I heard it was Pete Wylie – another Liverpool star that features in the exhibition. It all sounds so unlikely now ... whether or not it was really the case, I can't say. Does anyone else remember?

Anyway, thanks to Francesco I’ve dusted off my God's Own Medicine album and given it a twirl and it still sounds amazing. I’m just glad someone had a camera handy as well as the talent and inclination to capture some of this bygone era.

I'm never quite sure how to mark St George’s Day. I’m a vegetarian and perhaps predisposed to feel some sympathy for the dragon – a creature which is celebrated rather than vilified in Chinese mythology. I suppose slaying a dragon is really quite an achievement and this painting by James Campbell certainly depicts just how small and feeble a man might look in the mouth of the dragon’s lair. The kids are also big fans of ‘Jane and the Dragon’ in which the feisty and flame-haired squire (or knight apprentice) Jane befriends rather than beheads the dragon. So on behalf of dragon lovers everywhere, I thought I might give some other Liverpool Georges a look in. Here’s my Top 5 of Liverpool Georges:

1. George Harrison - recently given his own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Go and see his suit and other Beatles memorabilia in The Beat Goes On exhibition.  

2. St George’s Hall – the spectacular neighbour of the Walker Art Gallery and World Museum is now open to visitors and has its own heritage centre.

3. George Melly - This colourful character is the focus of an equally colourful exhibition of Maggi Hambling’s paintings at the Walker. George was also a regular childhood visitor to Sudley House.

4. George Stubbs – Liverpool’s most famous painter and Britain’s greatest painter of animals.

5. George Holt - Founder of the Lamport and Holt shipping line and fabulous art collector. You can his paintings in situ at his former family home, Sudley House.

 

King Henry in formidable form

I recently watched the film adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s 'The Other Boleyn Girl’ – I can’t say I enjoyed the mixing of fact with fiction, but it made me think about how much speculation, debate and gossip Henry VIII has drummed up in the 500 years since he became King. I am sure he would absolutely thrilled that his reputation is still thriving in the 21st century due to his larger-than-life character, ill-fated marriages and the major decisions he made that have shaped the history of the country (not to mention a million documentaries and dramatisations). Any publicity is good publicity, right?

 

Henry was declared king in April 1509 and just about everywhere up and down the country with a Henry connection is marking the occasion. I am desperate to get to Hampton Court for the Henry VIII: Heads and Hearts exhibition, as well as the Dressed to Kill at The Tower of London and Man & Monarch at the British Library. Infuriatingly I’m missing out on the Great Recreation of Tudor Life at Kentwell Hall this summer which will be focused on the Henrican year of 1535. (Look out for Kentwell on Channel 5's ‘I own Britain’s Best Home’).

In the meantime I am relishing the prospect of David Starkey’s new documentary, Henry VIII - Mind of a Tyrant which starts on Channel 4 this Monday 6^th April. The episodes are billed with the tantalising subtitles of Prince, Warrior, Lover and Tyrant. The Walker’s own spectacular Henry VIII portrait is to be featured on 20^th April with David doing a piece to camera from the gallery. You can brush up (pardon the pun) on our iconic painting on the website – there’s an in-depth write-up and podcast, as well as some fun online stuff for kids to do.

If you’re looking for family friendly activities with a hint of Henry then don’t miss the Walker’s ‘Terrible Tudors’ day on 18 April when there’ll be mask making, music and drawing activities. Sounds fun – though I say less of the Terrible - the Tudor dynasty will always be undeniably terrific in my eyes!

Fila Collection. Copyright V&A images, Victoria & Albert Museum

Back in 1984 all the coolest boys at my school would spend their time practising the windmill and body popping to Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. They idolised Turbo and Ozone from Breakdance (remember the Tour de France scene with the broom?), Beat Street and local crew Broken Glass. They wore Nike Windrunner jackets, Fila BJ tracksuits, Lacoste and Fred Perry t-shirts. There were more trainers than I can remember – from Puma California to Adidas Samba, Bamba, Mamba, Trimm Trab, Forest Hills, Palermo, Corsica and Tenerife. The highlight of any school disco would be a highly anticipated uprock between two of the best poppers. To this day I still get a little flutter when I see a Fila sign. 

When Fashion V Sport opened at the Walker, the memories came flooding back, and it got me thinking about all those brands and clothes - how they still resonate with my particular generation, and what sort of clobber kids get excited about nowadays. So we’ve set up a Flickr group – Metro V Retro – where you can upload, post and reminisce about your sports casual gems or tell us about a future classic. If you’ve got something great in your wardrobe, we’d love you to share it – whether it is a cutting edge release, or a retro design.

As fortune would have it, Fashion V Sport also coincides with the Adidas ‘60 years of soles and stripes’ campaign for which they produced this fantastic TV commercial. It’s a powerful combination of an amazing soundtrack (Pilooski mix of Beggin’ by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), a plethora of celebs including Method Man, Katy Perry, Estelle, The Ting Tings, DMC (of Run DMC), Missy Elliot and David Beckham, and of course some very cool trainers.

At the same time, an edgy new movie called ‘Awaydays’ is drawing on the earlier influence of the 80s casuals scene (which is widely thought to have originated in Liverpool) set against a backdrop of football rivalry and violence. I recently saw an interview with the wardrobe advisor for the film who talked about how difficult it was to source all of the gear. So if you’ve got something special, keep hold of it. It could well be in demand in years to come.

We billed The Beat Goes on exhibition ‘from The Beatles to the Zutons’, but has anyone heard of 'from The Hollies to the Happy Mondays'? That’s what you’ll find if you take a trip to the other end of the East Lancs Road, to Salford Museum & Art Gallery. They’re currently showing Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs – a small but perfectly formed exhibition about the music scene in Salford.

I spent a happy hour there a few weeks ago and thought there were a few gems to be seen. Top of the list for me were notes by Morrissey and Johnny Marr – with Salford Lads Club getting its rightful mention. There’s also handwritten lyrics to Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Teach Your Children, signed by one of my all time idols,  Graham Nash. There are some childhood pictures of Graham at his home in Salford, before his success with The Hollies and later with CS&N stole him from these shores.

The Beat Goes On exhibition

Other items featured in the exhibition relate to Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Anthony Wilson including The Hacienda , The Ting Tings, and even The Salford Jets - former band of Rock Radio 106.1 DJ Mike Sweeney (yes, he's still going on radio, and very good he is too). 

On the other hand, if you are reading this from the outskirts of Manchester, hop on the train to World Museum Liverpool where you’ll find The Beat Goes On exhibition covering Liverpool’s finest music. Morrissey fans will be thrilled by the Billy Fury display. Old Hacienda heads will feel at home in the Cream and Quad sections, while first generation punks and indie kids will be bowled over by memories of  Eric's, The Las and other such legends. Oh, and then there’s that other band from Liverpool. You may well need more than one trip to take it all in.

You may have seen on the news that the Prime Minister, the Rt Honourable Gordon Brown MP was in town yesterday for the first ever Cabinet meeting in Liverpool, which took place at the BT Convention Centre. The Prime Minister had a busy day but found time to come and look around the site of the new Museum of Liverpool which is currently under construction on the waterfront.  

Accompanied by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham MP, the Prime Minister took time out to talk to museum curators about the sort of objects going in the museum, as well as meeting some members of the construction team who are creating the iconic building. I’m told he really enjoyed his visit and was very interested to see our future plans.

What you may not have seen on the news is that Mr Brown also spent some time with young people who have been involved with the museum. On first arriving at the docks by boat (which coincidentally had the youthful name ‘Groove Armada’), he was greeted by young people who have worked on the 'Portrait of a Nation' project and Museum of Liverpool's youth champions. At Museum of Liverpool he met two Creative Apprentices who are currently working on the project – they will be telling you more about their involvement at a later date. 

All smiles: Children from Pleasant Street Primary meet the Prime Minister and museums' chairman Phil Redmond. Image copyright Mark McNulty.

Outside the Merseyside Maritime Museum the ministerial party paused to admire the ‘The Orrery’ – a colourful community sculpture commissioned by Liverpool Culture Company. He also took time out to speak to pupils from Pleasant Street Primary School about their involvement in Liverpool 08, before moving on to his next engagements. A journalist recently commented that the Prime Minister is looking very well and incredibly youthful these days - perhaps it’s down to the company he is keeping. 

