National Museums Liverpool Blog - Thursday, January 11, 2007

Today award winning author Andrea Levy was at the Merseyside Maritime Museum to launch this year's Liverpool Reads project. There she met children from Windsor Street School who were taking part in a Brouhaha International drumming session.

The annual Liverpool Reads event has joined forces with several other reading initiatives across the country to form Small Island Read 2007. It's hoped that tens of thousands of people all over the country will be reading Andrea's Orange prize winning novel, Small Island. The novel was chosen because not only is it a fab read (yes, I have read it) but also because it looks at the experiences of Jamaican migrants living in post-war Britain and explores highly relevant themes for 2007; the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade.

Not only can residents of the participating cities get their hands on a copy of Small Island, but there is also a guide to the novel (which you can download from the project site), and a book for younger readers; Benjamin Zephaniah's Refugee Boy. Check out the website for details.

Realise I told you last week that the dig was starting on 4th January but there was a bit of a delay, so today is officially day 4 and already we can see something. Archaeologist, Mark Adams, fills us in (as opposed to excavating the dock...never mind)

"Removal of the tarmac to expose archaeological deposits has continued this week despite frequent bouts of heavy rain and strong winds. Much of the upper surface of the entrance lock has now been exposed and some of the iron fittings for the lock gates are also visible. Work on revealing the surrounding quaysides is now in progress and has already found structures such as bases for cranes and basements belonging to dock buildings."

You can see another photo from today, plus other dig photos, on our Flickr page.
Information on the Museum of Liverpool project is on our main site.

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.

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.

Karen introduced our head of archaeology Rob Philpott on the blog last week in a post about the excavation of the site for the new Museum of Liverpool. Today was the first official day of the dig, so I donned a hard hat and high visibility jacket to visit Rob and his team in action on the site.

Although relatively little of the tarmac covering the site has been removed so far, the team have already found the entrance to the original Manchester Dock. While I was there volunteer Anis Price uncovered the metal from the top of the dock gates, which she is pointing out to Rob in the photograph above. Some original cobblestones had also been exposed and we were starting to see the base of settings for cranes and other dock machinery.

As the dig progresses the team will be digging up the infill from behind the dock wall that dates back to the 1780s when the Manchester Dock was created, so could unearth ceramics or other interesting finds from the time. Rob will be keeping the blog posted about any discoveries and news.

You can see a Flickr slideshow of photos from the first day here.

A few weeks ago I told you about the new BBC period drama, Lilies, some of which was filmed at our venues. Well the first episode of this 8 part series is broadcast at 9pm on BBC1 on Friday, so curl up with the last of your Christmas chocolate and get location spotting.

If you missed the fireworks at the Walker on Friday night you can check out some photos on the Daily Pete website (this isn't one of them - this was taken by Karen Young from the press office).

Liverpool has seen remarkable times and for me, Stephen Guy, there is added interest because I or my family and ancestors lived through most of them.

A small seaside town is clustered around a romantic-looking castle while more than 20 sailing ships of all sizes criss-cross the choppy waters. This is Liverpool in 1680 painted by an unknown artist. It is one of the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s fascinating series of paintings portraying Liverpool over more than 300 years of phenomenal growth.

This early painting also interests me because it was about the time my Guy ancestors moved, probably from the Melling area, to live and work in the growing town of Liverpool. Many other families were being drawn from the surrounding countryside as the port grew.

Liverpool in 1680 is the earliest known painting of Liverpool with the medieval castle dominating the town named after the Pool, a creek that was later filled in. The castle, demolished in the early 1700s, stood on the site of the Victoria Monument in Derby Square.

In the centre is Water Street and to the left is the Tower built about 1540, the former town house of the Earls of Derby. The only building still recognisable is St Nicholas’s parish church which has been altered and rebuilt over the centuries.

Trade was expanding rapidly and the estuary is full of local river and coastal craft as well as large sea-going vessels. These larger vessels were probably preparing to depart for north America.

