National Museums Liverpool Blog - Monday, May 22, 2006

World Museum Liverpool

On Friday night World Museum Liverpool was named the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in the annual Mersey Tourism Awards. Staff from the museum were on hand to receive the award at the ceremony at St George's Hall.

Each year the awards go to the cream of Merseyside's tourism organisations, both large and small. This isn't the first time National Museums Liverpool has been honored; in the past both the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery have won awards.

Update: As a consequence of winning this award the museum goes through to the Northwest Tourism Awards grand final in October where it will be up against Chester Zoo, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Muncaster in Ravenglass and the Imperial War Museum North.

An unexploded parachute mine in a garden in Childwall, Liverpool

You might have seen in the news that a 1,000lb bomb was found in Twelve Quays dock on the Birkenhead side of the Mersey (you might also have seen our own Dr Alan Scarth talking about it on the news). Anyhoo, if you want to learn more about the Liverpool Blitz - why bombs were dropped, what the residents did in the aftermath etc - you should check out our Liverpool Blitz interactive. 

HMS Walney moored outside the Maritime Museum

Here's a novel way of avoiding the roadworks and getting a prime parking space in the heart of the Albert Dock - travel on a warship.

HMS Walney is currently moored right opposite the front door of the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Just like buses, you see no enormous warships for ages then two turn up at once - HMS Atherstone is moored at the other side of the Pumphouse, near the entrance to the Albert Dock.

HMS Atherstone

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

Yes, we are on television again (in the Granada region anyway), this time in a behind the scenes series produced by local company, Conker TV.

'Culture Vultures' will run on ITV1 every Tuesday from 2nd to 23rd May at 7.30pm. So if you have ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes at the museum tune in.

...or maybe that should be Sky+ boxes.

Anyhoo, National Museums Liverpool is on telly as part of The People's Museum series on BBC2. Transmission dates for our venues are:

Monday 15th May @ 3.30pm - Walker Art Gallery
Friday 26th May @ 1pm - Conservation Centre
Tuesday 7th June @ 3.30pm - Lady Lever Art Gallery

We'll remind you nearer the time as well.

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!