There was an interesting profile piece in the Sunday Mail this week about England manager Fabio Capello. Reading between the lines, you get the distinct impression that football and cultural pursuits are deemed mutually exclusive - that it is somehow surprising that a man into his football should also enjoy a bit of modern art. But then Fabio Capello is Italian, and an appreciation of the arts is central to his national identity, we surmise. 

A work of art? The 1966 World Cup Final ball © National Football Museum.

This really got me thinking. It’s difficult to accept that football and art don’t mix when you are in a city where football is art.  In Liverpool we have put football at the centre of Capital of Culture year through UEFA’s Only A Game? exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. Football is one of the city’s key assets - part of the currency, the vocabulary, the mythology, the identity - full stop. To omit it would be a nonsense. Football can create as much passion and drama, and elicit the same heightened emotions as a great piece of theatre, an imposing painting or a rousing music recital.  It brings an aesthetic quality to the sports field that requires elegance, balance and poise – infact, as a rugby league fan, I have often joked that football has more in common with ballet than rugby. Isn’t that why it’s called ‘the beautiful game’? (The introduction video for Only A Game? is worth a look - it's fun and light-hearted look at football in a European cultural context).

Capello is reported to be a big fan of Scottish painter Peter Doig, who won the Walker Art Gallery’s John Moores Painting Prize in 1993 with Blotter. Blotter is currently featured in a major solo show in Frankfurt,  but you can still see Pelican (Stag) which was loaned by the artist in exchange. The current John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize ends this Sunday 4 January, so if you share Fabio’s passion for modern art, seize the moment. If on the other hand you prefer his penchant for football, then you've got until 1 March to see Only A Game? at World Museum Liverpool.

The relationship between sport and culture will be further scrutinised in a new exhibition, Fashion Vs Sport that opens 13 February at the Walker Art Gallery. It ends its run at the V&A this Sunday.

Sunday is a special day. Yes, I know it is the last day of November, and that many of us will be counting down to Christmas from Monday – but it is also the very last day of voting for the very last The Beat Goes On Top Ten.   

The digital jukebox is now full – packed to its limit with fantastic, home-grown tunes for your listening pleasure – and so we won’t be having any more Top Tens for the moment. But at least you can escape the Slade, Roy Wood and the like – not to mention the controversial X-Factor cover of Hallelujah that’s about to be inflicted on us - and come down to the museum for some proper music. Infact, I suggest you suspend all X-Factor related activities and vote for The Beat Goes On instead!

There’s just one more tune to be added. Who will it be? You decide:

Aeris Presley 

Emma Jane’s Monkey Mind 

Puzzle 

Little Miss Strange

Rude Ruby

15 Storeys

The Sums

BeakerFolk of The Bronze Age

Polaris

Great North Western Hoboes 

It’s World Toilet Day.  There’s no polite way of introducing it – you’ve just got to say it. You have to wonder who thinks these things up, but then there is a serious and worthy message about the state of the world’s sanitation to be gleaned.

Actually, museums and art galleries have formed a healthy relationship with the toilet that goes back beyond Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ or urinal.  What self-respecting museum would be caught out without the humble (or in some cases the ridiculously ornate) chamber pot? You can see one that was designed for Napoleon, no less, in the Walker’s Craft & Design Gallery.

A quick internet search will reveal more toilet-related museums and collections than you imagine, including the Flushed With Pride gallery at Gladstone Pottery Museum  I love this female chamber pot or ‘Bourdalon’ at the Science Museum. Replica ‘pee’-pots (I’ve sanitised the phrase for blogging purposes) are still very much in demand in the historical re-enactment community. They are incredibly handy for using under inaccessible kirtles and petticoats (as well as in tents).  

In addition to the bog standard collection of chamber pots, National Museums Liverpool has got some top notch toilet exhibits. At the Seized! gallery at Maritime Museum you can see a ‘Special Isolation Unit’ or frost chamber which was used to locate internally smuggled drugs once they passed through the body. According to our web page, ‘Before its invention customs officers used rubber gloves and a colander, so this was seen as a much-needed replacement!’  Yak.

This tuneful toilet was used during an RLPO concert as an April Fool

If lavatories are your idea of a laugh then look no further than The Walker’s truly spectacular Loophonium, which was designed and played by Fritz Spiegl, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s former principal flautist. I’ve heard of toilet humour, but that is just ridiculous. 

Believe it or not we actually have a Loophonium e-card. I can’t think of many occasions when it would be appropriate to send it (although I can think of a few people who would fit the bill) so we may as well make the most of World Toilet Day.

But if you really want to celebrate World Toilet Day in style then how about downloading our podcast, and listening to it ...  on the loo?

I can hardly contain myself. I am in a state, somewhere between excitement, panic and terror. You see, AC/DC concert tickets go on sale tomorrow and I will be frantic until I have acquired my little piece of heaven. (Why on earth am I telling anyone this? I should be keeping it secret ... more tickets for me). I’ve been waiting 8 years for them to tour again and it is 20 years since I first saw them – I’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt (infact I’ve still got the 1988 t-shirt but it’s got moth holes in it). I even called my little boy Bon after the legend that is Bon Scott. So you could say I consider myself something of a fan.

But even I was surprised to see an image of AC/DC bass player Cliff Williams in The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. What could these hard rocking Aussie / Scots (with a Geordie twist) have to do with Liverpool?

Well, the story goes that Cliff (who was born in Romford) moved to Liverpool at the age of 9. His first band were based here and ironically named ‘Home’. (Even more bizarrely, his next group Bandit featured eighties crooner Jim Diamond and Bucks Fizz drummer Graham Broad – but that’s another story). I’m really intrigued as to which school Cliff went to and which area of Liverpool he lived in, so if anyone remembers him or better still has photos, I’d be very interested. Maybe he has even been to the museum … perhaps the new single Rock N Roll Train is about Lime Street  … my mind is positively buzzing with the possibilities!  

Anyway, if like me you cannot wait for Monday’s release of ‘Black Ice’ you can listen to it for free at AC/DC’s official site. But there’ll be none of that new-fangled downloading as AC/DC only release ‘real’ albums. Perhaps next time they tour Cliff could schedule a gig on his ‘home’ turf. (Of course, there may not be a next time. Angus is 53, despite the school uniform).

Cliff Williams – we salute you!

PS - We have recently added a fanatstic musical resource to our website. You can find out more suprising information about Liverpool's rich musical heritage at The Beat Goes Online.  

It’s that time of the month again – you need to get your vote in on The Beat Goes On MySpace page before this month’s poll closes. It’s been great for me listening to so many bands during TBGO MySpace project – some that have featured and many that haven’t. It’s really reminded me about the power of music – how sometimes a tune can just pick you up and carry you away.

Music as a lifeline and an inspiration is one of the main themes of Eric’s The Musical, currently showing at The Everyman and the subject of many rave reviews. Members of the cast  bobbed into the exhibition earlier in the month with former Eric's director Ken Testi. I never went to Eric’s myself. We hear a lot in Liverpool about the legacy of Eric’s – the seeds of talent that it spawned in the form of Echo & The Bunnymen, Holly Johnson, Julian Cope, Pete Wylie, Jayne Casey and others. The repercussions of that little club have reverberated through the decades and created a specific strand of Liverpool’s cultural history.

However, what has always interested me about Eric’s is not what came out of it, but what went in to it. As a venue it played host to many legendary and seminal bands like Joy Division, The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols and The Damned. I am just reading Vivienne Westwood’s biography and loved this fascinating pic in The Guardian. It features Siouxie Sioux and original punk Jordan (not that one) at Eric’s. Jordan was a key figure in McLaren and Westwood’s circle and of course in The Sex Pistols story. 

Of all of the bands mentioned I think The Damned are given less mainstream recognition than they deserve. They are credited with releasing the ‘first ever’ punk single ‘New Rose’ in October 1976 – just days after Eric’s opened its doors and a month before The Sex Pistols got their act together (well, sort of).

New Rose was an Eric’s favourite and it’s a song which still causes a riot. I recently went to see former Guns and Roses’ Duff McKagan with his band ‘Loaded’  at the Carling Academy and they did a raucous cover with the crowd going absolutely ballistic. Duff who is originally from Seattle is a massive punk fan, which I think is what gave Guns and Roses that gritty edge compared with other LA bands. The song also featured on their ‘Spaghetti Incident’ album.

So the moral of the tale, boys and girls, is that a great tune can go a long way. The rebel factor in punk may be diluted now that nothing’s shocking and The Sex Pistols go on reunion tours, but the have-a-go mentality where anyone can pick up a guitar and be their own band is more evident than ever. That’s why it's a good idea to get out and see some music. Which of today’s bands will be the stuff of tomorrow’s legend?

