National Museums Liverpool Blog - Monday, March 10, 2008

Joanna Rowlands, Floella Benjamin and Lois Momoh in the International Slavery Museum

If, like me, you were born in the seventies the name Floella Benjamin will evoke happy memories of jolly people, multiple-sized Teds and variously shaped windows… when Opal Fruits were Opal Fruits and Pacers still existed. This weekend my lifelong ambition to meet the lady herself was realised when she visited the International Slavery Museum to give a talk for International Women’s Day.
 
Floella’s come a long way from looking through the round window and has a CV that most people would die for. She’s impossible to define in a word - actress, TV presenter, businesswoman, author, this list isn’t exhaustive. She’s been awarded an OBE, runs her own production company, is a Doctor of Letters, Chancellor of Exeter University and works tirelessly for charities such as Barnardo's.

Floella is pictured here with me and my colleague Lois Momoh in front of the Black Achiever’s Wall, a place on which Floella has surely earned? The list of people featured on the wall is by no means exhaustive, so today I’m launching a one woman campaign to make sure Floella gets a good speck next time the display is changed.

Here's a report from Ann-marie Cassidy, our project worker for engaging refugees and asylum seekers, about some of this weekend's activities.

"Saturday was International Women's Day. This special day is celebrated every year on 8th March. Throughout the world thousands of events are held to inspire women and honour their achievements.

Here at World Museum Liverpool we celebrated International Women's Day with a number of special activities.

We began in the atrium, with an activity called 'Home Sweet Home?' We erected a temporary shelter, which we hoped would represent the shelters often used by displaced people fleeing their homes in times of crisis. We wanted visitors to think about the things that were really important to them, by asking the question:

'If you had three minutes to leave your home, what would you take with you?'

We asked visitors to write or draw their answers on the shelter. Answers ranged from the emotional: mum, dad, dog, rabbit; to the practical: tent, Swiss army knife, torch, matches; to the sentimental: photographs, jewellery. A number of people also said that they would bring their computer games - until their friends pointed out that there would be nowhere to plug in their computer! All in all, it was a very thought-provoking activity.

This was followed by a textile workshop with Maryam Patala, based on the textile piece Freedom - who’s set the borders? (currently on display on the World Cultures gallery). Visitors had the opportunity to improve their sewing skills and learn about the appliqué technique used by Maryam to create the piece." 

You can see more photos of the 'Home Sweet Home?' shelter on our Flickr page.

The old gateposts of Bellefield

Whenever I see an imposing gateway, vivid pictures of vanished villas and stately residences come into my mind. Liverpool is a city of many mansions to this day, but a large proportion have been demolished by developers hungry for their land. Their gateways often remain, leading to nowhere.

A Victorian gateway stands on the fringes of a private park, the only reminder of a strange deserted house associated with doomed vessels known as coffin ships. This was Bellefield, in West Derby, Liverpool, and the owner who laid it waste was notorious shipowner Edward ‘Bully’ Bates MP. He was among unscrupulous operators who deliberately sent their overloaded coffin ships to sea. They hoped the ships would sink so they could make inflated insurance claims. Bates once lost six ships in a year. 

Reformer Samuel Plimsoll fought a long, bitter battle to outlaw this shameful practice. It resulted in the now-famous Plimsoll Line being introduced on ships’ hulls showing they were not overloaded. This law still applies today.

Bates was called ‘Bully’ for good reason as his brutish behaviour was legendary. He was said to have confronted an idle crew on one of his ships. Such was his commanding personality that he intimidated them with kicks and blows until all, but one, ran away. This was a slightly-built shipwright armed with an axe who prepared to defend himself. Bates discharged all the crew except the shipwright, saying: “I like pluck and do not mind being faced”.

Bates bought Bellefield in 1871 at the height of the coffin ships scandal. He planned a side entrance through the gateway which still stands, blocked by railings, on the edge of Sandfield Park. It was never used because stubborn Bates refused to pay the park dues.

