National Museums Liverpool Blog - Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Here's our Planetarium demonstrator, John Moran, to tell us what planets we can look out for in the night sky this month...

Saturn. Image courtesy of NASA.

Hope you’re all over your Christmas hangovers! Well if you’re looking for a good way to involve the kids in science without having to go anywhere, then you should get out in the back garden. There are planets galore this month in the night sky for those of you with telescopes.

Jupiter, the king of planets, is unmistakable as it is so bright. Try viewing the Galilean’s (which are the four planet sized moons orbiting this gas giant, named after the man who discovered them, Galileo) at about 8pm. Check the position of the moons, then leave your telescope set up and go back to it two hours later and you will find that the moons have changed position. Also look for the equatorial bands and the great Red Spot on Jupiter too. It’s a really rewarding object to view.

Next up is the home to many a spaceman story, the red planet Mars. Swing your telescope towards the east at around about 10pm (but the kids should be in bed by now!) and look for Mars behind the constellation of Leo. Again, it is unmistakable as it is clearly red and it doesn’t twinkle. If you’re lucky you may get to see the polar icecaps.

Lastly, for our viewing pleasure, we have the ringed beauty Saturn following behind Mars from 1am. Your telescope will clearly show off the gorgeous ring system and the gap between rings and planet. Nothing will prepare you for the first time you see the rings of Saturn, it truly is one of the most breathtaking sights. See what you think when you first glimpse it and let me know...

Image National Museums Liverpool

I used to enjoy going for a row on the park lake but now such an experience is difficult to come by.

There are no rowing boats left on Liverpool’s lakes, which is a great shame. No longer do you hear the iconic cry: “Come in number 12!” when your half hour is up.

Many marine paintings feature them but they are often overlooked – the humble rowing boat has always been a key part of maritime life.

Merseyside Maritime Museum’s Art & The Sea gallery features many models and pictures with all types of oar-driven boats from lifeboats to the working boats of the Mersey.

The painting Elinor Chapman off Liverpool by Joseph Heard (1799 – 1859) features a device often used by the artist – he tilts the vessel slightly to show what is happening on deck.

Heard gives the same treatment to a passing small boat that scurrying past under sail. The oars can be seen stowed ready for use when they approach the quayside.

Eight men in a rowing boat are included in 28 Gun Ship in the Mersey by John Jenkinson (pictured). Six of them pause with their oars out of the water as the warship passes.

This painting dates from around the time of the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and shows a frigate – the type of vessel used in patrol and defence work. Horatio Nelson defeated the Spanish and French fleets in the battle. As a result peace reigned and the Royal Navy dominated the seas for the next century.

The victory was an important factor in the growth and prosperity of Liverpool and other ports because British merchant ships could travel the seas largely without fear of attack.

At least six rowing boats can be seen in a beautifully-detailed painting called The Brig St Lucia in the Mersey by Robert Salmon. They carry between three and six people.

The painting was commissioned by Hugh Owen, captain of the St Lucia 1821 – 1823. St Lucia was built in Liverpool in 1818 for the Caribbean trade in sugar and other tropical goods.

The museum’s ship models depict lifeboats in various levels of detail. These include the Empress Queen, my own favourite of all the models on display.

The Haverford is one of the few that includes the oars in the lifeboats – 18 are depicted in this tour de force of the model-makers craft.

Some, including the original Titanic builder’s model, have the lifeboats covered with tarpaulins.

Three rowing boats were constructed in amazing detail in the Pilkington Collection of French Prisoner-of-War Models, outstanding treasures of the museum. One depicts a large boat with seating for about 20 rowers.

This is a version of my Maritime Tale that originally appeared in the Liverpool Echo.

Crowds prepare to watch the action at Elland Road, Leeds

In 2008 I wrote a blog about my experiences as a Leeds United fan and how Elland Road in the early 80s was a haven of racist abuse and bigotry, usually aimed at opposing Black and Asian players and fans.  I explained how I felt uncomfortable when hundreds of people chanted something racist but at the same time I refused to leave or walk away.  I had as much right as anyone to be there, I was a Black Yorkshireman and proud of it.

I also placed a link to Kick it Out, an initiative unthinkable in the 80s, established in 1997, with the admirable aim of challenging discrimination and encouraging inclusive practices in the game.  So it is sad that in 2012 there is the need to blog about such issues, showing there is plenty of work to do.

There have been a number of articles and statements made about several recent high profile examples of allegations of racist abuse in football which to some degree have sadly overshadowed the success of various anti-racism campaigns and initiatives. Football clubs have a responsibility in the first instance to their supporters and local community. In Liverpool for example, a city with an international slavery museum, a city with the Anthony Walker Foundation and like-minded organizations fighting against racism and bigotry, what is needed, whatever the outcome of such investigations, is a statement that racism and discrimination is totally unacceptable in the modern game and that cultural misunderstandings should not be a smokescreen for unacceptable comments.

Football clubs should take the initiative, and educate British and international players on the cultural differences which might exist in their own changing rooms and what as a result is acceptable behaviour and use of language. Also, I hope that international footballing bodies also begin to look long and hard at how they deal with racist incidents on and off the pitch.  A handshake does not adequately settle racist abuse between players and racist monkey chants at Black players in various European countries is not eradicated by paltry fines. Come on football; get a grip of the situation. 

Dr Richard Benjamin, Head of International Slavery Museum

Clearing ice from the deck of Montrose, 1928 (reference PR 154)

I have been trying to find a photograph on a Christmas/Winter theme for a festive blog post to advertise the Maritime Archives & Library online exhibition Christmas at Sea. I discovered this photograph of the crew of the Canadian Pacific vessel Montrose shovelling ice off the deck after the ship struck an iceberg in fog off Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.  I could have passed this off as a winter event, but unfortunately it happened on Easter Monday in April 1928.  This is not the festival I was looking for, but a good reminder of how harsh conditions can be at sea.  The Montrose was requisitioned during the Second World War and renamed HMS Forfar.  It was torpedoed and sunk on 2nd December 1940 with the loss of 184 crew - a tragic winter event.

Staff at the World Museum are getting very excited, as a generous donation has meant that a massive refurbishment can go ahead on the much-loved planetarium!

It will be closed from 4 - 30 January 2012, but here's planetarium demonstrator John Moran to tell us what fantastic new facilities will be available in the new year...

I used to get asked, "Are there any changes coming to the Planetarium anytime soon?" My answer would always be, "Only if a private benefactor with deep pockets decides they;d like to invest some money into the planetarium!". But I never believed for a moment that it would happen.

For years, the team at the planetarium have gone on trips to other planetaria around the country and always came back saying how great it would be to have digital projectors in the World Museum's planetarium.  Well, dreams do come true, because the nice folks at Zeiss have kindly given us £110,000 worth of digital projection equipment absolutely free! (Thanks Zeiss!)

Throughout January 2012 the planetarium will be closed for the installation of a Zeiss Spacegate Duo as well as brand new software. This will enable us to run more exciting and more immersive shows than ever before. We will be able to use the 'all-dome' technology of this system to create mind blowing shows. These could be; a close-up of the moon or the volcanoes of Mars or even the rings of Saturn spread across every inch of the dome. 

It's worth remembering that we are still the only free static planetarium in the country and we will stay that way after the refurbishments too. The planetarium is about to go digital and if you liked it before, you won’t believe your eyes at the beginning of February. See you then!

The planetarium before refurbishment.

It’s the 20 December which can only mean one thing, and not that we’re only five days away from Christmas.

No, today marks one month exactly until the deadline for artists to register for the John Moores Painting Prize 2012. This blog is for any artists out there or people who may know artists. Enter before 20 January 2012 and be in with a chance of winning the first prize of £25,000 or four further prizes, each of £2,500.

This is the biggest painting prize in the UK and has played a significant role in some famous artistic careers.  Previous winners have included David Hockney, Peter Doig and Lisa Milroy. Sir Peter Blake was a winner of the Junior section of the Prize in 1961 which he describes as “...a thrilling moment when I was told I’d taken first prize in the Junior section and it spurred me on.” Fifty years after winning the Junior section Sir Peter is now patron of the Prize.

Judges for this year’s competition are Fiona Banner who is from Merseyside, director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery Iwona Blazwick, Spanish born Angela de la Cruz, a former Turner Prize 2010 nominee, Turner Prize 2011 nominee George Shaw and creative director of the BBC, Alan Yentob. 

To enter the Prize or find out more follow the link – go on, it could be the start of something amazing! 
 

Sir Peter Blake won the John Moores Painting Prize junior section in 1961 and continues to paint today.

Stewart Bale Volunteers: Hard at work helping to clean glass plate negatives.

Ann Stewart; Head of Framing, Paper and Paintings Conservation tells us a bit more about the wonderful work our Stewart Bale Volunteers have achieved this past year…

“Based in the paper conservation studio, a volunteer project to clean and re-house glass plate negatives from the Stewart Bale collection began in March this year.

Mainly due to the poor condition of the original packaging, most of these images haven't been seen since the collection came to us.

9 months later the volunteers have steadily worked their way through an amazing 10,000 negatives. There are approximately 30,000 negatives still to be cleaned! The entire collection which also includes film sheet negatives is c.200,000.

During the course of the year we have seen 26 volunteers involved in the project with a further 17 due to start in the New Year.”

Well done to all volunteers involved!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Volunteers Team to find out more.

Sudley House in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, was the home of Victorian shipowner George Holt who amassed a huge fortune as one of the proprietors of Lamport & Holt.

Despite his wealth, he was a modest man who did not go in for lavish entertainment. He was married with one daughter and the family were not ones to splash the cash on themselves.

In fact, they were among Liverpool’s greatest philanthropists and gave away most of what they acquired – including Sudley House.

George’s daughter Emma handed it over with its amazing art collection including paintings by Gainsborough, Millais, Holman Hunt and Turner.

Her stunningly generous gift ensured that the only art collection by a British Victorian merchant in its original domestic setting survives.

The atmosphere of historic homes is best captured when people dress in clothes reminiscent of the period.

This happened on 14 November 2011 when this crinoline dress (see my picture above) was unveiled in Sudley’s drawing room.

The Liverpool-made garment is seen in tonight’s episode of Desperate Scousewives on the E4 TV channel.

Made from synthetic human hair, it weighed 15 stone and took its toll on the model during the two hours of filming.

I am only really interested in women's clothing when a woman is wearing it, so this was a bit of a treat for me.

As my grandma May Kendrick (1868 - 1954) used to tell her friends: "Loosen your stays or you'll get the vapours."

Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post & Echo

I have some fabulous foxtrot 78 rpm wax records from the 1920s which evoke the crazy days when people reacted to the horrors of the Great War.

This was also a time when countries such as the United States started to put restrictions on immigration after the great free-for-all when virtually any healthy person could settle.

The three sister ships took settlers to Canada in the closing years of the great age of emigration which lasted from 1830 to 1930.

In 100 years nine million people set sail from Liverpool for new lives, making it probably the greatest emigration port in world history.

The Andania, Antonia and Ausonia were A Class liners built by Cunard in the 1920s for the Canadian service. All were about 14,000 tons and carried about 1,700 passengers.

In Merseyside Maritime Museum’s emigration gallery there is a fascinating 1923 film called Travel Cunard Line. This would have been shown at the ever-increasing numbers of cinemas as well as trade fairs and other promotional events.

There are views of the new Cunard Building with trams rattling outside, ships on the river and passengers embarking on liners at the Princes Landing Stage.

Stage hands skilfully handle ropes securing a liner, people hurry to board as crowds wave from the stage. A ferry boat scurries nearby.

Third Class passengers make their way up the gangplank, smartly dressed for the voyage to new lives. They hand boarding passes to Cunard staff. Two young travellers are framed in a lifebelt marked Andania Liverpool.

Kitchen staff work hard over huge ranges in the galley of the Ausonia. Third Class passengers are seen at breakfast.

An oil painting by Arthur J Burgess is also on display in the gallery (pictured). It represents one of the three A Class liners. She is pictured at sunset heading out to sea with two yachts off her port side.

The Ausonia was built in Newcastle by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co and made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montreal in August 1921. She had a fairly uneventful career and was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1939 and converted into an armed merchant cruiser.

She ended her days as a repair ship for the Mediterranean Fleet from 1958 to 1964. Ausonia was scrapped in 1965.

The Antonia, built by Vickers at Barrow, followed a similar career path before being scrapped in 1948.

Andania, built by Hawthorn Leslie & Co of Newcastle, was not so fortunate. After working on the Liverpool – Montreal route, she also became an armed merchant cruiser at the start of the Second World War. She was torpedoed and sunk off Iceland in June 1940, fortunately without loss of life. 

This is an edited version of the Maritime Tale that originally appeared in the Liverpool Echo.