The Irish Connection

Tomorrow is one of my favourite days of the year (except for Christmas and Derby Day). It’s St Patrick’s Day, and if you’re not in Ireland, Liverpool really is one of the best places to celebrate.

The early 19th Century saw half a million Irish people settle in the city, and the country’s music and culture has thrived here ever since. So much so, that we have our own Irish Festival, which takes place in October each year. Read more…

The Pier Head Time Warp

The Museum of Liverpool is hosting a free family-friendly event in The People’s Republic gallery this weekend, working with artists collective Re-Dock to create a film to document the life of the Pier Head.

People of all ages are invited to the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 15 October to get involved with an interactive filmmaking experiment aiming to create a film that mixes old and new footage of the Pier Head together, to create a looping video mix that will take the audience on a journey through time. Read more…

Membership News (2)

Our Fundraising and Membership Officer Matt Dunn writes:

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With the Museum of Liverpool now welcoming thousands of people through its doors each day, it’s been a busy and exhilarating time for staff and visitors alike. Along with a team of fantastic, dedicated volunteers, I spent some time at the Museum promoting our membership scheme during the opening week and if you were there, we probably saw you!

We were delighted that people visited our table to sign up as members, and were especially pleased that this included lots of families taking advantage of our special rate of £20. This price includes free, unlimited visits to the upcoming Age of the Dinosaur exhibition at World Museum opening on 22 October, featuring six life-like animatronic dinosaurs! A family ticket will normally cost £14 per visit so it really is a top deal but don’t worry if you missed us – visit our membership page and you can still sign up. Read more…

Holding History

The Museum of Liverpool education team is currently trying to track down a number of objects they can use as handling resources for learning sessions when the new museum opens.

Being able to touch and feel an object is a great way of bringing history to life for visitors, and if you think you can help provide us with any of the objects listed below, then please get in touch.

The list of objects required is as follows:
• Liverpool-made toys
• Victorian metal bucket and spade set
• Vintage Union Jack flag
• Opera glasses
• Top hat
• Items linked to imports and exports from Liverpool history – clay pipes, locally made clocks and watches, Herculaneum pottery, tea chests with Liverpool links.
• First World War or home front items linked to Liverpool such as postcards, mementos or photographs
• Carpet bag
• 19th Century Italian lire
• Victorian Knife sharpening equipment or tailoring equipment
• Items related to the Liverpool Overhead Railway
• Docker’s Hook
• Original Beatles records
• 1950s or 1960s transistor radio and TV
• 1960s primary or secondary school text books
• Old-style school desk  – wooden with inkwell
• 1960s Afghan coat Read more…

Object Detectives

My name is Ellie and I am a new addition at the National Conservation Centre in Liverpool.  I am here on a year long internship in Objects Conservation and Public Engagement, funded by ICON (Institute of Conservation) and the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

While I am here I will post regular updates on the blog to provide a glimpse of what is happening behind-the-scenes at the National Conservation Centre, as conservators look after and investigate fascinating objects from the collection. Read more…

Creating our own Derby Day

Recently we updated the blog with news of how filming’s going for our football immersive experience Kicking and Screaming in the new Museum of Liverpool, and now it’s your chance to get involved.

A film about football in Liverpool wouldn’t be complete without an insight into ‘Derby Day’, and soon we will be recreating our very own with the help of reds and blues across the city.

It’s true to say that football can unite, but many families across Merseyside are split down the middle, with some members supporting one team, and others pledging allegiance to another. Read more…

The Talk of Toxteth

As part of Heritage Open Days, National Museums Liverpool has a number of events taking place which will provide unique opportunities to explore and enjoy the sometimes hidden, often curious and always interesting areas of some of our venues.

Although not open until next year, the Museum of Liverpool team will also be taking part in this national initiative, in a special event tomorrow – Friday, 10 September – at Toxteth Town Hall from 10:30am – 4pm. Read more…

Mapping Memory

Last month the ‘Mapping Memory: L1 and Liverpool’s central waterfront’ project began with its first workshop, kindly attended by the Liverpool Women’s History Group. The aim of the project is to explore memories of the L1 area during the 1950s, 60s and 70s and the Women’s History Group certainly provided an abundance of lively and interesting memories and stories for our researchers to collect.

The workshop started by asking the ladies to trace a particular route they would take through the L1 and central waterfront area, revealing a clustering around places such as Lord Street, Paradise Street and London Road. As the session progressed an array of collective memories showed how women used urban space during the twentieth century and the areas of the city which have created the most powerful and resilient memories over the years. Read more…

Free Talk – Forgotten Murals

The well-loved icon of Liverpool department stores Lewis’s, sadly closed its doors for the last time at the end of May. Prior to that for around the last 30 years the store was mainly recognised for its shopping culture, but until the early 1980s it was much more than a place where you might buy a dress or new handbag.

Before the 80s the store also offered three restaurants and what was at one time the world’s largest hair salon on the fifth floor, until it was closed to the public in the 80s and used as a storage floor ever since. Read more…

Toys are Us!

Every year, kids go crazy for one toy that then sells out everywhere and is nigh-on impossible for parents to get hold of. Remember that film Jingle All The Way, when Arnold Schwarzenegger spends the entire film trying to get hold of a Turbo Man for his son? That’s almost what it was like trying to get hold of a Tamagotchi for my brother’s eighth birthday…

However, the old ones were always the best, and as much as feeding a Tamagotchi, cleaning up after it, and making sure it had 100% happiness was fun (?!) the batteries did tend to run out after some time, much to our mum’s delight! Read more…