At Merseyside Maritime Museum there is a large commemorative handkerchief depicting Samuel Plimsoll in 1875. As a result of his tireless efforts, a maximum loading line on ships was introduced in 1876. The handkerchief includes a map of Liverpool plus contemporary personalities and scenes of Liverpool.

Three cut-away models illustrate how typical cargoes were stowed on sailing ships. Some commodities such as coal and iron were carried loose in the hold. Sugar, salt and tobacco were shipped in barrels or sacks while cotton was put into bales.

What eventually happened to ‘Bully’ Bates and Bellefield? He was expelled from the Commons for bribing the electorate whereupon Tory Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rewarded him with a baronetcy. Bates died in 1896, aged 80. Bellefield was pulled down and the land later used as Everton soccer club’s training ground.

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

The second of what will hopefully be a monthly feature (prizes allowing) begins on Monday. Name that Object shows a new detail from an object in our collection every day for five days. Could be from any venue and any collection.  To win the prize all you have to do is identify the object and be the first to mail us the correct answer (use the 'contact us' form link on the competition page). As there's only one prize - the rather excellent catalogue that accompanied the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition - most of you will be 'playing for fun', and it is fun as you'll discover if you check out last month's game - bit of a warm up for you.

Hogarth in his new home

Here's a snap of last month's prize - a Superlambanana now christened Hogarth (I'll leave you to figure out why) - happily ensconced in his new home. His new owner got the answer right on clue one so you'll probably have to be there from kick off on Monday to be in with a chance. To make it a bit easier I'll tell you it is a painting and it is featured on our website.

You can also play via the rss feed so there's no chance of you missing a clue.

The Lord Mayor shows off his handiwork

We invited press to the Walker Art Gallery yesterday to see the Lord Mayor of Liverpool making his mark to the fabulous Liverpool Cityscape. We all held our breath as he sprayed in the clock hands of the Municipal building to point to the time 12.07. But as the picture above shows he didn't go over the lines and did a perfect job!

The time 12.07 was specially chosen to represents the year 1207 when Liverpool was granted its own status in King John’s Royal Charter, an important part of the city's history covered in Magical History Tour at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Ben Johnson has been working on the painting in front of a live audience for nearly six weeks. The last day for his public residency is 7 March 2008. The finished painting will be revealed in the exhibition Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series.

'St Bernardino Preaching' shown before conservation on the left and after on the right

Admit it - in your rush to get to see the portraits of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I at the far end of the Walker you've probably dashed past most of the other Medieval and Renaissance paintings without giving them a second glance. Which is a shame because there are some real gems on display.

Take 'St Bernardino Preaching' by Francesco di Giorgio for example, which is the Walker's picture of the month in March. It's being highlighted following recent conservation treatment, which has brought all of the vibrant colours and incredible detail in this busy scene back to vivid life. Have a look at our online feature about the conservation of 'St Bernardino Preaching' to see images of the painting before, during and after treatment, plus some fascinating insights into the techniques used by the artist.

There are also some gallery talks about the painting this month. Curator of continental European art Xanthe Brooke will be giving the first talk today at 1pm. Then Nicola Christie, the head of paintings conservation, will be talking about the conservation of the painting on Thursday 13 March, also at 1pm. See the Walker Art Gallery's What's On page for further details.

Campania at the Spithead Review, 1897 by Parker Greenwood

The Spithead Review of 1897 is one of the great historical naval spectacles that I would have liked to witness. It was a sight to freeze the enemy’s blood – a fleet of warships lined up in the greatest display of sea power the world had ever seen.

The Review is depicted in a remarkable painting at Merseyside Maritime Museum which captures the pomp and power of that day. In the centre of Parker Greenwood’s picture is Campania, at that time the pride of the Cunard Fleet. She steams slowly between lines of ironclad battleships bristling with guns.