Vote for you favourite The Beat Goes On MySpace track now.  Revenge Tragedies, Metropolitans, Red Threads, The Vanities, Kings Parade, 28 Costumes, David Tyrrell, Callum McMorran, Buzz Radio, Soft Toy

I came across this fascinating article on Victorian art dealer Ernst Gambart in the Guardian the other day. Apparently he bought ‘the most expensive painting by a living artist in history’ – 'The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple' by William Holman Hunt. It cost him £5,500 in 1866 which according to the article equates to over £2 million in today’s market.

Lucky for Ernst, his prize purchase was still on-route to him when his house exploded during a fabulous party for which he had hired theatrical gas lights. (Shame the same can’t be said for the poor guest who was killed in the catastrophe). 

‘The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple’ now hangs in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, but it will soon be on show in Manchester as part of ‘Holman Hunt & the Pre-Raphaelite Vision’ exhibition. 

The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, William Holman Hunt

You can see a smaller version of the painting at Sudley House – the former home of another collector, George Holt. He paid 1200 guineas  (£1260) for the study in 1888. It’s an exquisite painting with incredible detail which you can examine using our zoom facility online. There is also an extended piece on the painting as part of our picture of the month series. 

If you are interested in collectors then Sudley House really is a gem and houses some real treasures. And it is the only place you can see the art collection of a Victorian merchant in its original setting. You can also find more paintings by Homan Hunt in the Walker Art Gallery and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

I had an email from fellow Wiganer and author of ‘Pies and Prejudice’ Stuart Maconie today. (You won’t hear me utter the ‘W’ word very often being a Saints fan, and incase you were wondering Saints and Wigan drew last week. But I digress).

Actually, it was really from England’s Northwest announcing a new set of short stories penned by the Radio 2 presenter. Each tale highlights some of the fantastic things you can do in the North West. Now I am a bit of a fan of Mr Maconie on account of his excellent musical knowledge and the fact that he always turns up at local events and supports grass roots events. I like that. So I have signed up online for a free copy (yes – FREE copy) of his short stories which will go to print early next year.

One of the stories is entitled ‘Liverpool Museums’ and we don’t feature as much as you'd expect – but he does give the Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Walker Art Gallery a mention, so I’ll let him off. Infact, what he actually says is, “Liverpool has galleries the way some cities have roadworks and the Walker is the Bill Shankly and daddy of them all”. High praise (but I hope it doesn’t put the Evertonians off).

Bill Shankly - the daddy

Slightly less satisfying is the fact that The Beat Goes On exhibition is overlooked in the 'Liverpool Music' story. He does talk about Eric’s and The Beatles  though – and given Liverpool’s musical pedigree I expect it is quite difficult to squeeze it all in.

Stuart, if you are out there then come and see the exhibition because you would absolutely love it, from Billy Fury’s guitar to The Zutons’ video props, but especially all the Eric’s stuff. I’ll stand you a pie and a pint if you make it.

While I’m here I’d also like to extend that offer to Mr Charley Boorman who metaphorically sprinted through Liverpool on his latest adventure, 'By Any Means'. I have been following Charley for many a year, in the motorbike series 'Long Way Round' and 'Long Way Down' with Ewan McGregor, as well as the brilliant 'Race to Dakar'. So I was absolutely gutted when he jumped off the ferry in Liverpool, hailed a black cab and legged it onto the train at Lime Street without seeing anything at all. To add insult to injury he went on to sleep overnight at the Transport Museum in Coventry where one of his Long Way bikes resides. And he didn't even say hello!

Note to Charley - all is forgiven - but you definately should’ve used the Wacker Quacker if you were looking for different types of transport.

Too many questions, not enough answers. Like who will win the Big Brother final? Will St Helens or Wigan win the big clash at Knowsley Road tonight? And who will replace Kevin Keegan? All of these questions will resolve themselves in time.

But imagine if you were faced with a mind-boggling task – like the creation of a museum from scratch. It could have anything in it and be made to your exact specifications  - built of marshmallows and smarties, contain only items beginning with D, and be staffed by trapeze artists. What would yours be like?

The Great Debate 2008 is asking exactly that question. There’s no right or wrong – it’s just a chance to get involved in the fantasy world of museums and let your imagination run riot. National Museums Liverpool has got together with Kids in Museums for the debate which starts at 6pm on Tuesday 9th September at Merseyside Maritime Museum. Tickets are free but you need to book in advance. (If you can't make it then you can still email in your ideas via the website - the best ones will get read out at the debate).

The event will be chaired by broadcaster John Waite, and has a distinguished panel including teen fiction author Bali Rai, Nick Poole chief executive of the Collections Trust, National Museums Liverpool's director of urban history Janet Dugdale and historian Andrew Wheatcroft.

Now excuse me while I go a think up a museum entirely made of chilli peppers and staffed by an army of rock gods – hot, hot, hot!

I’m determined to get to Manchester Art Gallery to see Green Drops and Moonsquirters: The Utterly Imaginative World of Lauren Child before it ends. Lauren Child is the author of the wonderful Charlie and Lola series. The trouble is, everytime I try and get there, there’s just too much happening in Liverpool and I end up spending the weekend at visiting one of our venues.

Take this weekend for example. It’s the BA Festival of Science. Now science isn't really my bag – but the festival isn't what you think. At World Museum Liverpool on Saturday, for instance, we’ve got some opening events with Adam Hart-Davis. (I know him best from TV’s 'What The Tudors Did For Us' series). These include firing rockets, digging for fossils, creating your own big bang and lots of other stuff happening. 

Something else that took my eye was 'The Search For Extraterrestrial Life' lecture at the University of Liverpool which is being hosted by leading experts in astrobiology Professors Monica Grady, Barrie Jones and John Zarnecki. Any budding Mulder and Scullys out there? And I also stumbled across the Magical Memory Tour  which is supported by The Beatles Story (amongst others). This scientific study about memory is based on people’s reflections and experiences of the Beatles and Beatle-linked events. You can add your own thoughts on the website and the findings are to be revealed during the festival.

Wish You Were Here? A World Museum e-card.

If you are of a nervous disposition you may not want to venture into town at all this weekend with La Princesse on the move courtesy of Sultan’s Elephants’ spectacular Company La Machine . (Listening to The Cure on iTunes is really not helping at this time). And if a giant mechanical spider isn’t enough to scare you silly can always bob into the Bug House to see if the short fat hairy ones do the trick.

Hmmm – perhaps I’ll get off my tuffet and go to Manchester. As Lola would say, "I'm just not keen on spiders". I’d rather meet Soren Lorenson.

Out and about this summer it's great to see so many local bands doing well.

At Leeds Festival I stumbled across MySpace friends The Maybes? jangling all over the place and I’m told that an instrumental version of their latest single is going to be used on Soccer Am. (Now I always thought that GK & The Renegades' 'It's Down To You' would be perfect for a cup competition or for Match of the Day. Remember, you heard it here first). 

Meanwhile former TBGO top ten contenders Major Major have reached the finals of Rockstar 08 with a chance to play Glastonbury next year. And of course, there’s been the glorious Mathew Street Festival and its fringe with our mates The Trestles, The White Widows, The Spectres … well, too many to mention.

This Sunday it's the Love Music Hate Racism's summer bash at The Picket with another corking line up of bands including 28 Costumes who you'll be able to hear in September's Top Ten. (If you are heading to The Picket then it's a good opportunity to bob into the International Slavery Museum on route).

You see! The beat really does go on. Even when you’re on holiday. 

The beat goes on and on and on ...

If you haven’t given August’s TBGO bands your vote yet, there’s still time … but only just, and to take part you need to visit the MySpace page. The poll will close at 11.59pm on 31st August and the winner will join the digital jukebox in The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. Who will it be?  

* The Majority * Whiskey Headshot * Tony Kehoe * Shane Beales * My Auntie Sam * The Spectres * Rob Gough * The White Widows * Jajuka * GK & The Renegades *

I’m afraid it’s that time of the month when we prepare to say goodbye to another The Beat Goes On top ten. So if you haven’t already voted for your favourite track now would be a good time. It’s been another fantastic competition and I’ll be really sad to see the tracks come down.

We’ve been weeping into our pillows with Ellewood and Letters In Red … rocking out with Major Major, The Crew and The Extroverts … chilling with Minion TV, Sensorites and FoE … and singing our hearts out to The Lapis and The Affection. Ah, such sweet memories.

