National Museums Liverpool Blog - Monday, October 01, 2007

No it's not another tragic episode of Celebrity Big Brother - I found these well-known 'personalities' side by side during my latest visit to the Magical History Tour exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum.

The lively 'L Factor' audio-visual display celebrates many of the sportspersons, actors, musicians and other famous faces who originate from the city of Liverpool, through film clips and a wall of fame. Pete Burns was almost unrecognisable from the footage of his eighties hey day while Cherie Blair (her Father, the actor Tony Booth was from Liverpool) stared calmly out from her photo on the surrounding wall. The wall also includes the likes of Kathy Tyson, Kim CattralI, Levi Tafari and even Cheggers!

Has Cheggers earned his place on the wall? (Image © Chegwin Media Associates)

I will admit to having a bit of a dance to the footage of Echo and the Bunnymen (much to the embarrassment of my companion). I was surprised to see the likes of Jason Isaacs – aka Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter - on the wall of fame. I had no idea he was a scouser!

Perhaps Courtney Love should be given an honorary place on the wall, as she lived in Liverpool for a while in the eighties. She stayed with Julian Cope from Liverpool band, The Teardrop Explodes, at his flat on Devonshire Road and she was apparently very inspired by the city.

Have a look and see if you agree with the choice of famous faces in the exhibition - who else do you think deserves a place there?

The Britannia (detail, reproduction) on display in the Lifelines Gallery. Image courtesy of Liverpool Daily Post and Echo

To me, Stephen Guy, Samuel Cunard is one of the most inspirational figures in the history of the business side of seafaring. Cunard (1787 – 1865) was the founder of perhaps the best-known shipping line in the world which had small beginnings in Liverpool (more on the main site). Merseyside Maritime Museum has many exhibits linked to the Cunard line but today we focus on the Canadian entrepreneur’s first ship, the paddle steamer Britannia.

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Cunard was a civil engineer who came to Britain to operate a fast mail service using steamships between the UK and America. A fine portrait bust of him can be seen on the top floor.

A huge shipping line grew from the early days of Britannia which is represented in the museum by a superb, finely-detailed model made by legendary ship modellers Bassett Lowke Ltd. Britannia was built by R Duncan & Co in Greenock in 1840 and was Cunard’s first purpose-built Atlantic liner. She was way ahead of sailing ship competition in terms of passenger accommodation and speed but there were some disadvantages to this ultra-modern mode of transport. A display panel in the museum’s Lifelines gallery shows Britannia leaving Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Boston, Massachusetts, on 4 July 1840.

Because she was designed for speed, passengers had to put up with some inconveniences. About half the space on board was taken up by her engines and coal bunkers. The noise and vibrations of the engines and paddle-wheels and the smoke on deck from the belching funnel were very unpleasant. However, compared with contemporary sailing ships her passenger accommodation was considered luxurious – small cabins housing 115 people on the main deck below. There was also a dining saloon.

Cows were carried on deck to ensure supplies of fresh milk. The holds could carry up to 225 tons of cargo.

A model of a First Class stateroom shows the best that early Victorian sea-travellers could experience - little more than a pokey cubby-hole but luxurious by the standards of the time. It was used by popular author Charles Dickens and his wife during a 14-day voyage on Britannia from Liverpool to Boston USA in 1842.
   
The tiny detailed model shows two narrow bunks, a bench, primitive washing facilities and a few coat hangers and no wardrobes. There is even Dickens’ minute silk top hat, overcoat, boots and duck-headed cane. Dickens wrote in his American Notes: “Nothing smaller for sleeping in was ever made than a coffin”. (You can read Dickens' American Notes on the Free Library website).

A PS Britannia wallpaper is available on our main site.

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

Hello all

So what have I been up to since my last blog post? Well, it has been pretty varied. Last Monday I did an interview for the Yorkshire Evening Post. I have to say that this could be seen as the pinnacle of a career for a Yorkshireman. The journalist was called John Woodcock, a very nice easy going character. He got very excited when I told him I was brought up in Tadcaster. For anyone that likes real ale then Tadcaster is the place to be brought up.

I have had to do a lot of media in the past few weeks, some good some not so good. It depends very much on the interviewer. Some are very easy going and friendly; others seem to think they are doing me a favour by talking to me. It is part of the job that has taken me a while to get used to but at the end of the day it is positive that I have the opportunity to raise the profile of the museum.

This coming week is a very exciting one for me as not only is it the start of Black History Month but I will get to meet the son of the greatly talented Paul Robeson - an actor, singer and lawyer who was unpopular with the American government in the 1930s as he visited the Soviet Union. On his return to the United States, he refused to sing to segregated audiences. I am pleased to say that Paul Robeson has been added to our Black Achievers Wall (remember, you can nominate your own Black achiever by sending me an email).

I'll sign off for now. By the way, I was in a good mood most of the week as we beat Swansea 2-0 but on Saturday we were cheated out of 2 points by a referee who sent off 2 players! Bitter, me, a Leeds fan... no way!

Just a few of the faces on the Black Achievers Wall in the International Slavery Museum

Black History Month starts on Monday, yet another good reason (as if you need one) to visit the International Slavery Museum. As always, there are lots of events planned across our venues, check out the Black History Month programme for further details.

To get you in the mood, here's a great rap poem that was written by ten year old Robert Thomas after he had attended the Slavery Remembrance Day events with his family

Down with Poverty, Racism and all the rest;
Stop it now 'cos you know it's best;
This is no jest.
We're all the same both black and white;
You know it's right
So don't give up without a fight!

This may look like an informal coffee break but the people around this table are actually helping to shape the future of our museums. Community consultation co-ordinator Helen Robinson has been holding a series of these meetings to tell people about plans for the new Museum of Liverpool and get them involved with some of the decisions about what will go on display there.

Helen is keen to meet up with community groups from all over Merseyside involved and is planning more consultation meetings for later this year. If you would like to get involved you can send Helen an email or ring her on 0151 478 4003.

There's another opportunity to discuss the plans for the new museum at a free Port City public forum next Wednesday, 3 October, 6-8pm at Merseyside Maritime Museum. The forum aims to address questions such as whether Liverpool is still perceived as a port city and how have the docks shaped the city. With contributions from Dr Adrian Jarvis, Professor WR Lee and Tony Lane from the University of Liverpool and Linda McDermott from BBC Radio Merseyside, this should be an interesting discussion.

The Duke of Kent chats to Sandra Penketh

Last Friday the Duke of Kent paid a visit to the Lady Lever Art Gallery. He was in Liverpool to officially open the new cruise liner terminal on the waterfront, and while here popped over the water to the Lady Lever. Here he is chatting to gallery head, Sandra Penketh.

Update 26.09.07: caught up with Sandra who told me that HRH was amazed by the size of the collection and thought it would take several days to tour properly. He was particularly interested in the Chinese displays, and the Masonic collection as he is Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England (Freemasons).

Nathan Pendlebury with one of his paintings

We've mentioned before that several of our staff lead exciting creative double lives outside office hours. Take Nathan Pendlebury for example. By day he works in our photography department and by night he takes highly acclaimed photographs of his own, some of which were recently selected for the 2007 Chelsea International Fine Art Competition at the Agora Gallery in New York. He's also an abstract artist whose paintings have been widely exhibited.

Anyone wondering where he gets his artistic streak from needs to look no further than the Liverpool Academy of Arts on Seel Street, where Nathan's work is being shown until 5 October as part of a joint exhibition 'Begin' with his dad Tony. This is the first time that they have exhibited together and is a fascinating body of work. While each artist has his own distinct style, their work complements the other's beautifully, as you would expect from a pair who have worked so closely and inspired each other. There's even a painting that they worked on together.