Forty-five years later Liverpool has changed almost beyond recognition. A Prospect of Liverpool 1725 (you can see it on our main site) by an unknown artist is an imaginary aerial view. The main feature is the town’s first dock built in 1715 which can be seen on the right of the picture.  A large brick building at the head of the dock is the Customs House of 1722. Further back a big flag is flying over the Town Hall and Exchange. St Nicholas’s also features. In the river a group of vessels fires a salute, a common practice at this period.

It is likely that this remarkable view was commissioned by a wealthy Liverpool citizen. The painting oozes confidence and optimism – even the masts and spars of the ships in dock are at jaunty angles.

Next week we look at the growth of Liverpool from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the late Victorian era.

There is more on the painting, Liverpool in 1680 on our main site, as well as desktop wallpaper of this fascinating piece. There are also many other maritime views of Liverpool to examine, with dates ranging from 1680-1893.

A new Maritime Tale appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo.

Audio downloads of the Lady Lever and Walker Art Galleries' December artwork of the month talks are now online.

At the Walker, Curator of British paintings Alex Kidson took a look at Henry Fuseli's 'The Death of Oedipus' (mp3/transcript/links). Fuseli's painting portrays a scene from the Sophocles play 'Oedipus at Colonus'.

At the Lady Lever, Dr Paul O'Keeffe gave a seasonal talk on 'The Annunciation' by Edward Burne-Jones (mp3/transcript/links). Paul discusses buying a bible and concordance, the connections between Eve and Mary, original sin, the V&A exhibition 'Renaissance domestic life in Italy', the model and her famous daughters, the history of the Grosvenor Gallery, Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Patience', Oscar Wilde, William Morris and Clause 8 of the Trust deed of the Lady Lever collection.

I popped into the Walker before to see the Sam Taylor-Wood video of David Beckham and admire his perfectly manicured thumbnail. I wonder if he had his nails done specially for the video or if they're always in that good condition?

On the way in I couldn't help notice some fencing and strange tent-like structures going up around the Steble fountain opposite the gallery's entrance. These are all part of the preparations for tomorrow evening's firework display from the gallery's roof. Originally scheduled for new year's eve, until the weather got too windy, the fireworks can now be seen from 7.30pm tomorrow.

The fireworks officially kick off the city's 800th anniversary year of celebrations, so do come to see them and wish Liverpool a happy birthday if you're in the area.

We may all be back at work again after Christmas but the party spirit is set to continue at World Museum Liverpool, where a series of events are planned over the next 2 weekends to celebrate the Arabic festival of Eid al-Adha.

Eid al-Adha is an Islamic period of thanksgiving which also marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. It is celebrated by families and friends of all ages wearing best clothes, giving presents, eating and playing.

This morning Najib Al-Hakimi came in to drum up some support for the festival, with the help of museum staff Enes Senussi and Alex Shears. Najib, from the Liverpool Arabic Centre, has co-ordinated the events, along with the Merseyside Yemini Community Association.

The events start with a party at the museum on Saturday 6 January from 12.30-4.30pm, featuring music from Manchester's Al-Bawady Band and Sheffield's Al-Nawares Band, traditional Yemini dancing, moderm dance workshops, drama, henna hand and face painting, a clown and much more.

The following weekend the Arabic Cultural Foundation have organised activities in the Weston Discovery Centre from 12.30-3.30pm on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 January. For more details see the What's On listings for World Museum Liverpool.

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.

Note from Karen: introducing Rob Philpott, head of archaeology at National Museums Liverpool. He'll be providing regular updates on progress at the dig which is about to begin at the waterfront. If all this is totally new to you and you've no idea what is happening at the dock you can read-up on the main site.

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Tomorrow archaeologists from NML's Field Archaeology Unit are starting work on the site of the new Museum of Liverpool. The new museum will be built on the Liverpool waterfront on an area of land which was reclaimed from the estuary in the late 18th century to construct some of Liverpool's vast sequence of docks. We will be working in advance of construction to ensure that the remains of the two docks affected by the scheme, Manchester Dock and Chester Basin, are fully recorded. As the top of the docks lie close to the surface, we will first be removing the tarmac surface to expose the dock walls and quaysides. These will be mapped and photographed and a detailed plan made.

There will be an update next week, plus details of finds as we uncover them.

Rob Philpott.