We’ve had almost 4900 votes so far this month with Ellewood and The Crew seriously going for it - but the race is by no means over, so vote now! The poll will close at 11.59pm on 31st July.

Don’t forget you can already listen to June’s winner, Jessica’s Ghost, on the digital jukebox in The Beat Goes On exhibition at World Museum Liverpool.

We're cranking it up for the final run down of The Beat Goes On Top Ten. There's only a week left to vote for your favourite band in June's poll, so there's no time to lose.

The Howls are an awesome three-piece combo that crop up somewhere between The Strokes and Wolfmother. They will be shaking the walls of the Barfly on 4th July.

The Queen Tantrum track is deceptively chilled, but hang on in there –she can really let those vocals rip. The self-proclaimed first lady of Liverpool is a fusion of power and soul – like Chaka Khan meets Audioslave. Impressive stuff.  

If you're recovering from Download Fest and waiting for Leeds / Reading, then maybe Eighth Day Army can fill the gap. Kaleidoscopic swirly guitars build into a full on metal outburst à la Napalm Death or Megadeth. Bourgeois thrash.

Not much to report on Jewel Thief because they split up the day we launched the poll. But they certainly rocked. RIP Jewel Thief.

And that's it for June.

TBGO needs your vote: visit www.myspace.com/thebeatgoesonliverpool

Time to introduce the next few The Beat Goes On Top Ten tracks. Surely at least one of these Merseyside gems is worthy of your vote?

Strawhouses. Who lives in a house like this?  Peering through the keyhole you might possibly find Thom Yorke from Radiohead, very early U2 (like ‘Boy’ and ‘October’ era) or the reincarnation of Jeff Buckley. This is soaring, majestic, indie pop, like they used to make when I was a lass. But if you are too young to remember the good old days then Coldplay might be a safer comparison. You can catch them as part of Streetwaves festival.

Jessica’s Ghost brings a brooding, melodic ballad to the proceedings. Soulful vocals are underpinned by a sweeping cello and piano chords, but there is a folky edge to their overall sound. If these tuneful Corr-alikes are your thing, their TBGO track 'New Shoes' will be the B-Side to their single, ‘Breakdown’, to be released on iTunes on 5th July.

What can we say about The Trestles? This jangly, feelgood, leap-around-with-your-mates type of shenanigan is just the sort of thing you expect from a bunch of lovely Liverpool lads with guitars. God bless ‘em, everyone. I hear they will be playing Oxjam tomorrow (12 June) at 3345 Parr Street.

Have a listen – be amazed – don’t forget to VOTE!

Working on The Beat Goes On MySpace page has been an absolute joy for me, being someone who lives and breaths music – music of any kind, so long as it’s good. What a talented lot you are! Take a bow, Liverpool.

The good news is that inaugural Top Ten for The Beat Goes On is now online so you can share some of the fantastic music Liverpool has to offer, and vote for your favourite.  Yippee!

The winner each month will be added to the digital jukebox in the exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. Over the next week or so I'll give each artist or band a shout-out. Of course, these are purely my ramblings and TBGO will remain completely impartial.

First up is the refreshingly-talented Little Name whose gentle and breezy lounge-pop has a heart-warming summer melancholy about it. Think sunshiny Morrissey (possibly on a sun-lounger with a cocktail), sprinkled with a smidgen of Magic Numbers and Super Furry Animals. (Thanks for the blog, Leebo).

Still in the lounge vein, we welcome Walter Cheapskate, whose retro psychedelia is off-set by super-smiley Scouse rhymes – he’ll have you grooving all day long. I love this rather cheeky vid on XFM.

Finally, there’s the chirpy Joel Morton. His MySpace profile classifies his music as zouk – grime – shoegaze. Personally I’m getting The La’s or Lenny Kravitz’s Mr Cab Driver with a rockabilly lilt. With influences ranging from Elvis Costello to Napalm Death, it is probably best to make your own mind up – whatever it is, he makes it sound effortless.

Anyway – happy listening you lucky people – and don’t forget to vote!

(NB. Please remember these are just my humble opinons, not those of TBGO or National Museums Liverpool, and that we are not responsible for content on other people’s web pages / MySpace pages and / or their songs).

Michael Palin (copyright Basil Pao)

You’d think that Michael Palin  would have had enough of travelling, wouldn’t you? Well apparently not, because he has kindly trekked up north to open the Walker’s new transport-themed exhibition, ‘Art in the Age of Steam’. I can’t help being stoked at the prospect. Not only are his travels compulsive viewing, he’s an ex-Python.

He won’t be the only star in the gallery though, as the exhibition features pictures from the likes of Manet, Monet, Van Gogh and Hopper. I haven’t actually managed to see the finished article myself yet - so more about that later - but we’re getting a great response from those who have.

At Liverpool Cathedral’s craft fair this weekend, another star of the rail Frank Hornby will be in the spotlight. As well as model trains on display there will be a track where model enthusiasts are invited to try their own Hornby trains out. (Rather bizzarely, one of the office has just spotted French and Saunders hanging out there).

If all this transport talk has whet your appetite, there are lots of steamy activities about - as long as you’re willing to travel of course. There’s East Lancashire Railway,  Ullswater Steamers,  Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways , Snowdon Mountain, Ribble Steam Railway, Severn Valley Railway, and Middleton Railway, Leeds.  

As a special treat this Summer, you can also catch a steam train from Lime Street. 2008 is the 40th anniversary of the last ever scheduled steam train, which departed from Liverpool, so the Rail Touring Company will be running some special events.

Once you’ve run out of puff, come and relax in the exhibition. I hear it's first class.  

I haven’t posted for a while, mainly because I’ve busily working on the web pages for our forthcoming exhibition, Out of this World: The Art of Josh Kirby  before I go off on maternity leave. The pages aren’t ready yet – but in the spirit of the current Star Wars 30th anniversary celebrations I thought it would be good to share this spectacular artwork. Many of you will know Josh for his work on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, but did you know that in 1983 he also created the original artwork for a ‘quad’ format poster for the British release of Return of the Jedi?

Return of the Jedi. Finished artwork for quad poster, 1983. Used with the permission of the Trustees of the Josh Kirby Estate.

Now I’m no expert, although like many of my generation, the Star Wars theme still brings a nostalgic tear to my eye. But I'm reliably informed that this particular image is pretty special, as it is one of very few that features the Royal Guards (red gowns, upper right), Boushh (masked, lower right) and Boba Fett (masked, firing weapon, far left). The poster was painted for Feref from an Eddie Paul design to promote the film in Britain.

Josh Kirby also has one or two other surprises up his sleeve (do the names Monty Python or Alfred Hitcock mean anything to you?) so don’t forget to check back  when the exhibition opens on 15 June or bob along to the Walker Art Gallery for a closer look.
 

Sir Paul McCartney is one of a number of celebrities to have submitted dog pictures and paintings to the Alive + Well Dog Project, to be auctioned in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. The dogs have all been created using the same bizarre template – although they also have their own peculiarities.

According to one report, Paul’s contains ‘wings, breasts and an evil eye’. Personally I think the sketch looks remarkably like another local character –anyone else think it resembles a Liver Bird?

Other celebs that have been dabbling with the paint include Keith Allen  and Damien Hirst. The Celebrity Dog pictures can be seen until 7th Feb at The Hospital, Covent Garden. For more information visit www.thehospital.co.uk

For more on the art of Paul McCartney visit our archive exhibition web pages.

While David Beckham is making a splash in the US with his LA Galaxy ‘soccer’ antics, World Museum Liverpool has itself been subject to a bit of an American invasion.

Liverpool Centurions AFC is our local community American Football Club – and they’ve been down to LoveSport to give us a bit of taster.

Jon Askew and Andrew Morris show their tender sides

On their website, Centurions' chairman and fullback Jon Askew (pictured right) explains that, “Visitors to the display will get the chance try out at Flag Football, which is a great introduction to the sport”.

Apparently flag football is a non-contact version of the game - which is handy if you don’t fancy getting knocked over by this pair of bruisers. Joking aside, I am assured that the Centurions are a charming bunch of fellows who love their sport and want to spread the word about the game.

They’ll be back at World Museum Liverpool for another taster session on 24th January from 10am until 2pm. 

In the meantime, I am relishing the start of the rugby league season. Centurions of another variety, Leigh, are visiting Knowsley Road on Friday night for a friendly opener against the Saints. The match is also Sean Long’s testimonial and sees old team favourite’s Chris Joynt, Tommy Martyn and Paul Newlove back in the fold for the occasion. Can’t wait!

Only a month ago, Sylvester Stallone was present as items from
the Rocky movie series were donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington. I nearly blogged the event, dreaming about how wonderful it would be if ‘Rocky’ came to World Museum Liverpool. In my reverie, we were to invite him to preview the LoveSport exhibition, gets lots of lovely pictures of him training and shadow boxing and of course, insist that he re-enact his famous victorious run to the top of the steps. In the end I dismissed the blog post thinking I was probably straying just a bit too far into the realms of fantasy.

Today I wake up to the news that Sly has apparently been hanging around at Everton FC this weekend! If only he had known about the wonderful day out I had planned for him. Mr Stallone, if you’re still out there ...?

While I was browsing the Treasures of American History exhibition where the Rocky items can be seen, I also came across some amazing iconic items such as Dorothy’s ruby slippers and the Scarecrow costume from the Wizard of Oz, R2-D2 and C-3PO from Return of the Jedi, Kermit the Frog and Muhammad Ali’s  gloves to name but a few. Oh, and the hat that Abraham Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated. I can't help being impressed.

I’ve been watching with interest as a story about the possibility of Ringo Starr’s former house possibly becoming part of the Museum of Liverpool has trotted around the globe and back again. It’s been reported in destinations as far away as Australia to Los Angeles. I’m always amazed by the pull of Beatles stories in the news which just seem to run and run.

I’m told that,

‘We are hopeful that we will be able to give a home to the childhood house of Ringo Starr. Negotiations are underway with all parties involved with the house and there are still many details to be worked out but it would make a fantastic feature in the Museum of Liverpool and would be hugely popular with visitors”.

If you want to know more about the development of Museum of Liverpool there's lots more on our main website.

I was slightly confused when I spotted the 24 Hour Museum trail
‘Celebrating 100 years of Peter Rabbit’, as the anniversary was actually a few years ago. Then I realised that it must has been dusted off and updated to coincide with the movie release, 'Miss Potter’ starring Hollywood starlet Reneé Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.

Poster for the movie Miss Potter featuring Reneé Zellweger

I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to highlight our own archive webpages
which were created to support a former exhibition, Beatrix Potter’s Garden. They provide a bit of a potted history (pardon the pun) of the lady herself.

The ever-popular author and illustrator is of course indelibly linked with the Lake District where she found much of the inspiration for her charming stories in the natural world. But it was in museums that Beatrix developed her observational and scientific talents, visiting the Natural History Museum and other institutions to examine specimens in closer detail. She was also a regular visitor to galleries and this influenced her development as an artist.

You can find out more about Beatrix Potter through the National Trust who are the custodians of several Potter properties.  If you want to find out more about the movie and the locations used for filming, you could  download this special ‘Movie Map’. Other useful links for Potter-heads include the official Peter Rabbit site and The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

I'm afraid that after the last two informative posts, I'm going to lower the tone somewhat. I've been looking for David Beckham fansites to tell them about the Sam Taylor-Wood portrait on display at the Walker when I came across this David Beckham dressing-up dolly.

I expect it is supposed to be for children but couldn't resist sharing it with you - not least because you can also dress up a whole load of other celebrities from Johnny Depp to Paris Hilton. I have to admit though, I was very disappointed with Bjork's wardrobe selection - not a patch on the real thing.

You can also make a dressing up doll of yourself called a MeDoll but they don't have any ample dollies, only skinny minnies. Mine came out looking like Carmen Electra. How I love the web.

If you are working, living or playing in Liverpool, you just can’t get away from the Beatles. And nor should you want to.

This morning comes the news the Fabs are finally going to get Royal Mail's stamp of approval. They will be celebrated with a New Year series of stamps featuring their album covers. These would make great addition to this 1980s reissue set of stamps featuring mug shots of the boys – a duplicate of a 1964 collectors' edition. You can view these and a ridiculous variety of other Beatles memorabilia in our online exhibition. You may remember Sam writing about this charming set of Beatles Russian dolls during the August festival.

Other ‘Beatle news of the day’ is the proposed recreation of the church fete where John Lennon and Paul McCartney met on July 6, 1957
The 50th anniversary of the event is to be marked with a service of celebration at St Peter’s Church in Woolton – although the details are still a bit sketchy.

Paul and John were introduced by a mutual friend at the church fete. Later that day John performed with his skiffle band The Quarrymen at the church hall and Paul watched from the sidelines. We were lucky enough acquire that very stage when it was gifted by the Parochial Church Council of St Peter's Church. It is likely to form a key exhibition in the new Museum of Liverpool when it opens.

As far as I'm concerned, you can't beat the Beatles. However, Queen, Oasis, Take That and The Rolling Stones are all in the running to do just that in the Great British Battle of the Bands poll running on Radio 2.The results will be broadcast on New Years' Day.

And if you're not all Beatled out after all that, you can still check out our Beatles Games.

Update: The result of the Great British Battle of the Bands is in. Apparently Queen are the nation's favourite band with the Beatles edged into second place. The Rolling Stones came third, followed by Oasis and Take That. If you want to follow the arguments, logic and voting that resulted in this dramtic outcome, you can listen to the show online

I can’t help thinking that superhero Sportacus from the BAFTA-winning children’s programme LazyTown would be impressed with our LoveSport exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. The exhibition concentrates on encouraging visitors – especially children – to get active and it educates them about the benefits of sport for health.

LazyTown’s Sportacus – who was created and is played by Icelandic gymnast Magnús Scheving – goes one better. Not only is he credited with reducing the obesity levels of children in Iceland, but he has done it without ever mentioning exercise! The idea is that children find Sportacus' heroic flipping and darting around LazyTown so compelling that they decide to follow their role model on the road to fitness. Meanwhile, baddie Robbie Rotten (or is that Rotten Robbie?) is stuffing his face with goodies such as cream cakes.

Sportacus is a total hit with the children, but is also proving popular with the mummies who can’t help but admire the guy’s impeccable physique and mind-boggling agility.

If you haven’t heard about LazyTown before, you soon will. The theme tune ‘Bing Bang’  is in the race for Christmas number one single … and it’s just a teenie-weenie bit annoying. Where’s the superhero that wipes out tacky chart music when you need it?

Congratulations to LoveSport supporters St Helens Rugby League FC on a further two prestigious accolades. It has been announced that Paul Wellens has won ‘Rugby Player of the Year’, while Daniel Anderson scooped Coach of the Year at the BBC North West Sport Awards 2006.

You may remember that Saints’ loveable mascot Saint Bernard was on hand a few ago for the launch of LoveSport exhibition at World Museum Liverpool. The treble-winning side have had something of a dream season. They were crowned Super League Champions earlier in the year, as well as taking the League Leaders’ Shield and the Powergen Challenge Cup.

Paul Wellens has already been named Man of Steel, Players’ Player of the Year and Rugby League Writers’ Player of the Year, as well as taking the Harry Sunderland Trophy for his performance in this year’s Grand Final.  Earlier in the year Daniel Anderson was named Super League’s Coach of the Year, James Graham was crowned Young Player of the Year, while Sean Long took the Lance Todd Trophy in the Challenge Cup Final.

Given the evidence, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the super Saints are also in the running for Team of the Year which will be announced at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony at Birmingham NEC on Sunday.

I am though. The only other rugby league team ever to have won the Team of the Year is Wigan RLFC’s 1994 side. Rugby league often struggles to get the attention it deserves in the media as it mistakenly dismissed as a ‘Northern’ sport for men with flat caps and whippets. In actual fact, rugby league is a great spectacle and a wonderful family game where you’ll find everyone from grandma to the youngest of youngsters screaming for their beloved team.

My fingers (and toes) are all crossed for the boys and I managed to get my text vote in before the deadline. Strangely enough, so did my Wigan-season-ticket-holding-husband - because victory for St Helens will be a much-needed boost for the game of rugby league and put this wonderfully entertaining sport in the spotlight.

St Helens are up against the European Ryder Cup Team and Sussex Cricket Team. While we're here, best of luck to Manchester boxer Ricky Hatton and Cheshire gymnast Beth Tweddle who will be competing for Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday.

The BBC North West Sports Personality of the Year show can be seen tonight Wednesday 6th December at 7pm on BBC 1.

Update: I don't believe it! They actually won. Read about it here. Well done lads. And another win for Daniel Anderson for Coach of the Year too!

