National Museums Liverpool Blog - museum of liverpool

Opening events at the Museum of Liverpool © Mark McNulty

On Thursday 19 July it will be the ‘new kid on the dock’s first birthday and we’d like to invite all the other birthday boys and girls who were born that day to celebrate with us. It doesn’t matter how old you are, one or 101, if it’s your birthday on 19 July then we’d love to hear from you.

Please get in touch using this contact form if you are available in the afternoon on Thursday 19 July and can take part in our special events. We will need some sort of proof that it’s your birthday on 19 July. Or if you can’t be with us on the day then you can leave a birthday message in the comments on this blog post.

Our work experience student Ben Forshaw gives his verdict on the Museum of Liverpool

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Today, as part of my two week work experience at NML, I spent my time at the Museum of Liverpool. I felt the trip to the museum today was one I enjoyed thoroughly, and it educated me on much of Liverpool’s history. I showed particular interest in this specific museum due to the current football displays there. As a great fan of football and a player of the sport myself, I could relate to these displays in many ways - especially the presentation of the rivalry between Liverpool and Everton.

Despite my main reason in going to the museum being to check out the football demonstration, I also took great interest in looking at the city’s history. This was the feature of the museum I found most interesting, simply because I found facts about things such as the exporting from Liverpool back in the 1800s and 1900s so intriguing. I learnt that the city became a city in 1880 and that over 13,000 people from the city died during the World War 1; it appealed to me because I admittedly do not know much about our city’s history.

Another matter that caught my attention was the possible building of the “Cathedral of Dreams” many years ago. It was fascinating to understand that had that cathedral been built, it would have been the world’s second largest cathedral. Just imagine how good a monument like that would have been to have in our city! A building such as that one would have been brilliant to have in addition to other attractions in Liverpool such as the Echo Arena, Anglican Cathedral and now the Museum of Liverpool. I would definitely recommend that you all take a look at the Cathedral of Dreams in the museum, as I certainly found it breathtaking!

All in all, my experience this morning was one I would very much like to revisit some time soon, especially as there were more aspects to the museum I could have checked out had I had more time there. Another particular event I would recommend you all taking a look at was the 15 minute long film about Liverpool Football Club and Everton Football Club’s history since they were formed. I suppose my views may be slightly bitter on the subject, however I found it quite amusing watching Everton fans have to watch Liverpool persistently outdo them throughout their history.

Another blog from our volunteer Jamie McFadden, who's been busily researching past Liverpool Olympians for us.

It’s safe to say that Liverpool born Max Woosnam was definitely an all round sportsman. Amongst his sporting achievements are two Olympic medals, winning doubles at Wimbledon, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team, captaining Manchester City Football Club, compiling a 147 break in Snooker AND playing as captain for the national football team!

Even with such an extensive sporting CV, Woosnam only ever competed in one Olympic Games in 1920 in Antwerp. Competing as a tennis player, he won a Gold medal in the Men’s Doubles and Silver in the Mixed Doubles.

After fighting in the First World War, Max divided his sporting attention. During the football season, he spent time playing for Chelsea FC, moving on to compete in tennis tournaments when the season was over. During this time, he won both singles and doubles titles in the Cambridge University tournament and entered Wimbledon for the first time.

Max Woosnam died in 1965.

Visit the Museum of Liverpool's Wondrous Place gallery to learn more about sport in the city. 

Our wonderful volunteer Jamie McFadden has been blogging again. This time, he's on the trail of Liverpool's footballing Olympian.

Red or blue? It was gold for Arthur Berry…

Born in 1888, Arthur Berry was destined to be one of Liverpool’s most successful footballers, but not necessarily at Anfield or Goodison Park! Arthur’s stage was at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. The first Olympics that Arthur Berry competed in were, like the 2012 Games, held in London. Playing alongside some of his previous team mates, he was part of the Gold medal winning football team.

Unlike some other medal winners, Arthur was able to replicate his success when he travelled to Stockholm, Sweden in 1912. Great Britain’s football team again won Gold, making Arthur the most successful Liverpool Olympian of all time! As well as playing for the Gold medal winning England squad, Arthur also went on to play for Liverpool, Everton, Fulham and Wrexham.

Whilst taking part in the 1908 Olympics, Berry was studying for a degree at Oxford University.  When he ended his playing career in 1914, he went on to become a barrister, later serving as Chairman and Director at Liverpool Football Club.

Arthur Berry passed away in 1956.

Visit the Museum of Liverpool's Wondrous Place gallery to learn more about sport in the city. 

