National Museums Liverpool Blog - Thursday, March 27, 2008

Here's the latest update from Tom McConnell, who seems to be keeping busy on his work placement at National Museums Liverpool:

Ancient Egyptian scaffolding!

Hello,

I’m now on my third day here at NML. I had a good day yesterday at World Museum Liverpool. Highlights for me were seeing the new Egypt galleries taking shape and a visit to the zoology department. I also fitted in a visit to the National Museums Liverpool stores where I spied a fab looking Paul McCartney poster.

Today I was back at the stores helping with the Museum of Liverpool project. There I had to locate and find objects for the up and coming The Beat Goes On exhibition. These objects included Stuart Sutcliffe’s Guitar, a Beatles 7 inch vinyl singles folder, a piece of fabric from the original Magical Mystery Tour bus in the film and Beatles bobbing-head dolls.

A childhood game left me claustrophobic so I cannot abide crowds of people in enclosed, windowless spaces.

The popular Liverpool school playground activity in the 1950s involved a group of lads piling on top of you until you screamed for mercy. As a result, submarines are not for me.

Germany’s U-boats waged an underwater campaign against the transatlantic convoys bringing vital supplies to Britain during the Second World War.

But once the Allies had gained advantage in the Battle of the Atlantic there was no escape for the U-boats and it was only a matter of time before they were routed.

Although the Germans developed new U-boat weapons and equipment, they came too late. Renewal of the U-boat offensive was ended by Allied advances in Europe.

German naval commander Admiral Karl Donitz issued the ceasefire order on 4 May 1945. The U-boat crews were elite seafarers who were proud of their achievements. At the end of the war, more than 200 U-boats were scuttled by their crews so they would not fall into the hands of the Allies.

There is a display of U-boat exhibits at Merseyside Maritime Museum.  A U-boat issue grey leather jacket, made in Vienna, hangs next to a German-issue sweater with zip-up collar.

A pair of binoculars was taken from a captured U-boat commander. A Kriegsmarine ensign emblazoned with a swastika is believed to have come from a surrendered U-boat.

A wooden heart decorated with flowers has the humorous inscription in German: “The cunning of women is endless”. Kriegsmarine badges and personal effects were “liberated” from German naval barracks at Emden, north west Germany, by a British soldier.

A photo shows the crew of a U-boat standing with heads bowed as the sub docked at Wilhelmshaven naval base following the German ceasefire.

Image courtesy of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo

An aerial view reveals more than 60 surrendered U-boats at Lishally, near Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

A number of German submarines arrived in Liverpool and the surrendered U1023 is seen in the Mersey.

On display is the painted emblem from the conning tower of the U249, the first German submarine to surrender at sea to the Royal Navy at the end of the war. On 9 May 1945, following orders from German High Command, U249 surrendered to HMS Magpie and HMS Amethyst.

The emblem was the gift of Mrs P Symonds of Dorset in memory of her late husband, Capt George Symonds, in command of HMS Magpie at the time of the surrender.

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.

Here's the first post from a new contributor to the blog. As you can see from this picture, Tom is already hard at work on his first day at National Museums Liverpool.

Hello,

I'm Tom McConnell and I'm in Liverpool on my work placement for two weeks. I will be working in various NML venues throughout the city. I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne and have done since I was 2 years old, but was born in Liverpool.

I've spent an interesting day today with Community Partnerships learning about the new Museum of Liverpool.  I am particularly excited about the Beatles section of the museum as I have worshipped them since I was 5 (and I'm 15 in two weeks).

Launch of the Mauretania II

There are many many reasons why the exhibition Metropolis: capturing modern Liverpool, which has just opened at the National Conservation Centre, is really rather brilliant.

Firstly the photographs, which all come from the Stewart Bale collection held at the Maritime Archives and Library, are all stunning. If you don't believe me, The British Journal of Photography (who know a bit about these things) described the name of Stewart Bale as being "associated with a quality of performance never equalled in the field of photography".

Secondly, they document a period of tremendous change and significant events in Liverpool's history, including the construction of the Anglican cathedral and launch of the Mauretania II at Cammell Laird to name just a couple.