You don't have to be looking for love to come to Café Eros

In the past we’ve hosted a number of ‘In The City’ events for singletons on the look out for love or just a jolly night out with good company.

This Sunday we’re extending the offer so that anyone who fancies meeting new friends and tucking into a bit of delicious food can come along, whether or not they’re already attached. Ironically Sunday’s social brunch is taking place in Café Eros at the National Conservation Centre, so we can’t be held responsible if cupid decides to loose a few arrows.

The date for your diary is this Sunday 26 November from 12.30pm-3pm. The brunch costs £5 including entry into a prize draw. Pre-booking is essential.

Sunday will also be the last chance to see Cape Farewell (which includes the skeleton of a minke whale) as the Biennial finally draws to a close. If you haven’t already trawled the streets of Liverpool to see what’s on offer I suggest you get a move on!

Update 23/11/06: sorry, slight correction. Cape Farewell at the National Conservation Centre DOESN'T finish this weekend - it's on until 28 January 2007. However, the Cape Farewell exhibits at the Walker Art Gallery do finish this weekend, so pop over once you're brunched up.

You may remember that during Architecture Week in June Sam wrote about the incredible Lutyens' model which is to go on display in our exhibition ‘The Cathedral That Never Was’.  Sir Edwin Lutyens' model of his magnificent design for a Catholic Cathedral is to go on show at the Walker Art Gallery. Construction on the actual building started in 1933 but only the crypt was built. The outbreak of the Second World War and the resulting lack of funds put a stop to it.

The Lutyen's model on show at the Royal Academy exhibition in 1934.

The National Conservation Centre has taken 13 years to conserve the giant model and this will be the first opportunity to see the breathtaking interior fully-restored.

There are plans to show photographs and memorabilia but there is one key item that we are trying to trace. Keeper Julian Treuherz wants to display one of the tin collecting boxes used to raise money for the Cathedral Building Fund. You can see one of these in the Metropolitan Cathedral crypt – but we would like an additional one to accompany our exhibition.

If you have a collecting box, or any other artefact connected with the Lutyens' Cathedral, Julian would love to hear from you. His colleagues working on the new Museum of Liverpool are also collecting memories and stories about the Cathedral, including the laying of the Foundation Stone and the building of the crypt. If you can help, please contact Julian Treuherz at the Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EL.

You can find out more about the exhibition in our advance news release.

Today is the 99th anniversary of the liner Mauretania's maiden voyage from Liverpool. On 16 November 1907 she sailed from Liverpool for New York, arriving safely on 22 November.

Above is a picture of the Mauretania (II) from the Stewart Bale archive. You can find out more in the Revelation database at National Conservation Centre's Reveal gallery or online.

On Merseyside Maritime Museum's collection pages you can also view the Mauretania in a painting by Burnett Poole. She is depicted in dazzle paint - a camouflage technique used by the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Of course the Mauretania’s sister ship was not so lucky. The Lusitania was torpedoed by a U-boat during the conflict with the loss of 1,198 lives including 291 women and 94 children. You can find out more about the Titanic and Lusitania in our collections highlights feature.

Update 5/12/06: An eagle-eyed blog reader spotted that this particular picture is actually of Mauretania (II) and not the Mauretania as originally stated. Sorry about that!

Simone Martini's Christ Discovered In The Temple can't fail to impress

I think that many people have experienced an ‘emperor’s new clothes’ moment when faced with certain elements of contemporary art. 

But even some of the world’s most renowned paintings fail to resonate with armchair critic, Peter Bennett from Wallasey. He compares Van Gogh to primary school work, calls Dali ‘bonkers’ and the Mona Lisa a ‘tired, frustrated woman’.

He is impressed, however, by the Walker Art Gallery’s marvellous Simone Martini painting, Christ Discovered In The Temple. It’s wonderful to know that even the harshest of critics can find something they love when they visit the Walker.  I guess some paintings just speak for themselves.

18^th century painter and social satirist William Hogarth is portrayed by Toby Jones in tonight’s Channel 4 drama ‘A Harlot’s Progress’.

The one-off production examines Hogarth’s relationship with prostitute Mary Collins. Hogarth famously lifted the lid on the Georgian vice scene and depicted a grittier side of 18^th century life.

Hogarth moved in theatrical circles and sought out the colourful side of Georgian England

Hogarth’s theatrical portrait of actor David Garrick as Richard III can be seen in the 18^th century gallery at the Walker. A Harlot’s Progress is broadcast tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm.  

• Explore the Walker’s 18^th century gallery
• View more of Hogarth's paintings
• Read more about Hogarth
• Explore David Garrick as Richard III in the Portrait Detectives interactive

Happy Samhain!

If you are recovering from yesterday’s Halloween revels then you have the pagan festival of Samhain to thank. Samhain, which means ‘summer’s end’, predates the Christian All Saints’ Day or Hallowmas – hence Halloween or All Hallows' Eve.

Apparently, Samhain historically marks the first day of winter in the country calendar. At this time shepherds would bring their herds down from the hillsides and give them shelter in stables. (Someone must have forgotten to tend to these sheep which can usually be found at the Lady Lever Art Gallery).

Brrr....it's chilly in here! Dan Hays' less than cosy hamster cage painting, Harmony In Green, 1997.

No coincidence then, that following last night’s chilly temperatures I was forced to bring my hamster in from the unheated conservatory and bring him into the cosier kitchen. Of course I was very careful not to put him too near the radiator because small pets don’t like sudden changes in temperature. 

Ironically, Dan Hays' Harmony In Green painting (shown above) is described as an attempt to make a hamster cage look like a desriable place to live. Can't say I fancy it myself.

Thinking ahead to bonfire weekend – BBC Radio 3, and BBC Radio Merseyside’s Free Thinking Festival is kicking off with an electric programme of stimulating debate, innovative lectures, thought and ideas.

Our Chairman, Loyd Grossman, will be hosting a special debate entitled, ‘It's not where you've come from, but where you're going that matters’. The debate will focus on our national obsession with the past – from family trees to apologising for historical calamities. Loyd’s guests include novelist Howard Jacobson, historian Joanna Bourke, Professor of Innovation James Woudhuysen and writer Kenan Malik.

The event takes place on Saturday 4th November at the Walker Art Gallery from 7.30pm – and tickets are free. To be a part of the audience for this exciting evening call 08700 100 300 or collect tickets in person from FACT on Wood Street.

This is just one of many events taking place as part of the BBC’s Free Thinking weekend in Liverpool, where other guests include Brian Eno, AS Byatt, Jude Kelly, Linda Grant and Carl Djerassi to name but a few. You can find a full timetable at the Free Thinking website.

If you missed the Top of the Pops broadcast of Oasis' new video, 'The Masterplan' on Saturday night you can still see this remarkable animated feature online at MSN (scroll down for the link). The video, released to promote their new greatest hits album, is a bit of a tribute to fellow Mancunian LS Lowry.

The band are depicted in Lowry-esque 'matchstick' style going about their business, including playing a gig and walking to a Man City vs Newcastle football match.

There's also a subtle 'hats off' to the Beatles with the lads swaggering across a zebra crossing Abbey Road style. They later return to their matching terrace-houses, just like in the movie 'Help!'.

I can't say that I'm the biggest Oasis fan in the world - but this video is just compelling -and the tune's not bad either.

To my shame I admit I have never been to Hope Street Festival, which this year takes place on Sunday 17 Sept. Reading the run down it's really hard not to be impressed. It's a free festival - and it's all in one street.

Mmmm.....food. Liverpool Real Ale Festival. Massage. Cartoons at the Phil. Jigs and reels. Jewellery. Trinkets to buy. Farmers' market. Mexican BBQ. That's me sold. See you Sunday - 11am till 5pm.  

Liverpool Echo has today printed a handy Liverpool Biennial map showing all of the venues where the action will be taking place. If you missed picking up a copy at the shops you can print off a copy the map instead. (NB the map is a pdf. file).

The map is very basic, so the Biennial site is probably the best place to check out the full details of events - but  this is a quick way to plan your route about town.

This morning I took my daughter along to the Walker Art Gallery for the Monday morning 'carer and toddler' session in the Big Art gallery. Keeping a rabble of under 4s entertained is no mean feat - but the great thing is that it is completely informal, so you don't need to worry if your child gets fidgety.

On arrival, we were greeted by a member of staff who directed us to the paper and chalks. Then we gathered into a group for a stories and rhymes with the facilitator Ros who used puppets and 'lift the flap' books to engage the children.  