The story of the Royal Charter has fascinated me, Stephen Guy, since childhood when I took holidays on Anglesey just down the coast from where she was wrecked.

Gold and more gold. Many of the travellers had made their fortunes in the Australian gold fields and now they were anticipating lives of comfort.

In their expensive clothes, bedecked with jewellery and other symbols of their wealth, they boarded the luxury 2,700-ton steam clipper Royal Charter at Melbourne and set sail for Liverpool.

On board were 498 passengers and crew - and nearly two tons of gold plus 48,000 gold sovereigns with a total value of around £500,000 (a staggering £35 million in today’s money).

It was 1859 and the Royal Charter was one of the finest, fastest passenger ships and could cover the long journey from Australia in under 60 days.

As the ship approached Liverpool she hit one of the worst storms ever seen in the Irish Sea. The Royal Charter was tossed around like a cork as she hugged the coast of Anglesey. The anchors were dropped but ferocious seas broke the chains.

Royal Charter crashed on rocks off Moelfre and there were terrible scenes as people made frantic attempts to reach the shore. Some tried to save their fortunes by filling their pockets with gold and as they desperately tried to swim to safety, the heavy gold dragged them under. Only 39 people survived and bodies were recovered for days afterwards.

Exhibits from the wreck can be seen in Merseyside Maritime Museum’s emigrants’ gallery. They include a section of the wooden stern - the broken fragment’s carvings indicating the high standard of workmanship on the Royal Charter.

A delicate cup and saucer reflect the luxurious style of the ship. A gold signet ring with the initials SG provokes questions about who owned it.

But perhaps the most evocative is a section of thick rope. Able seaman Joseph Rogers (pictured) was the first to reach shore carrying a long length of this rope from the wreck. He lashed it to the rocks and a bosun’s chair was fitted so that some lives were saved. There were horrific tales of people plunging into the foaming seas.

And what of the gold? Most of it was recovered but who knows how much still lies scattered far and wide after nearly 150 years of tides?

There's lots more information on the people who travelled to and from Australia via Liverpool in the 19th century in a special online feature, Leaving From Liverpool.

A new Maritime Tale appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo.

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

Welcome to the first of my online Maritime Tales. In this post I'm looking at CSS Alabama.

The warship Alabama wreaked havoc on the high seas for the breakaway Confederate States during the American Civil War – and she was built in Birkenhead. Alabama sank or captured 67 Union sailing ships and one steamer before the USS Kearsage sent her to the bottom off Cherbourg, France, in 1864.

Laird Brothers built the Alabama for agents of the Confederate Navy in 1862. There was a lot of support for the Confederates in Liverpool because the huge cotton industry had been badly affected by the Civil War. Cotton from the Confederate states was hit and thousands of cotton workers in Lancashire thrown out of work.

The British government had adopted a neutral stance in the Civil War. When they found out where the Alabama was destined, ministers ordered that she be detained in Birkenhead. However, the Alabama managed to slip away, steaming down the Mersey supposedly to carry out engine trials. She made for the Azores where she was fitted with armaments.

During her two-year campaign, she cruised the seas looking for prey. First she created havoc from Newfoundland to the Caribbean. Then she was off the coast of Brazil before crossing the Atlantic to South Africa.

The Alabama sailed the Indian Ocean and travelled as far east as Singapore. She met her nemesis after going to Cherbourg for an extensive refit. Her captain, Raphael Semmes, wanted to stay for several months but the French ordered him to leave. The Alabama went out to meet the Kearsage. The two ships fought while spectators watched from the shore. After being at sea so long, Alabama was no match for the Kearsage and was reduced to a battered hulk in an hour.

There are a number of fascinating exhibits associated with the Alabama at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.  A signet ring bears the name R Hobbs, possibly a Liverpool man who was quartermaster on the Alabama. He was wounded in the famous showdown with the Kearsage. A miniature anchor is believed to be made from brass from the Alabama’s engine room. 
A model of the Alabama has fine details including eight cannons on deck.  The oil painting of the ship by Samuel Walters is also on show in the Art & the Sea gallery.

On our main site you can see photographs taken on board ship, plus there's more about Liverpool's role in the American Civil War.

A new Maritime Tale appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo.