No 69: New Liverpool Museum

As I wanted to see the Litherland History Exhibition on the Saturday we decided to go to Liverpool on Friday morning and stay overnight. Ceri and the family came to meet us on Friday evening which was really enjoyable. On the Friday we went to the New Liverpool Museum which opened at the dock side near the Prier Head in July. It was very lively and attracted many children and there is one floor that was unfinished when I visited but it has since opened on 2 December.

On the Ground Floor there is a special area for children and there are a number of educational rooms. There is also a "Global City" area which illustrates the historic links with China and rest of the world. Another section "The Great Port" was scheduled to open before Christmas and I wondered how this interacted with the established more traditional, but excellent, Maritime Museum which is located in the nearby Albert Dock. Looking at the website I now realise that this section is about the port rather than the ships.

The top floor has two lively sections, "Wondrous Place" and "The People's Republic". The first section gives great prominence to the Beatles and the Liverpool pop stars of the 60s and 70s. Several Liverpool writers and their works are featured such as Alan Bleasdale and his famous TV drama "The Boys from the Blackstuff" is given prominence. This is understandable and I believe that this series in 1982 was the most powerful TV drama that I've ever seen. The fact that I was unemployed myself at the time probably coloured my judgement but I could fully empathise with the characters in this drama which really portrayed its time.

There is a feature about Ken Dodd here, and quite rightly so, and the briefest reference to Arthur Askey but no mention of any of the others in the long line of great comedians from Liverpool. No mention of Rob Wilton, Ted Ray, Tommy Handley etc. It seems to be incredible that a museum in Liverpool dealing with entertainers should completely ignore Tommy Handley who, with his radio programme ITMA, did so much to maintain morale during the dark war years and the difficult post war years. There is also considerable attention to the football clubs, the Grand National and sporting heroes but the impression that I got was that this section was a post 1960s section. It was lively and there were plenty of youngsters there and this is clearly a good sign.

In the other section buildings and communities are featured. There are models of the Pier Head, the Liver Bird and a huge model of how the Catholic Cathedral would have looked like had the original plans gone ahead. Before seeing this exhibition I hadn't fully appreciated that the joys of my childhood, Meccano, Hornby Trains and Dinky Toys had been designed and manufactured in Liverpool. No wonder that they went on to build the Ford Anglia in Liverpool!

"The model that brought back memories was a model of "Gerard Gardens" (see photo) which were blocks of council tenements built in the 1930s. I used to pass these tenements on the No. 58 bus from St John's Lane to Litherland and, even as a child, I couldn't help but admire them, although, of course, I had no idea of what it was like to live in them. From the comments seen it is apparent that people did enjoy living there. One realises that there were excellent approaches to public housing during the 1930s to match the well-built 1930s semis in the private sector. The Quarry Hill Flats in Leeds were another example.

The other important display here was the "Welsh in Liverpool" section. It was well set out with good photos and mainly about the Welsh Chapels in Liverpool. The lack of space undoubtedly prevented a wider representation of why there were so many Welsh people living in Liverpool and what they were doing but it was good to see recognition of the contribution of the Welsh to Liverpool.

One of the features which opened on 2 December which I'm really looking forward to seeing is an original carriage from the Overhead Railway. There is also a "City Soldiers" section featuring the King's Liverpool Regiment. I will be interest to see how many artefacts there are in this section from the now closed Liverpool Scottish Museum. There is a section of the second floor devoted to military history and it will be interesting to see whether this section has been transferred to the new display on the first floor. In one display cabinet there was an album opened with two photos showing with the caption "Friedrichsfeld POW Camp, WW1". I would have loved to have had a look through this album to see whether Uncle Tom, who spent some time in this POW camp, can be seen in one of the photos. I will certainly be going back sometime to see the new section which is now open.

Gwynedd Family History Society, www.gwynedd.fhs.org.uk
Meetings for the next four weeks are:

Caernarfon, 29 January (In Welsh, last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Keith O'Brien: "Hanes Camp Milwrol Traws"

Bangor, 6 December (In English, first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Neil Fairlamb "The Incorporated Church Building Society & church building in 19th & 20th century Gwynedd"

Conwy, 12 December (In English, second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn: Members Evening

Pwllheli, 20 January (In Welsh, third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Dr Richard Roberts: "Rhydychaen, Paris a Phwllheli: Golwg ar waith John Gwenogfryn Evans"

Dolgellau, 12 January (In Welsh, second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Angharad Williams: "Gwaith Comisiwn Brenhinol o Hanebion Cymru"

Llangefni, 19 January (In English, third Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Workshop in the NEW Llangefni Archives

Clwyd Family History Society, www.clwydfhs.org.uk
The meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month (except August) at 2.00 pm at locations that rotate within the former county of Clwyd.

Saturday, 14th January 2012 at 2.00 pm Millennium Room, Old Colwyn Methodist Church, Wynn Avenue, OLD COLWYN, LL29 9RD
Bryan Jones: "My American Family Jones