The Campania, along with several other famous merchant ships, attended the Review to accommodate the guests. The event was to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee – 60 years on the throne. However, the Queen was not feeling up to taking to sea and her son Bertie – Prince of Wales and the future Edward VII – took her place. He was accompanied by guests from all over the British Empire and beyond.

This Spithead Review was claimed to be the largest number of warships ever gathered at anchor together. In two seven-mile-long lines between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight were 170 British naval ships including 50 battleships. Nearly all were less than 10 years old and were immaculately ablaze with brass and bunting. Crews stood in serried ranks in wide straw hats and spotless white uniforms in the stunning spectacle.

The painting shows guests crowded on the deck of the Campania under canvas awnings, looking at the warships as they pass by.

There was an incident that day which is not seen in the picture. In an impudent publicity stunt, Charles Algernon Parsons brought his revolutionary turbine boat Turbinia uninvited to the Review.  As the Prince of Wales, Lords of the Admiralty and other dignitaries looked on, Turbinia – much faster than anything else afloat – raced between the lines of big ships. She easily evaded the Royal Navy’s patrol boats.

Parsons, who invented the steam turbine in 1884, had made his dramatic point. In 1905 the Admiralty confirmed that all future Royal Naval ships would be turbine powered. The following year the first turbine powered battleship, the famous HMS Dreadnought, was launched.

Campania and her sister Lucania were ordered in 1891. They were Cunard’s response to recently-launched rivals on the Transatlantic service – White Star’s Teutonic (1889) and Inman Line’s City of New York (1888). When launched in 1893, both Campania and Lucania were described as “the most magnificently appointed passenger liners in the world”.

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

You can now see a Flickr slide show of photos of the School Champions documentary team in action earlier this week. They've taken some fantastic shots, including some really good views of the Museum of Liverpool construction site from the ferry. I really like their description of the mixture of old and new building styles on the waterfront as, which they've called 'architexture'.

The QE2 visited Liverpool last year and I was among the thousands of people who trudged through the rain to see her moored at the waterfront.

The QE2 served as a troopship during the Falklands war in 1982 when she carried 3,000 troops to the south Atlantic.

The original Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship Queen Mary were two of the most famous converted troopships of the Second World War, ferrying many thousands of military personnel to different areas of battle.

At Merseyside Maritime Museum there is an oil painting by Norman Wilkinson showing the Queen Mary and other ships on the Clyde.

Although vast numbers of troops and military supplies sailed to and from Liverpool and other west coast ports, during the war the two huge Queens always used the Clyde Anchorage, off Greenock, Scotland. This was Britain’s main trooping port during the war.

Also on display is an exhibition model of the 8,000-ton Marwarri of 1935. She was owned by T & J Brocklebank Ltd, managers for the Ministry of War transport.

Marwarri, like other British cargo liners, was requisitioned by the British Government soon after the outbreak of war.

After doing sterling service as a cargo carrier, she later carried both troops and equipment to support the invasion of Europe. The 1:192 model shows Marwarri in wartime grey.

In 1944 she made seven return passages to the Normandy beaches, carrying thousands of troops and vehicles for the invasion.

An oil painting of Marwarri was done by Sybil Rimmer in 1940 when she was working as a secretary with the Brocklebank Line. It shows the ship on a dull day in the Mersey, seen from the first floor of the Cunard Building at Liverpool’s Pier Head where Miss Rimmer worked.

A photograph shows the Marwarri preparing to join a convoy taking men and supplies across the English Channel to support the Normandy landings. Another shows British troops resting in hammocks below decks en route to Normandy.

Troopships, unlike landing ships, could not land troops directly on to the shore so had to use a seaport.

Regular naval ships were originally used to carry troops overseas. As part of their plan to invade Britain, the French built a fleet of 2,000 barges during the Napoleonic Wars but they were never used.

With the arrival of huge ocean liners in the 19th and 20th centuries, navies recognised their troop-carrying potential and began to charter them. The liners were painted grey and armed.

Merseyside Maritime Museum is open seven days a week, admission free. A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo.

Weatherhead pupils on their first visit to the Museum of Liverpool construction site back in January

It's a few weeks since the last update on the School Champions project, which offers pupils from local schools the opportunity to get involved with the development of the Museum of Liverpool. In that time the budding Spielbergs who are filming a documentary about the construction of the new museum have been busy. Yesterday pupils from Weatherhead Media College and St Margaret Mary's RC Junior School took a ferry across the Mersey to film and photograph the Museum of Liverpool build. Afterwards Weatherhead pupils were also allowed onto the construction site to film.

Below is a report on the day's activities from Champion Libby Brunskill. Photographs from the day will be available on our Flickr page soon.

After this we went onto the construction site of the new Museum of Liverpool. We spent roughly an hour taking shots of the museum and came up with some really creative images of the reflection of the sun’s light on the pillars. Also cranes, the size comparison between the old museum and new one, workmen in action, skips and tyre tracks were very interesting. The best shot was probably the JCB, which we filmed at different angles with the Liver Buildings in the background.

Next we went back to the Maritime Museum and took various shots of the anchor and spiral outside it. We were able to capture the new museum and the Liver Buildings through the hole in the anchor, which looked really effective when zoomed out. Then, we finally took shots of the celebrity wall in the Maritime museum."

Make sure you check out 'The Pool' show with Dave Monks on BBC Radio Merseyside, from 8pm this Sunday 2 March! I'm going to be on choosing my top three favourite Liverpool tracks of the moment and talking about 'The Beat Goes On'.

So tune in to hear my choices...a bit of eighties, a bit of punk and some wooly-hat-wearing-Velvet-Underground- meets-psychedelic sounds. I once did a similar thing choosing some tracks on the fantastic Halton FM a few years ago (yes, the dizzy heights of stardom) but at the BBC you get free coffee and the microphones are bigger.

If you miss the show you can also listen online for a week after it has aired by going to the BBC Liverpool website.

BBC Radio Merseyside – 'The Pool'

Every Sunday evening from 8-10pm

BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8 FM, 1485 AM and on digital

Botanical print of 'Narcissus jonquilla'

Any Welsh mothers out there should be spoilt rotten this weekend, for not only is it Mother's Day on Sunday but it's also St David's Day on Saturday.

E-cards for both occasions are available online, including a host of golden daffodils (well, 3 daffodils including a white one, but they're all very beautiful botanical prints from the fantastic collections at World Museum Liverpool) in the brand new St David's Day e-card selection.

Then for Sunday you can choose from a painting or an Egyptian mummy in the Mother's Day e-card selection.

Black achievers wall, International Slavery Museum © Redman Design/ International Slavery Museum

Judges from The Art Fund Prize visited the International Slavery Museum today. The panel have the tricky job of deciding which of the ten nominated UK museums and galleries demonstrate the most originality, imagination and excellence.

Fingers crossed they have enjoyed their visit today and that we are shortlisted to the final four (to be announced in early April). The winner will be announced on Thursday 22 May at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2008.

If you are one of the thousands of visitors who have visited the International Slavery Museum since it opened in August and think it deserves this prize then add your comment on The Art Fund Prize website.

Let's see what's through the round window...

If like me you grew up on a diet of Big Ted, Little Ted and Jemima the rag doll then you might be interested to know that the multi-talented legend that is Dr Floella Benjamin, will be coming to the International Slavery Museum! To celebrate International Women’s Day, Floella, who is Chancellor of the University of Exeter as well as being an actress, writer and children’s campaigner, will give an inspirational talk introduced by Dorothy Kuya.

This special free event will take place on Saturday 8 March 2008 at 7pm. Please contact Lizzy Rodgers to reserve a place on 0151 478 4543 or online here.