Back in the 1950s when I, Stephen Guy, was a child, Pilot matches were sold and used everywhere as many Britons smoked like chimneys and houses were heated with open fires. The trademark on the box included a wonderful old engraving of a pilot dressed in sou’wester hat and oilskins, clutching a ship’s wheel. This was obviously from the days of sail. After more than 100 years using sailing ships, it was not until 1896 that the first steamship - the Francis Henderson - was used by Mersey pilots.

Many pilots were against the introduction of steam, believing that the manoeuvrability of sailing ships and their ability to function in heavy weather could not be matched. However, the Francis Henderson – named after the chairman of the Pilotage Committee – proved them wrong and she saw successful service until 1917. A fine model of her is in the Merseyside Maritime Museum collections.

The pilot cutter, Edmund Gardener

In 1913 an Act of Parliament laid down the framework for the modern system of pilotage, bringing all British ports into line. In Liverpool, pilotage is compulsory for all vessels over 250 tons. Certain ferries making regular visits, whose captains are familiar with the port, do not require pilots.

Until 1982, pilots stayed on board pilot boats anchored in Liverpool Bay. These could accommodate up to 40 pilots and apprentices. The last of these pilot cutters was the 701-ton Edmund Gardner, now preserved in dry dock on the Historic Quaysides - the largest ship in the Maritime Museum’s collection. Built in 1953, she was one of a new generation of diesel-electric powered vessels built to replace the pre-war steam cutters. Lovingly looked after by museum staff and volunteers, she is preserved as she appeared during her working life.

Today pilots travel to incoming vessels using high-powered launches after being alerted exactly when the ship will arrive in Liverpool Bay. The Shearwater was one of these fast pilot launches, notable because she sank in an accident in 1987. Fire broke out in her engine room and she foundered off the Mersey Bar. Her crew, having fought the blaze for 20 minutes, were picked up by another pilot launch.

Even in the days of sail, pilots sometimes could not board vessels because of atrocious weather conditions. A painting by J Witham (1831–1901) in the museum collections shows a remarkable incident that took place in February 1881. The pilot schooner, Leader, led a fleet of vessels safely over the Bar during a north-westerly gale in conditions too severe to allow pilots to board.

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

Artist Anthony Brown gives museum volunteer Charlene Ugbode a preview of his exhibition

You may have seen some of Anthony Brown's distinctive portraits already, as they have been appearing in venues all over the city as part of the 100 heads thinking as one exhibition. As the title suggests, there are 100 portraits in the collection which together form one very personal portrait of the characters who make Liverpool the city it is today. From tomorrow ten of these portraits will be on display at the Maritime Museum, including three (of George Melly, Gareth Abbott and Bill Citrine) that have not been on show before. 

Now the prospect of seeing this display, the Magical History Tour exhibition and the International Slavery Museum all in one building would surely be enough to tempt anyone down to the Albert Dock this weekend. Add to this the return of the popular Hello Sailor! exhibition, which returns tomorrow after a successful visit to Southampton, and I think you've got a winner.

It's almost enough to make the people visiting on the QE2 today want to jump ship and stay in the city for the weekend. Well, they wouldn't want to stay for the weather, would they?

Update: sorry for any confusion - I did say that there were nine heads but I can't count - there's actually ten including a last minute addition. Thanks to the ever vigilant and sharp eyed Ian Jackson for spotting that!

National Museums Liverpool staff are heading a unique independent project for 2008. Face of the City is encouraging workers in Liverpool city centre to get creative and to display their own artwork in their workplaces as part of the Capital of Culture celebrations. The idea is that we should all be showing off our talents during the Capital of Culture year, whether we've ever done anything remotely artistic or not.

The Face of the City team are looking for volunteers to become Project Coordinators - basically the person who organises the exhibition/display in your workplace, as well as people to display their work. The display doesn't have to be anything huge and amazing, a section of wall in a corridor or your office would do just fine. Check out the website for more information.