Left to right: Sam Vaux, Marketing Officer (Museum of Liverpool) with colleagues Tracey McGeagh, Director of Marketing and Communications, Janet Dugdale, Director of Museum of Liverpool, Lucy Cattell, Media Officer (Museum of Liverpool) with the Tourism Marketing Initiative of the Year award presented by PR & Marketing Manager Linda Kelly from sponsors SK Events & PR. Image (c) Ant Clausen

More than 400 guests joined the celebrations to recognise quality and excellence during a black tie ceremony hosted by local TV personality Terri Dwyer at the BT Convention Centre.

It was a glittering evening organised by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership with singing from Rare Liverpool, a dramatic opening of jaw dropping acrobatics from the Airborn Academy and The Beatles’ greatest hits from a local tribute band.

The first award we won was for the coveted Tourism Marketing Initiative of the Year Award for the Museum of Liverpool opening campaign. The second success of the night was winning the Tourism Event of the Year award for the Museum of Liverpool People’s Opening and finally NML Trading won the award for Excellence in Business Tourism. It was a huge team effort so congratulations to everyone!

Tourism Event of the Year and Excellence in Business Tourism awards are eligible to represent the Liverpool City Region at VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence – so watch this space!

Introducing Jamie McFadden, who's been helping us out in the Press Office this week, and researching a very interesting talk that's coming up tomorrow at the Museum of Liverpool.

The King’s Regiment has been involved in conflicts and battles around the world since the 1700s. Over the years, members of the Regiment have collected ‘Trophies of War’ and the further back in time we go, the more extravagant these trophies become.

National Museums Liverpool has a long-term loan of collections from the King’s Regiment that are currently exhibited in the City Soldiers gallery at the Museum of Liverpool. Some of the items in the collection date back to conflicts hundreds of years ago between British and American forces in an attempt to protect British overseas colonies.

On Thursday, Social History curator Karen O’Rourke will be discussing the ‘trophies’ collected by an early Colonel, Arent Schuyler DePeyster. DePeyster is described by some as ‘one of the most skilled British chiefs engaged in Native American diplomacy during the Revolutionary era’. During the 17 year-long garrison in America, DePeyster spent time gaining the trust of the Native American chiefs. This strong relationship enabled him to persuade the Native’s to fight on the side of the British. A skilled treaty maker, he spent years working with tribes to stop them trading with and fighting for the Americans.

Colonel John Caldwell of the King's Regiment, was a key negotiator between British Forces and Natives.

However DePeyster, known to the natives as ‘The Father’, wasn’t the only person to gain the trust of the tribal chiefs. Lieutenant Colonel John Caldwell was another member of the King’s Regiment, who was a key negotiator between the British forces and Natives. Caldwell, son of Baron Caldwell of Fermanagh, spent so much time with the tribal people, that it is believed that he adapted to their lifestyle. In one painting on display at the Museum of Liverpool, Caldwell is seen attending an inter-nation council in Wakeetomike, wearing tribal dress. It is said that his father wrote to DePeyster expressing concern at his son’s erratic behaviour.

During Thursday’s talk at the Museum of Liverpool, Karen O’Rourke will be discussing the relations between British and American forces and how they used the native tribes to fight their battles. The DePeyster collection at the Museum of Liverpool features items that were extremely valuable to the Native Americans and that were given to DePeyster in return for small invaluable items, such as beads. The tribes, who based a lot of their actions on the instructions of the spirits, gave DePeyster stone carved tobacco pipes, which they used to contact the spirits and also quillwork chokers that were worn by the tribal people to suggest importance. This world famous collection can be seen in the City Soldiers gallery of the Museum of Liverpool.

‘Peace pipe or war hatchet? The DePeyster collection’ will be held in the Museum of Liverpool’s City Soldiers gallery on the first floor of the Museum of Liverpool at 3pm on Thursday 14th June.

We'll we've told you what things you can see to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, now let us tell you what you might do!

You don't have to travel all the way to London to join the party. At the Walker Art Gallery we have a crown-making workshops 2 June to Tuesday 5 June, between 10 am and 4 pm

One young visitor getting swept up in the royal celebrations!

The Lady Lever Art Gallery and Museum of Liverpool also enjoy treating their visitors like royalty and will also be hosting crown-making workshops on 4 and 5 June.

For those who prefer to leave crown-wearing to the experts there is a flag-making workshop at the Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House on Saturday 2 June between 1 pm and 4 pm. Visitors to Sudley can also leave a special message of congratulations which we will send to the Queen (by Royal Mail of course!)