Thirdly, there are lots of instantly recognisable local streets and landmarks in the photographs. Some of them have changed significantly, others are only subtley different now, but all of them make really absorbing images. I really like the view across the city's rooftops from 1934, which includes St Luke's church and the partially built Anglican cathedral. Since then the cathedral's tower has been finished but the church (known locally as 'the bombed out church') is now an empty roofless shell, so you still wouldn't get a completed view of both buildings today.

Need I say more? Do pop in if you have a chance, you've got until 10 August when the exhibition closes.

I was very inspired after going along to the launch of Liverpool Reads at The Bluecoat recently. It was an event that was made even better as we were the first public to see the new gallery before it opened to the masses!

2008 is the National Year of Reading and Mal Peet is this year's Liverpool Reads author.The books chosen are 'Keeper' and 'Tamar', which are being given away for free all over the city right now, in libraries and other outlets.

Jane Davis (left) and Bea Colley (right) from Liverpool Reads and author Mal Peet (centre) at The Bluecoat.

'Keeper' tells the story of El Gato - the Cat - the world's greatest goalkeeper - and how he, a poor South American logger's son, learns to become a World Cup-winning goalkeeper so good he is almost unbeatable. 'Tamar' is a story of espionage, love, jealousy, and tragedy set in Nazi-occupied Holland and appeals to all ages.

Liverpool Reads are also hoping to bring groups of young people to Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Pier Master's House, so they can learn more about people's experiences in the Second World War, that they will have read about in 'Tamar'.

Mal talked about how important he thought it was for parents to read to their children, to inspire imagination and to create a bond. It was great to hear someone speak so passionately about the power of books.

The second of Samantha Parker's Museum of Liverpool progress videos is now available on the Liverpool Echo website. Fills you in on the progress with the steel structure, the next stage of the build and the view from those big windows at the end of the building.

National Museums Liverpool will be on put on the map during Liverpool's first annual Open Culture Easter Egg Hunt. You can join in and explore the city's cultural hotspots in pursuit of hidden treasures around ten locations, inlcuding some of our venues.

This could be yours...

Submit your completed form to Open Culture when you have solved all the clues for a chance to win the grand prize - a silver egg worth £1000!

Registration for your treasure map is on a first come first served basis and there are limited numbers, so email info@culture.org.uk for more information or go to the Open Culture website.

Margaret Scobie's scrapbook

I always think of Easter in terms of crowded church services, frolicking baby lambs, daffodils and chocolate eggs – it is not a festival which has any obvious seafaring links. Easter is traditionally a time for relaxation and leisure activities but for centuries seafarers would have seen little difference from one day to the next during the days of sail. Pursuits such as model-making and perhaps art work including scrimshaw had to be fitted in during quiet periods.

A cultural change blew in when steam supplanted sail on merchant ships criss-crossing the world as the British Empire reached its zenith. By the 1880s steam ships had largely taken over from sailing ships in the British merchant fleet.

Eventually the steamship era brought better conditions for most seafarers. Only the firemen and trimmers, who kept the ship’s furnaces supplied with coal, continued to work in particularly harsh and unhealthy conditions. Their salvation didn’t come until after the Second World War when oil replaced coal as fuel on most ships.

However, leisure facilities for seafarers on most ships were very limited before the 1950s. Officers and ratings relaxed by reading, writing letters home or playing cards, chess or similar games. Smoking was very popular but alcohol was strictly controlled.

On both passenger and cargo ships, crews often organised elaborate Crossing the Line ceremonies for their own and passengers’ amusement when ships passed over the equator. Boxing matches were also popular.

By the 1950s and 60s better facilities were gradually introduced. These included recreation rooms, film shows, deck tennis, bars and swimming pools. A large ship might also provide gym facilities and a separate TV lounge.

Exhibits in Merseyside Maritime Museum’s Life at Sea gallery include items used by Dorothy Scobie, of Liverpool, who joined Cunard White Star Line as a stewardess in 1939. After serving with the Royal Navy during the Second World War, she rejoined Cunard. From the 1950s until her retirement in the 1970s, Dorothy worked with Ellerman Lines and Belfast Ferries. On display is an embroidered scrapbook cover (shown) made by Dorothy while at sea during the 1950s plus three sketches made by one of her shipmates and kept in her scrap book.

