Norman Cresswell On leaving the Cathedral cross over the road onto Hope Street. On the corner is the Medical Institution. This was built in 1836 on the site of the Old Bowling Green pub where William Roscoe was born in 1753. It contains some 40,000 medical books, including “The Byrth of Mankind”, by Thomas Raynalde, the first book on Midwifery in England. The building is beautiful within and without. It contains a lecture theatre, central hall, a library and museum all lit by natural daylight through the glazed domes The building opposite now used by John Moores’ University is the John Foster building, named after the architect of a number of buildings in Liverpool, It was the Convent and School of Notre Dame. There is a statue of Our Lady on the wall of the first floor, opposite the Everyman. Before the convent was built houses stood here . One had a grisly tale to tell. At Number 8 Hope Street was a link with infamous grave robbers Burke and Hare. The latter operated in Scotland robbing graves to sell the cadavers for medical research. However the authorities in Scotland had stepped up security on their graveyards to such an extent that the robbers decided to look for pastures new...and so to 8 Hope Street.
John Henderson of Greenock rented the cellar in 1826, allegedly to use for the storage of fish oil. His first output was three large barrels of “bitter salts” which , were to be shipped to Leith. They were sent down to George’s Dock a mile or so from here The following day, sailors on “The Latona” complained of an appalling smell from the barrels, and on opening them discovered eleven corpses packed in salt in a vain effort to preserve them.
When the cellar of 8 Hope Street was investigated, a further twenty-two bodies were found. Henderson was arrested, and a short while afterwards Burke and Hare decided they couldn’t wait for people to die naturally, and began to murder people.
William Rathbone campaigned for unclaimed bodies - from prisons, hospitals and workhouses to be made available for medical teaching and research, and this was passed into law by the “Anatomy Act” of 1832. This led to riots throughout the country as the poor feared they might be legally murdered to provide cadavers. There was also a superstitious dread that a dismembered body would prevent the resurrection of the deceased.
A little way along is the Everyman Theatre which was founded around 1961. It has always used local writers and actors; people like Alan Bleasdale and Willy Russell. Some very distinguished actors were members of the Everyman Rep. company in the Seventies. People like Anthony Sher, Julie Walters, Jonathan Pryce, Pete Postlethwaite, Mathew Kelly, and Bill Nighe. For locals another well respected member of the cast was BBC’s Roger Phillips
One of my favourite Everyman stories concerns Willy Russell. If you have only seen the film version of "Shirley Valentine" you may not realise that the stage play involved one actress playing all the roles. Willy, over a few drinks in the Everyman Bistro, agreed that it would be a little mean casting an understudy, who would have to learn tthe whole play, with little chance of ever being able to play the role.
A few weeks into the play's run Willy received a 'phone call to tell him that the actress,Noreen Kershaw, had been rushed to hospital with what turned out to be peritonitis. Willy stood in that night and for the remaining three weeks of the run.Noreen was eventually awarded Best Actress and Willy was awarded “Best Supporting Actress ” as a result.
Beneath the theatre is the award-winning Everyman Bistro which I would recommend for both quality and price. You can get good healthy food here, all freshly prepared and the vegetarian choices are good too. It can be very busy especially pre-theatre but at other times you can have a quiet drink and chat.Some evenings feature live music and poetry..
A little further along Hope Street is the Casa lounge bar and restaurant which also has a variety of opportunities to learn anything from Salsa to Yoga. The Casa has an interesting history. It was designed by a group of ex-dockers not only to provide leisure facilities but also to provide a community meeting hall and other facilities for locals.
How did a group of dockers come to be involved in the catering trade? In 1995 there was in industrial dispute. The 500 dockers were not involved in the dispute, but refused to cross the picket line on 29th September 1995 and were immediately dismissed. So began a long dispute They received support from colleagues all over the world: USA, Canada, Australia, but even with this help struggled to survive without any earnings. The national and international support is shown by the collection of union badges in the bar. The Dockers wives played a major part in rallying support. At Christmas they were singing carols outside the home of one of the Company’s director when news came through that the New York dockers were refusing to handle Liverpool ships. They spontaneously switched from “Oh Come All You Faithful” to “New York New York its’ a hell of a town” Note also the photo of the then Liverpool and England footballer Robbie Fowler behind the bar. Robbie had just scored a goal so he knew the cameras would be on him. He’s removing his club shirt to show a T-shirt supporting the dockers. He got into trouble for this.