Getting stuck into books in Big Art

Some of the children were really attentive while others wandered around and explored the many toys and activities available on the gallery. Helpfully, Ros had already pointed out that it doesn't matter what the children are doing, as long as they are enjoying themselves. There's no pressure to make your child sit down and listen - which is a real blessing for all the parents and carers. Eva spent an eventful hour dressing up the magnetic dolls, colouring-in, playing with coloured dough and generally having fun!

Dressing up the magnetic dollies

And at the end of the hour there are free refreshments - tea / coffee / juice and (really quite spectacular) biscuits - in the Walker's cafe.

This session is being repeated on Moday 18th and 25th of September from 10.00am until 11.15am. You'll need to book your free place in advance  - call 0151 478 4178 for further details.

There’s a lunar eclipse this evening and according to Jonathan Cainer 
(who happens to be an astrologer, not an astronomer) you should be able to see it at around 7.50pm if you’re in the UK. Although in astronomical terms it is only a ‘rather small partial eclipse’ (NASA), in astrological terms it carries more significance. This is because the full moon coincides with a ‘lunar standstill’ which only occurs every 18.6 years.

One of the best places to watch the eclipse will be the ancient stone circle of Calanais  on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland which is thought by some to mark significant events in the lunar cycle.

The pelican in this portrait represents sacrifice - but is the Virgin Queen hiding something?

Keeping with the astrology theme, it is Queen Elizabeth I’s birthday today which means she was a Virgo. Very apt, given that she was the ‘Virgin Queen’ – or so I thought – but apparently I am mistaken.

The goddess Ceres that governs Virgo is not a symbol of celibacy, but one of abundance. And the reputation of Virgos as prim comes more from their fastidiousness and orderliness rather than their chastity.

Perhaps this explains the ongoing debate over Elizabeth’s love life and her dalliances with the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley.  Some researchers even go so far as to propose that Elizabeth actually had a child with her suitor.

• Calanais on flickr
• Lunar eclipses on flickr
• More about Virgos

The Artfinder's Gallery opens tonight from 3.30pm until 9pm. The first show is going to be original prints from 'Godfather of Pop Art' and John Moores 24 jury member, Sir Peter Blake. And apparently, you get a lollipop if you mention the Artfinder's blog - which has to be a good thing.

It's the last day of August and the holiday season is officially over. But don't get all gloomy - there's lots you can do the brighten the looming autumnal months.

The Guardian have put together a handy Top 50 of the best things to do during the season, hightlighting the John Moores 24 exhibition under  Liverpool Biennial. It reads:

"Tate Liverpool and other venues in the city combine to offer a variety of contemporary art from around the world. The Albert Dock is not the Arsenale but the heat won't be as killing as at the Venice Biennale. The John Moores painting prize at the Walker Art Gallery and new contemporaries add to the fun."

John Moores 24 exhibition of contemporary painting opens on 16 September. You can also see Insyde and Cape Farewell as part of Liverpool Biennial.

• The Guardian's 50 must-sees for this Autumn

As I look out of the window at the torrential rain, I can't help thinking that the organisers of Southport Flower Show may have had a premonition. Apparently this year's theme is water - and if this weather continues throughout the weekend, then water there certainly shall be!

Perhaps they were tipped off by celebrity astrologer Russell Grant, who officially launches the flower show's 'ladies day' tomorrow.  

Southport Flower Show has picked a water theme for 2006

Luckily there are masses of marquees and undercover areas as well as the show gardens, so there's no chance of it being a washout. 

National Museums Liverpool's smiley marketing officers will be bringing their own particular brand of sunshine to the event, by giving out information on all of our current happenings. 

Budding horticulturists (sorry - bad joke) can find out more about World Museum Liverpool's botanical collections on our website. 

• Southport Flower Show
• National Wildflower Centre

Those trekking to Hinkley for this weekend's Discworld Convention will be interested in plans for a major retrospective of Josh Kirby's artwork at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, next year.

Josh Kirby studied at Liverpool Art School in the 1940s and is best known for designing the book covers for Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The exhibition, planned for Summer 2007, will include around 150 works spanning his career. It will include original works, studies, sketches, magazines, film posters and book covers. I'm told it will encompass all sorts of weird worlds, marvellous maidens and fantastical, magical creatures - but it won't be restricted to just Discworld material, so watch this space. 

Kirby also designed the film poster for Return of the Jedi and one for Monty Python's Life of Brian (possibly inspired by Bruegel's Tower of Babel). Coincidentally, while looking for Kirby links on the Python's Daily Llama I stumbled upon the Silly Walks Generator. Not strictly connected of course - but far too silly to keep to myself. 

Time is ticking by if you want to take part in 'Digital Show' - an online exhibition of international digital art, which is part of the Independants strand of this year's Liverpool Biennial.

www.digitalshow.co.uk is a new website created by our friends at Art in Liverpool. They are looking for "exciting, interesting painting and drawing" created using computer software. The theme of fun because, in their words, "we like fun, its our favourite thing".

Full details can be found on the website. The deadline for entries is 31August 2006 - so you've got three weeks.

Today is Playday 2006 (who decides these things?). 

It coincides with Liverpool Chldren's Festival and judging by the PA I can hear booming down William Brown Street, there's going to be lots for children to do throughout the day. But why should the kids have all the fun?

Guy Cheeseman invites you to play the ever popular Pick Of the 'Pool

I can't think of a better reason for a bit of frivolous online gaming, so I thought I'd dust off our resident Pick of the 'Pool compare Guy Cheeseman and create a list of activities for your gaming pleasure. 

Have fun!

• Shipwrecked - Survival game
• Pick of the 'Pool
• Conker Collectables
• Agents of Deterioration
• Fish Olympics
• Beatles Games
• Portrait Detectives

Apparently today is National Yorkshire Day.

This reminded me - on a recent web team outing to Tate Liverpool to see the Bruce Nauman exhibition we also stumbled across the collection display, Henry Moore: Natural Form, which I thought was quite beautfiul. Must go back and spend some more time there. Visitors to the Tate might also want to take a trip to the Walker Art Gallery, to see Moore's sculpture, Falling Warrior. (NB. Actually I've just found out that it's currently at Fundacio "la Caixa", Barcelona and won't be back at the Walker until November - so you might want to wait until then!)

I can't let the moment pass without  congratulating rugby league team Huddersfield Giants who beat fellow Yorkshire heavyweights Leeds Rhinos this weekend in the Challenge Cup semi-finals. They will be joining Merseyside's very own St Helens in the final at Twickenham in August.  (You can recognise Saints by the Capital of Culture logo on their shorts).

Other favourite Yorkshire things (Sean Bean aside) include Leeds Armouries, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Brontes' Haworth.

Falling Warrior ... or could it be a Leeds player overcome by a Huddersfield tackle?

Yesterday's live link up from the Treasure House Theatre in World Museum Liverpool was a real treat. We were given a special behind-the-scenes look at some of the interesting objects housed inside the National Archive at Kew. The archive has 100 miles of shelving carrying 10 million documents from the past 1000 years of history. These included documents signed by Henry VIII, and his Royal Seal. 

Another grisley piece of history in Kew's archives is Guy Fawkes' signed gunpowder plot confession. The barely-there scrawl reveals the torture he endured before he finally signed, incuding the use of thumb screws.

If you like this particular breed of horrible history, then Terry Deary's Terrible Tudors at the Liverpool Empire is worth a look, if only for the 3D Boggle Goggles you wear in the second half. Personally I'm a bit of a fan of Henry so it goes against the grain to call him terrible. Having said that, I'm Tudor re-enactor who spends as much time as I can muster at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk so perhaps I'm biased. 

Huzzah for Good King Hal!

Water coolers across the country have been in great demand this week as we guzzle our way through the heatwave. But our discomfort pales into insignificance when it is compared with those whose survival depends on attaining a supply of fresh water. 

A brilliant partnership between cooler company AquAid and Christian Aid means that 30 pence from every bottle of water sold goes directly to water-related project in Africa. Since it began in 1998 it has raised £1.6 million.

Today AquAid director David Phillips bobbed along to the World Cultures Gallery in World Museum Liverpool to present us with a certificate for our small part. He said, "National Museums Liverpool have saved the lives of hundreds of people and for this we congratulate them."

June McDonough from Office Services received the certificate and was quite rightly thrilled to bits. She said "It's great to think that through this scheme we are helping others to drink fresh water and doing our bit to make a difference".

Well said!