Delicious Smoked Anglesey mackerel is on the menu at Merseyside Maritime Museum, which is hosting lunch fit for a Queen in its Maritime Dining Rooms! The full Royal menu, enjoyed by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on their recent visit, is available to the public from today until Tuesday 5 June. To book call 0151 478 4056.

There are dozens of free family events across the bank holidays and the rest of half term. Check the website for details.

Marketing Officer Andrew Winder has news of how National Museums Liverpool will be one of 50 organisations marking the city’s International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May:

Many of the organisations involved will fly equality flags, host planters containing pansies created by artist Paul Harfleet and programme events.

At National Museums Liverpool, we plan to mark it with a special tour of Hello Sailor! at Merseyside Maritime Museum. The exhibition uncovers gay life at sea, particularly pre-decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. For many gay people, cruise ships and the merchant navy provided refuge that could not be found on land. A date for the tour of Hello Sailor has yet to be confirmed.

National Museums Liverpool is proud to support Homotopia’s IDAHO 50 initiative and is committed to ensuring that there is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender visibility in our collections, exhibitions and events.

Currently, at the Museum of Liverpool in the People’s Republic gallery, we display the equality flag flown over Liverpool Town Hall for the International Day Against Homophobia in 2009. Our Maritime Library contains the Sailing Proud archive of oral histories of gay seafarers. Some of Liverpool’s gay landmarks feature as part of the online interactive Mapping Memory pages with accompanying videos and photographs."

Children at the Maritime Museum looking at the giant ship model of Titanic

There can’t be many people who don’t know about Liverpool’s special guests this weekend. Three fantastical giants will be striding through the city telling a magical tale of love, loss and reunion. 

Sea Odyssey was inspired by the poignant letter written by May McMurray to her father who perished on the Titanic, on display in the Maritime Museum's exhibition, Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story.

The routes of both giants pass most of our venues so we have arranged the following free events to give you even more to do this weekend:

Maritime Museum

'Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story' marks the centenery of the sinking of the Titanic. Using the perspectives of real people, the exhibition gives a unique insight into events surrounding the launch, voyage, the sinking and its aftermath from a Liverpool angle.

Free family events explore the story further this weekend and beyond.

The Maritime Museum is open from 9am on Sunday 22 April.

Museum of Liverpool

In a poignant tribute to the brave Titanic Orchestra whose services were engaged by the agent Black Brothers of Liverpool, the museum is hosting a Titanic Playathon on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April.

There will also be other Titanic themed events across the weekend.

The Museum of Liverpool is open from 9am on Sunday 22 April.

Walker Art Gallery

Get creative at the Walker with the following family events:

Create a character
Saturday 21 April
2-4.30pm
Get ready for the arrival of Sea Odyssey’s Giant Uncle and make your own movable puppet.

Giants galore
Friday 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April
10am-4pm
Join us in Big Art to create your own artwork inspired by Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular.

Sea Odyssey doodle station
Friday 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April 
12.30-4.30pm
Join our volunteers for an afternoon of themed drawing activities and experiment with a variety of drawing equipment and materials.

Sudley House

'Titanic: Community costume display'
27 April- 27 May 2012
Selection of poignant works by Liverpool Community College to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Create a character
28 April
1-4pm
Explore the Sea Odyssey costumes and make your own moving character.

Today marks 100 days until the Olympics, and as the Games creep ever closer, we’re looking back at some of the medal winners who have come out of Merseyside since the first international Olympic Games held in the modern era.

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, yielded a bronze medal winner from Liverpool in the form of Konstantinos Paspatis, who actually won his medal for Greece.

Held in the Panathinaiko Stadium, Athens was unanimously chosen as the host city, as Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games and therefore seemed most appropriate for the inaugural modern Games.

Konstantinos Paspatis, whose merchant grandparents settled in Liverpool in the mid-1800s, was born in Liverpool to this prosperous Greek family, and went onto win bronze for his forefathers’ country in 1896.

Paspatis, a tennis player, competed in both the men’s singles and doubles tournaments, and won his bronze medal in the singles when he defeated George Robertson of Great Britain and Ireland in the first round and fellow Greek Aristidis Akratopoulos in the second round.

He met eventual cold medalist John Pius in the semi finals, and since there was no playoff for third place, Paspatis and Momcsilló Tapavicza of Hungary are considered to share third.

Visit the Museum of Liverpool's Wondrous Place gallery to learn more about sport in the city.