Jimmy McGovern the playwright was commissioned to produce a drama based on the dispute. He worked with the dockers for over eighteen months, setting up writing workshops for them and involving them with the development of the drama. As a result the play reveals a lot more than an industrial dispute. It shows how families and life-long friendships were torn asunder by decisions taken during the dispute.
The resulting film “Dockers” was widely acclaimed. The strikers were eventually forced to accept a settlement in 1998. There has been a recent development the Dockers are suing their union for allegedly failing to pass on an offer that might have settled the dispute in its first few days.
How were the ex-dockers going to make a living? The combination of their redundancy payments and the dockers creativity and hard work led to the “Casa”. It’s a welcoming place for a drink or a bite to eat. Upstairs is the Casa’s Internet Café where you can surf with a hot coffee or a cold beer. Next to the Casa is the award winning “The Other Place” which I recommend for fine dining.
Cross over Hope Street opposite the Casa and you will see on the wall an unusual sculpture with two boots facing in opposite directions. One is inscribed “Danger Survive Refugee Love Hope” and the other “Flee Fear Safety Lonely”. I believe the artist is David Jacques.
At the corner of Hope Street and Hardman Street is the .
Philharmonic Pub known locally just as the “Phil”. .
“The trouble with fame is not just being able to go for a drink in the Phil“.
John Lennon
The Phil was describes as “the most ornate pub in England” by Egon Ronay. It was built for the Robert Cain Brewery and you can see “RC” on the mosaic tiled floors. Admire the Victorian decor, the elaborate gates, the fine woods etchings, the sparkling mirrors, high ceilings and wonderful floors designed to resemble a Gentleman’s Club. The gates and the copper panels in the Grande Lounge are by the German-American designer Blomfield Bare. You must have a look at the Gents’ toilets (don’t worry, the staff are quite used to requests from women to have a look!) A variety of pub grub is available. There are three main rooms at the back of the pub: the Grande Lounge, which was formerly a billiard room. The frieze running around the lounge is “The Murmurs of the Sea.”
the Brahms room and the Liszt room. Brahms and Liszt is rhyming slang for being inebriated. The stained glass windows show Victorian heroes: Baden Powell and Field Marshall Roberts.
With your back to the Philharmonic Pub on Hope Street you can see a car park opposite. This is the site of a mass grave of people who died due to the Famine and the subsequent plagues. Sadly there is nothing to mark this.
On the far side of the car park is the Josephine Butler Building dating back to 1861. Just past that building is the old Eye and Ear Hospital -Helen Forrester was treated there for malnutrition, little knowing that the hardship would pave the way for a series of best-selling books.
THE PHILHARMONIC HALL
Cross over the road to the Philharmonic Hall, .jpg)
home to the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, a world-class orchestra and the only UK orchestra to
own and run their own concert hall. They are also the only symphony orchestra
to have performed under water! They performed in the Mersey Tunnel on the
Tunnel’s 60th Anniversary.
The Philharmonic plays host to every type of entertainment from Jazz to comedy.
Classic films are shown on the rare Walturdaw screen which rises from the stage. The only other Walturdaw screen is in Leningrad.
The resident organist Dave Nicols is something of a character. He appears at each performance in a kilt, and flips his leg over the stool with a cheeky grin to the audience. Silent films are accompanied by the full orchestra. .