Faithful Unto Death by Poynter

Pictures of the erupting Mt Merapi in Indonesia are simultaneously  beautiful and terrifying. Villagers from the surrounding areas are fleeing as the powerful volcano spews out huge gas clouds. Others, mindful of their crops and livestock, are refusing to leave, despite the imminent danger.

This steadfastness put me in mind of Poynter's wonderful 'Faithful Unto Death' which can be viewed in the Walker Art Gallery. The painting depicts a Roman soldier standing guard at Pompeii despite the molten lava and hot ash of Vesuvius rapidly closing in.

Perhaps such actions are foolish but they are also courageous and awe-inspiring. And despite the potential for tragedy, it strangely reassuring that such acts of bravery are not confined to classical history books.

When I heard about tonight's 'Creatures of the Night' talk, I did a double take. Is that goths or moths that visitors to Port Sunlight will be tracking with the latest trapping techniques? You never know with goth-supergroup Sisters of Mercy playing tonight in neighbouring Manchester ....  let's hope that the thunder and lightening hasn't frightened them off. The moths that is.

Tomorrow fellow creatures of the night, bats, will be in the spotlight. Unfortuantely the tickets have already been snapped up. For more on these marvellous nocturnal wonders vist The Bat Conservation Trust, www.bats.org.uk

Ever fallen in love in an art gallery? As part of Museums & Galleries Month, the 24 hour museum are undertaking a survey to find the country's most romantic gallery or museum.

I can certainly vouch for the Walker Art Gallery.

At the impressionable age of sixteen, my former beau - suited and booted - met me on the 360 bus from Wigan and brought me to Liverpool for one of the most memorable days of my life. In the wonderful, elegant surroundings of the Walker, I realised I was hooked.

Sadly, the relationship never lasted. But I loved the gallery so much that I got a job in the cloakroom!

Yesterday was St George's Day. (It was also St Adalbert's day, but not a lot of people know that).

Culture Online’s Icons  project has just announced that the St George’s Flag had made it on to the ‘official icons’ list as nominated by the public. But for many the St George’s flag is more likely to conjure up visions of World Cup fever than a gallant knave rescuing a damsel in distress.

This got me thinking about the nature of Englishness and how the Icons project is aiming to reflect a true and diverse picture of English life, rather than tired old clichés.  The first round of icons featured  Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII, as well as stereotypical candidates like the cup of tea and the Routemaster bus.

Now's the time to make a difference. There are people voting furiously for everything from Basil Brush to the Battle of Agincourt. Liverpool's waterfront is up there, along with the garden shed, morris dancing, real ale, queuing, salad cream, football and (oddly enough) the film ‘Four Weddings & A Funeral’.

Is this what England means to you? Add your own nominations and get voting!

The next set of official English icons will be announced on 28 April.

Finding himself in the company of journalists, photographers, film crews, artists and celebrities is all in a day's work for senior press officer, Stephen Guy. But just recently, Stephen has been enjoying a share of the limelight himself.

Stephen's unique perspective on life - evolved through years as a cutting-edge news reporter - makes him the ideal candidate to mull over the morning papers on Radio Merseyside's Breakfast show. He also writes the intriguing 'Maritime Tales' for Saturday's Liverpool Echo.

However, it is his voluntary roles within the community that have catapulted him into the media spotlight of late. As Chairman of the West Derby Society, Stephen has played a key role in securing funds for his beloved 'Lowlands' - dubbed Britain's most beautiful community centre, and home to the West Derby Community Association since 1957.

Stephen is also on the management committee of the Friends of Croxteth Hall & Country Park, where one of his roles in running the bar for Friends' events. He hastens to add that the behind-the-bar activities haven't got him into the news yet!

Mars, the mythological god of war is actually sporting a child-like smile. Europe's Mars Express spacecraft has captured a charming picture of 'Crater Galle', which resembles two eyes and a smiley mouth drawn in a sandpit. Not quite as Orson Welles envisaged when he wrote ‘War of the Worlds’.

One the other hand, the Venus express probe has just gone into orbit around the 'love' planet in a bid to get up close and personal. Let’s hope our neighbour isn’t lying in ambush!

Find out more about Mars in our regular event,  ‘A Tale of Two Planets’ at the Planetarium of World Museum Liverpool.

 Edward Burne-Jones' drawing of Venus, goddess of love, is part of the Lady Lever Art Gallery’s Pre-Raphaelite Drawings exhibition. The beautiful sculpture, The Tinted Venus by John Gibson can be viewed in the Walker Art Gallery.

We were saddened to hear yesterday of the death of Mr Peter McGovern, who wrote the world-famous folk song, 'In My Liverpool Home'. Mr McGovern was a regular visitor the Walker Art Gallery and has helped the learning section with workshops in the past. He was immensely proud of his city and wrote the song as a tribute. He was also an old friend of my grandad's - and from what I hear he was a jolly nice man.

Derek shows exhibition officer Justina his Celebrity Silk

Everyone's getting sporty at National Museums Liverpool. While one half the office is entering the forthcoming 'Race for Life', and the other half is getting ready for Ladies' Day at Aintree! 

If you are in Liverpool for this weekend’s Grand National you might want to bob along to the Walker Art Gallery to see 'George Stubbs: A Celebration'. Stubbs is the city’s greatest artist and specialises in exquisite paintings of horses.

Armchair spectators will be pleased to hear that the web team have put together an online exhibition of sporting ephemera from across the collections - so you can join in without even leaving the house. This is the only place you can see the items all together - some of which are in storage.

For those who prefer to get out and about, 'Celebrity Silks' opens at World Museum Liverpool on Friday 7 April. Celebrities have designed their own jockey silks including household names like chef Gordon Ramsay, cricketer Andrew Flintoff and Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson. Infact, clairvoyant and psychic Derek Acorah, who has contributed his own spooky design, has been along today for press launch. I wonder if he can give me any tips on the Grand National?

Sping has sprung, or so we're told. All the signs of a typical British springtime are here. This week we've already had wind, rain and a dash of hail. I even had a spring roll for my tea last night, so it must be true. (I'm not joking. I really did have a spring roll).

One of my friends has just mentioned she is going to dust off the BBQ, but I'm afraid I can't share her optimism. To try and shake off that bleak winter outlook, I've been browsing our collections and came across Millais' 'Spring (Apple Blossoms)' and Laura Knight's 'Spring in St John's Wood'.  Maybe I will to wait for this week's solar eclipse to pass before I can restore my naturally sunny outlook.

If you are as confused as me about the seasons, try 'Sundials and Sunbeams' . It will explain what's happening a lot better than I can!

Never has Mother's Day been so complicated. I am a mummy myself, but instead of looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, I am busy trying to work out how we are going to mark the occasion for no less than 4 generations of women in the family. There's me, my mum, mother-in-law, step-mother (in-law), and three grandmothers. So potentially my daughter could send cards to her mummy, nanna, grandma, step-nanny, great-grandma, great-nanna and great-grandmother. That's 13 cards in all - or about £25. So we'll be getting the glue, glitter and paints out this weekend I expect!

Of course, if I could get my 94 year old nan online we could send her one of our fabulous FREE Mother's Day e-cards.  Better still, I could even bring her along to one of our museums and galleries for the day. Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight is likely to be a favourite this weekend with Pre-Raphaelite Drawings still on show and the ever-popular cafe. But if you're looking for something really different, why not visit the Treasure House Theatre at World Museum Liverpool? The Death on the Nile performance  features the magical techniques of mummification!

(Performance starts 3pm, limited tickets from the info desk).

The fifth Beatle, the James Dean of Hamburg or just a young and talented artist? Stuart Sutcliffe's life was tragically cut short at the age of 22 when he died of a brain haemorrhage, leaving many unanswered questions.

Would he have gone on to be one of the nation's leading abstract impressionist painters? Or would his creative talents have been eclipsed by his close association with John Lennon and the advent of Beatlemania? Stuart's tutor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi called him "gifted and intelligent", although his progress in college was affected by his poor health.

Stu's ID Card. Copyright Astrid Kirchherr / K&K

Whatever the answer, interest in Stu's work and life endures. His sister Pauline has recently launched a website StuartSutcliffeArt.com where you can buy original works and memorabilia. But fear not if you can't afford the price tag - there's a fine example of Stuart's painting in the Walker Art Gallery which you can see for free!

Coincidentally, Stu isn't the only Beatle bass player to have had his paintings on show at the Walker. Some bloke called Paul McCartney has too, apparently.