A model of the Atlantic Conveyor, the well-known container ship built in 1985, gives an idea of the scale of this vast vessel. She has a crew of just 18 and the leisure facilities on board surpass anything available 50 years ago. These include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, cinema, sports room, TV and video/ DVD library room and even a conference room.

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

School Champions in the Liver Building

Here's the latest report from our School Champion Charlotte Osborne from St Margaret Marys Junior School, who has been on a visit to check on progress with the new Museum of Liverpool and explore some of the city's famous waterfront.

"I really enjoyed our second champions visit to the museum to learn more about the Museum of Liverpool visit and the three Graces.

We were very lucky to have a tour of the Liver buildings and also visit the Port of Liverpool and Cunard buildings. We all felt really excited inside the Three Graces because not many members of the public visit there!

I concentrated on all the different objects in them and wondered whether any of them would be good to put in the Museum of Liverpool. In the 'Port of Liverpool Museum' there was a marble effect compass and when you looked up the view was really cool! In the 'Cunard Building' there were posters that read 'Cunard to Canada' and many more different posters! In the 'Liver Building' I enjoyed concentrating on the stained glass window. On the top of the Liver Building there was a Liver Bird on each side, one of them looked at the sailors wives and the other looked at the sailors!

We then went over to look at the new Museum of Liverpool with Karen, Dave and Curtis this was the first time we had looked at the building very close up and we are hoping to get inside the building for a tour next time.

I enjoyed watching the slide show of how the new Museum of Liverpool was going to look like, and all the different galleries. Liz asked us questions and I was really excited of how it is going to look when it is finally finished.

In the afternoon we all made a poem about Liverpool and the New Museum with Curtis and mine was about the history of Liverpool and the new galleries in the Museum. I enjoyed doing the creative writing and would really like do it again.

Dave set out loads of objects all about ships and the river and I was really interested in what he was talking to us about and I was focused on everything he was saying! I thought it was amazing that you can measure the angle of the sun from the horizon.
 
Thank you for my wonderful day out again, we are really looking forward to the next time we visit!"

Today many people across Liverpool will be celebrating St Patrick's Day, or maybe even continuing the festivities which seem to have kicked off on Friday evening.

If you are stuck for ideas of a fitting way to spend the day, here's a blast from the past in the form of a handbill from the Museum of Liverpool's collections. It's advertsing a 'St Patrick's Gala Night' held in Liverpool's Rialto Ballroom back in 1939. 

With cocktails, cabaret, dancing until 2am, 'Irish novelties' (whatever that means), a running buffet (for moderate charges) and Ben Reynold's Irish music it sounds like it was a top night. And all for the meagre price of 2/6 - which sounds cheap but somebody will probably tell me that was most your week's wages back then...

Thank you to all the people who have posted comments about their experience of the International Slavery Museum on the Art Fund Prize webpage. It's really good to know that the museum is appreciated by our visitors as well as the judges.

If you've not posted your comment yet, and would like the judges to hear your views before they make their final decision next month, you still have time. Just visit the Art Fund website and tell the judges why you think the International Slavery Museum should win the prize. There you'll also find details of the evening reception we're holding on 2 April.

Can't believe no one's got this yet - thought it would have gone yesterday. The prize in this month's Name That Object game is still not won and today is the last day. This is today's clue - bit of a give away. All of this week's clues, plus the link to enter the competition, are on the Name That Object page. The prize is the catalogue from the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition.

This month's final clue

Sketchbooks at the ready!

Are you a budding Botticelli, a promising Picasso or would you just like to be able to make you stick figures look less like, erm, a pile of sticks? If so and you’re aged between 11 and 16 then Culture Vultures at the Lady Lever Art Gallery is the place for you. There are still a few places left on this week-long course for young people who want to explore their artistic side running from 25 - 28 March. You’ll get to try your hand at sketching, craft activities and photography all in the inspiring surroundings of the Lady Lever. If you want to book a place call Lauren Gould our Learning Officer on 0151 478 4143.   

I think it’s fair to say we all need a little encouragement to draw out our artistic sides. It took an influential primary school teacher to force, sorry encourage me, to play Joseph in the school musical (Boltonian boys are notoriously tone-deaf) and I’ve never looked back. As my colleagues in the Press and Marketing office will tell you this extensive training has not gone to waste and is regularly demonstrated in the finest Liverpool karaoke establishments.