The Phil has hosted a number of firsts,including the first performances of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance No.1” which Elgar dedicated to the Phil. Appropriately, given the Phil’s’ work to involve children with music it also saw the debut of Britten’s “A Young Persons’ Guide to the Orchestra”
I understand that Sir Simon Rattle has adopted a similar policy with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Sir Simon was a member of the Youth Orchestra and was brought up at 13 Menlove Avenue. ( the same road as John Lennon’s’ childhood home)
Sir Adrian Boult, born here in 1889, became the youngest conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra in 1916.The famously acerbic Sir Thomas Beecham was also a Liverpudlian. There are many stories about him but the one I like best was when he was rehearsing an orchestra, and was becoming increasingly exasperated with the sound produced by a lady cello player. Finally he exploded
“Madam you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving men exquisite pleasure- and all you can do is scratch it”
Another well loved character was Fritz Spiegel who escaped his native Austria in 1939 at the age of 13. Music was in his genes- he was a relative of Gustav Mahler- and he became principal flautist with the RLPO from 1948 to 1963. He was more widely known for his writings on music and language, including the best selling “Lern yerself Scouse” series. He was also much loved for his humour- the April Fool Concerts which included “Concerto for Typewriters” and his own invention the Loophonium- a giant brass euphonium with its’ horn replaced by a toilet bowl. The Walker Art Gallery bought it for £2640 in 2003 to display.
The foyer has a plaque dedicated to the memory of;
“members of the band on board the “Titanic”; who bravely continued playing to soothe the anguish of their fellow passengers until the ship sank in the deep. April 14th 1912.”
The viola player, John Clarke used to play at the Philharmonic, and was a passenger on the Titanic. When they knew that the ship was doomed, he and other passengers formed the Band and with quiet courage played to the end.
The Philharmonic is well worth a visit whatever your musical taste. The acoustics are superb and the interior is fascinating.
It was re-opened in 1939, after fire had destroyed the earlier building and was extended in 1994/5. The architect Herbert Rowse was designing the building when the world was fascinated by the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb and this influenced his plans.
The Mezzanine was designed to represent the outer tomb, whilst the Auditorium represented the inner tomb. See how many Egyptian allusions you can spot.The Philharmonic also houses the Lower Place which has a reputation for fine dining.
The building on the corner of Hope Street opposite the Philharmonic Hall was built in the middle of the 19th century to house the Liverpool School for the Blind.The original school for the Blind was founded in 1790 by George Rushton and was the first school for the blind in Britain. That school was in Commutation Row,at the bottom of London Road.
George Rushton was a blind poet and fearless anti-slavery campaigner. He is buried in St. James’s Cemetery and we’ll look in more detail at his life when we reach there.
Next door to the Philharmonic is another restaurant “Ego” which also has a goodreputation. Opposite is The Hope Street Hotel, a boutique hotel built into a former Carriage Works, with a fine restaurant.
The former Hahnemann Homeopathic hospital, was the first in Britain. Florence Nightingale helped to design it.
On your left is Faulkner Street where you will find some pleasant cafés “The Quarter,” .“No. 7” with its’ Ainscough Gallery is good for anything from just a coffee to lunch; vegetarians are well catered for.
At the far end of Faulkner Street at No. 36 is the flat where John and Cynthia Lennon shared in the early days of their marriage in 1962. The flat was owned by Brian Epstein. The Blackburne Arms on the corner is a non-smoking pub and boutique hotel. Go back towards Hope Street and cross Blackburne Place, to Blackburne House, an 18th Century gem, the former home of a Lord Mayor of Liverpool. It is Grade ll listed with its white clock and magnificent interior. This was the first girls public school in Britain.
It is now home to the Women’s’ Technology and Education Centre and is also used for conferences and other special events. The architects, Maggie Pickles and Gladys Martinez, won the RIBA Building of the Year Award in 1995 for their design of the conversion.
There is a bright and friendly café where you can get coffee, cake or a good lunch at a reasonable price. A good range of vegetarian meals are available e.g. a big portion of red pepper and feta cheese quiche with side salad £4 which my wife polished off quite happily. The food is made by the chef and the prices are very reasonable.
Margaret Simey lived at Blackburne Terrace on the other side of Blackburne House. She was a lifelong campaigner for the poor and for women’s rights,providing a link with some of the pioneers of the women’s suffrage movement of the early 20th Century.
She worked to help Eleanor Rathbone elected to the City Council, before going on to play a significant part as a councillor herself. As a young woman she was also involved in campaigning for improved access to education for girls and women.
She worked in the Victoria Settlement in Everton, providing support to the poorest members of society. She tells the tale of how she gave some poor children some raw macaroni to use as beads in a craft class. They were so hungry they ate the raw beads This was within living memory. She was the first Social Studies graduate of Liverpool University, and fought as a politician for poor relief, better housing and education for the poor. Margaret Simey was born in Glasgow, and raised inLondon. She came to Liverpool in 1924, aged just18 and stayed ever since. Of her first, and subsequent impression of the City she said
“Liverpool isn’t England. It hit me with such a wallop that this was a real place.We are global, and have learned to tolerate and respect each others’ traditions.As such we are a national asset.”
Mrs Simey was also an assistant to the tough battling Bessie Braddock a woman famed for her willingness to fight for the poor. A story, which I believe is true was an exchange in the House of Commons with a drunken Winston Churchill.It is considered "unparliamentary" to say that an M.P. is drunk, possibly because it is not uncommon! Nonetheless Bessie roared
“It’s a disgrace you shouldn’t be in the Chamber, you’re drunk” she shouted across the floor of the House.
There was a moments’ stunned silence and then Churchill responded;
“Madam I am drunk, and you are ugly, but tomorrow I will be sober.”
Turn back onto Hope Street
The open gates statue .JPG)
shows 2 former religious leaders of Liverpool, Bishop David Shepherd, and Cardinal Heenan, who pioneered inter-faith dialogue in the city and ensured that we have avoided some of the problems faced by other cities.
Pass on your right the award winning restaurant “60 Hope Street” with its bistro area underneath. Further along Hope Street is the“Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts” (LIPA for short). This used to be the “Liverpool Institute” for boys and was the school that Paul and George attended. Paul gave over £1 million of the £20 million it cost to transform it into its current form which provides performing arts education to young people from across the world.
LIPA contains world-class facilities: performance spaces, dance studios,rehearsal rooms and recording studios. Qualifications include degrees in music,performance arts, sound technology, theatre, and performance design. It’s worth checking what’s on at LIPA as they produce plays, musicals and dance shows which are open to the public - who knows you may be amongst the first to see the stars of tomorrow.
Another great thing about LIPA is the input of local established musicians; members of 70’s-90’s bands like China Crisis, the Farm and Inspiral Carpets and of course Sir Paul McCartney pays regular visits. On the corner outside LIPA you can see what looks like a collection of abandoned suitcases. This is a “Case History”by John King. .jpg)
You are invited to find the cases belonging to
twenty seven people who have some local connection - from the Beatles to
Charles Dickens.
Opposite LIPA, on Mount Street is the Liverpool College of Art which John
Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe attended. The original building dates back to 1882,
with an extension in 1910. Adrian Henri lived on Mount Street and taught at the College. He won the John Moores Art Prize in 1972 and was one of the Liverpool 8 Poets and belonged to the Liverpool Scene.
There are a couple of characterful pubs nearby, The Cracke on Rice St. and the Pilgrim on Pilgrim St . THE ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL.jpg)
“One of the great buildings of the world.”
Sir John Betjeman
The number 4 bus stops outside. The Cathedral is open 8am-6pm and visitors
are welcome at services. The Cathedral is made of local sandstone from Woolton Quarry a village a few miles away. Work started on the Cathedral in 1904 and it was only completed in 1974. It is the largest Anglican Cathedral and the fifth largest of all churches in the world. It is the first Cathedral to be consecrated in England on a wholly new site since the 13th Century. You could visit St. James’s Gardens before or after a visit to the Cathedral. The Gardens are accessed through the gate on your left, next to the main gates. Before you do so, take a look at the Oratory .jpg)
on your left. The tall pole with a bird upon it is a work by Tracey Emin a new friend for the Liver Birds.
Funeral services were held in the Oratory before the coffin was taken down into the Cemetery on a horse-drawn carriage. The Oratory is based on a classic Greek building and now houses monuments to the dead created by 19th Century sculptors. There is also the “Angel” statue, in the Oratory commissioned by William Rathbone in honour of Agnes Jones. It has a touching dedication;
“As in the olden times so it is even now- we entertain Angels unaware and know not that they have been with us until they are gone and we mark the void that is left by their departure”
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The Refectory offers excellent freshly prepared food and drinks at a reasonable price. Vegetarians are catered for.
.The Embroidery Exhibition has a unique collection of Victorian and Edwardian embroidery. The gallery also gives a different perspective of the Cathedral. Take time to walk through St. James’s Gardens on your left. The gardens are set in what used to be a quarry, and then a cemetery hence the
eerie descent through the tunnel. At the foot of the slope look left toward another tunnel. It is believed that this was the tunnel used to transport stone from the Quarry. The tunnel was used to store the stained glass windows of the Cathedral during the Second world War. To the right of the tunnel there is graffiti dating back to the Eighteenth Century. Some famous characters are buried here: William Huskisson MP - the first person to die in a railway accident .jpg)
on the inaugural day of the world’s first passenger railway in 1830. It had been feared that passengers would be unable to breathe due to the ‘great’ speeds attained.
There were 2 tracks, one that had passenger trains on, and the other which had 3 trains on for the V.I.P.s, such as the Duke of Wellington, the Directors, and the band. The unfortunate MP was attempting to cross to speak with the Duke when he was hit by a train, damaging his leg and causing fatal injuries. Legend has it that a limping ghost haunts the graveyard. His mausoleum is in the middle St. James’s Gardens.
Catherine (Kitty) Wilkinson born in Ireland, she lived most of her life in Liverpool. She pioneered the Wash-house so the poor could wash and dry their clothes and linen, making a great contribution to public health. This helped stop the spread of cholera which had killed thousands of people. The Wash-house movement spread across the country. She also took in over fifty orphans. She is also commemorated in one of the stained glass windows in the Lady Chapel of the Anglican Cathedral. Her grave can be found by following the right-hand path. This joins another path and Catherine’s (Kitty’s) grave is on the left near the junction.
William Harrison - the Captain of the world’s largest ship when it was built , the “Great Eastern“.
Sarah Biffin - born without arms, standing just thirty seven inches tall she nevertheless became an accomplished painter using her mouth and a specially designed shoulder strap. Her work hung at the Royal Academy and she was awarded a Society of Arts Medal. She was so famous in Victorian times that Dickens includes references to her in both "Nicholas Nicklelby" and "Martin Chuzzlewit". She lived at number 8 Duke Street.
John Foster - the architect who designed the cemetery as well as St. Luke’s Church, and the Oratory.
Edward Rushton - who served as second mate on a slave ship in 1773 when he was nineteen. He objected to the brutal treatment of the slaves, and was threatened with irons by the Captain for mutiny. Some of the slaves were suffering contagious ophthalmia, a disease which normally causes blindness within three weeks. The crew battened the slaves in the holds and refused to go near them. Rushton pleaded with the Captain to allow him to at least take food and water to them. He was allowed to do this, but unfortunately he caught the disease and went blind.
He wrote to George Washington supporting the War of Independence but condemning him for owning slaves. Washington sent the letter back. One of his poems “American Independency” ends:
“How can you, who have felt the oppressor’s hard hand,
Who for freedom all perils would brave,
How can you enjoy peace, while one foot of your land
Is disgraced by the toil of a slave!”
He later formed the Blind School. He fought slavery in conjunction with William Roscoe and others. His sight was restored by an operation in 1807.
Sir William Brown - the banker who donated money for the grand buildings in William Brown Street.
Harmood Banner - who founded the Liverpool Boys and Girls Orphan Asylum and bought burial plots so that children could be properly buried. A number of gravestones mark the children’s graves near to the Huskisson memorial. His own grave is in the North corner of the Garden.
Captain John Oliver - served with Nelson on the Victory. His first sea voyage was at the age of 10. He was press-ganged into the Royal Navy aged 18. He died aged 102.
Note also the Garden’s spring on the wall opposite the Cathedral with its inscription. The spring water is rich in iron salts and was reputed to be a cure for many ills.
The terrace of houses behind the Gardens is Gambier Terrace. where Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon shared a first floor flat at Number 3.
Notice that there are the style of houses changes at the middle of the Terrace. It was originally intended to build them all in the same style, but the developer ran out of money, and the smaller houses were built some years later.
At the end of Gambier Terrace is Huskisson Street. Beryl Bainbridge lived at Number 12 in the early days of her marriage.
Toxteth Library on Upper Parliament Street was given by Andrew Carnegie, and opened by him in1902. He donated 4 other libraries to the city. A little further up Upper Parliament Street is Upper Stanhope Street. Alois Hitler, Hitler’s half brother lived with his family at Number 102, giving rise to the story, later forming a novel by Beryl Bainbridge that Hitler visited Liverpool before the First World War.
As you pass the gates of the Cathedral, there are a number of graves on your left. One of them is the grave of Sgt. Arthur Herbert who was born in nearby Southport. He emigrated to Canada where he became a Mountie. He served with a Canadian regiment during the Boer War and became the 1st holder of the Victoria Cross for rescuing a comrade under heavy fire. Only 1354 Victoria Crosses have been awarded in its 150 year long history
The architect of the Anglican Cathedral was Gilbert Scott who was only twenty-three when he won the competition held to design a cathedral. His grave is marked in front of the side entrance.
The judges said his design had:
“that power combined with beauty which makes a great and noble building.”
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The normal entrance to the Cathedral is the side one you have used.If you want to visit the memorial to the 96 Liverpool Football fans who died at the Hillsborough Disaster, you need to go to the front of the building, and the processional steps.
It took seventy years to build the Cathedral, and some of the craftsmen who worked on it started their apprenticeship at fourteen, and retired at sixty five without ever working anywhere else. .jpg)
Some craftsmen’s toolsbelonging to John Rowbottom can be seen on display near to the entrance.
Not all the builders were wholeheartedly in favour of the construction. Three weeks before the official Foundation ceremony, with the King and Queen, some of the workers held their own secret ceremony. They were led by local union man, Jim Larkin and Jim Bower, a Boston-born stonemason. They buried a message to the future which told of the exploitation of working people by the prevailing monopolies.
Here are some facts about the Cathedral:
Length: 619 feet
Area: 104,275 square feet
Choir vault: 116 feet
Nave vault: 120 feet
Height of Tower: 331 feet (101metres)
Under Tower Vault: 175 feet
Tower Arches: 107 feet
The Grand Organ is the largest musical instrument in the world. It has 9765 pipes.
The Cathedral encloses some 3 million cubic metres of space, and it takes a sound 12.5 seconds to reverberate around, making any Choral music a spectacular experience.
The Derby Memorial is to the right of the choir stalls. It looks like a sa
rcophagus but there is no-one buried there or anywhere else within the Cathedral. There is a tiny carved church mouse which is traditionally rubbed for luck. As befits a shy creature it is hidden away-If you face the model of the Cathedral at the head of the statue, the mouse is tucked behind the tassle on your left.
A little anecdote from the Cathedral organist Ian Tracey:
“I was assistant then (in 1978) and met the Queen when she opened the Cathedral. Some years later at a Buckingham Palace garden party she asked me if I was still at the Cathedral. I said “I’m amazed that you remember that ma’am.”
She replied “Well you were very young, and one has only opened one Cathedral in one’s reign.”
As you look at the grandeur of the interior I’d like to add another image. John Moores University uses the Cathedral for it’s graduation ceremony. To lighten the proceedings they deliberately use vibrantly coloured robes. In one year there was a further variation on the theme. Ken Dodd was awarded an honorary degree, and his accompanying diddy-man had his own robes. When Ken was starring at the London Palladium, John Osbourne took the entire cast of the National Theatre to see him, to study the art of timing from the master.
On your way down the stairs to the Lady Chapel take a look at the stained glass windows on your right. They are dedicated to some of the women of Liverpool like Josephine Butler, Kitty Wilkinson and another Irish born woman Agnes Jones.
The Vestey Tower is a must-see visit with its brilliant views over Liverpool and beyond. It is named after the Vestey family who are amongst the wealthiest in Britain. The founder of the dynasty was a Liverpool businessman in the late 19th century. He saw the possibilities of international trade in preserved food establishing ranches in South America and Australia to produce meat to be exported to Europe via his own shipping line and in turn sold in his Dewhurst butcher shops.
This final section takes you past the Bells, which are the highest and heaviest in the world. The large central bell is called ‘Great George’, and it is customary to say hello to him as you pass. Part way up the Tower is the Embroidery Gallery which, to my surprise, I found interesting. Stand by the West side of the tower, facing the river, with views of the Albert Dock, the Three Graces and Wirral beyond. If you look in the area between here and the Albert Dock you will notice an imposing church. the Gustav Adolfus Kyrka, also known as the Swedish Seamen’s Church. It was designed by Caroe, and opened in 1883.
Now go to the South side From the roof notice the layout and design details of the houses and streets beneath you.. A mile or so away you can see a mass of greenery at the end This is the start of the parks area: Princes Park, Sefton Park, Otterspool Park and Prom, Greenbank Park, Calderstones, Woolton Woods, Camp Hill, Reynolds Park, the Black Wood and The Mystery. You can walk for miles, barely leaving the Parklands. A little further along Princes Road is Kingsley Road, with Saint Bernard’s Church, officially known as Our Lady Of Lourdes, designed by the Pugins, and opened in 1884. As a girl of 14, Felicitas Corrigan used to play the organ here.
She went on to become a nun, and, despite living in an enclosed order all her life became the spiritual mentor to Siegfried Sassoon. who said
“She was the only person truly to understand my verse”
I love the story of a friend who visited her when she was on her deathbed. The nurse served them tea, but because Dame Felicitas was so feeble it was served it in a plastic cup, rather than her normal china one. Dame Felicitas looked at the plastic cup questioningly
“ It’s for safety” the nurse explained.
Dame Felicitas replied “I prefer to live dangerously”.
On the other side of Princes Park is the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth. All this area was a hunting reserve from King Johns’ time and the Chapel, was built outside the town, because non-conformist churches were not allowed inside the boundaries. The Chapel has 2 claims to fame. A pioneering astronomer lived most of his short life here. Jeremiah Horrocks was born here in 1617. He is credited with a number of discoveries, most famously with predicting and plotting the Transit of Venus. Isaac Newton credited Horrocks for laying the foundations of his own work. If he had not died in 1641, aged just 24 no doubt his contribution would have been even greater.
The Chapels’ other famous residents were the Mather family. Richard Mather
was the first minister at the Chapel. He emigrated to America with his family in the Seventeenth Century. His son, Increase, became president of Harvard
College and founder of Yale, as well as acting as ambassador for the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the courts of King James II and William III. He had a stern view of his religion. European slaves captured by the Sultan of Morocco Moulay Ismail were being worked to death to construct the Palace of Meknes. It was the largest building in the Northern Hemisphere in 1714, with 51 interconnected palaces with fabulous decorations and hanging gardens. . In all it is estimated that some 1 million Western European slaves were captured, at sea and in coastal raids as far afield as Iceland. They were regularly tortured to try to persuade them to convert to Islam. They expected some words of comfort from the distinguished cleric, but he said they were to blame for their fate. He wrote in his “A Pastoral Letter to the English Captives in Africa:
“Who gave you to these African pyrates?
It was the Lord against whom you sinned”
His son, Cotton is best remembered for his role in the Salem Witchcraft trials. l..
From the East side you can see the geometric layout of the Georgian District The modern building about half a mile away is the Women’s Hospital.
From the North side of the Tower there are views over the City and University campus. The large, circular red brick buildings are the old Infirmary Buildings designed by Florence Nightingale If you are ready for a break pop into the Refectory, which is on your left next to the bookshop. I would recommend popping in not just for the good refreshments on offer but for the peaceful, cloistered splendour, or you can sit outside in the covered area overlooking St. John’s Gardens.
When you are ready walk down the hill to Berry St. Here you can catch a bus into town, or walk along Berry St. to the top of Bold St. Walk down Bold St. and you will come to Central Station.