Last Day in Liverpool.

When we woke up and filled the kettle I realised that we were short of water. I had been putting off filling up until today as firstly, we would be just about full when we left and secondly, we would have moved to a new berth and the water tap would be closer. We were originally due to leave Liverpool on Saturday. However we realised that we didn't need to be near Wigan until Monday for Helen to catch the train so had plenty of time to get there and as we were enjoying our stay here that it would be better to stay here for an extra couple of days. It all worked out but our berth had been given to another boat. We just moved positions to another vacant pontoon.

We moved at about 0930 after a lay in and a cup of tea and breakfast. It took all of 15 mins and soon we were filling up with water and showers could be had. We then decided to go and fill up with food and comestibles and then our plan was to go on a walk at 1300. As the water was filling I checked on the internet and found that there was only one walk a day and not two like the leaflet said. Oh well never mind we would find something else to do.

Two big bags of stuff from Aldi's back at the boat along with the Sunday paper meant that I was ready for lunch. The sun had come out so we sat reading the paper for a while until time to go and see about the Western Approaches Control Room museum. When we got there it is closed on Sunday's. Never mind we went looking for a new sweeping brush and other bits and pieces. As we passed the Lion Tavern we thought it would be rude not to go in and have a drink. I walked through the middle of Liverpool with a massive bag of cat litter under my arm. It was a good job nobody knows me here!

As no new arrivals had come and parked on the berth next to me I ran the electricity cable to the other feed as there was still plenty of credit on that meter. May as well have the electricity on tap whilst we can and charge everything up.

It will be an early'ish start in the morning as we have to assemble for the first look at 0900. I am sorry that we have no photographs to break up my mutterings today.

Over the Water.

We decided to see the other side of the Mersey today and so caught the ferry over to The Wirral. We went from the Pier Head Terminal and then over to the Seacombe Pier and then got off at the Woodside Pier. We were a little delayed as the Isle of Man Ferry, that is berthed just near the Pier Head, was also leaving. It is one of those catamaran wave piercing vessels so you could see right under it.

Isle of Man Ferry leaving and turning in the river ready for the crossing.

The ferry takes a route up the east bank and the commentary points out the sights to be seen. It then crosses over to the west bank and soon lands at the Seacombe Terminal having passed Wallasey Town Hall. The front faces the river so everybody enters through the backdoor!

Wallasey Town Hall.

Just at the Woodside Jetty is the U-534 exhibition. This was the last U Boat sunk in WWII. It was escaping Kiel on the day the surrender had been declared. All U Boats were supposed to be flying a black flag to signify they had surrendered. Three submarines were sailing together when they were spotted by aircraft in the Kattegatt by Denmark. The first aircraft was shot down and all seven crew were lost. The second plane dropped depth charges and one bounced on the submarines hull and then exploded underneath and ruptured the hull. The crew abandoned, five from the torpedo hatch and 49 of the 52 crew survived. As the three submarines left on the last day of the war and did not surrender there was great mystery about it. There were rumours of gold, diamonds, secret papers and Nazi Chiefs escaping. U-534 wasn't found until 1993 and then it was raised. The hull had filled with silt so everything inside was well preserved. At first the submarine was found a home on the Liverpool side and then when land was required the charity looking after it folded. Mersey Ferries bought it and moved it to the present site. The hull has been cut into section so that the interior can be seen. Needless to say no gold or diamonds were found and the mystery of my they didn't surrender is still unknown. U-534 never sank a ship as after building went to be a training boat in the Baltic it then went on two missions as weather reporting boat in the Atlantic between Greenland and the Azores. It did shoot two aircraft down though.

Some of the sections of U-534 along with one of the secret torpeoes that were carried. Only 38 were made and U-534 had three aboard.

The perforated hull at the st'bd quarter of U-534 where the depth charge exploded. The limited damage explains why the submarine sank slowly enough for most of the crew to escape.

Just outside the Ferry Terminal is this replica tram. Birkenhead was actually the first town to run street trams. They actually finished in 1937 but a line was reinstated in 1995 and now works at weekends running on a loop around the town.

Hamilton Square.

William Laird, of the Ship building fame, bought the land and the square was built bit by bit after 1826. No two side are the same and it is second only to Trafalgar Square in having the highest density of Grade 1 listed buildings in one place. In the middle is the Cenotaph and a monument to Queen Victoria. The Town Hall (with the columns above) is very ornate with a balcony to it.

From Hamilton Square we wandered about a while trying to fine something to look at and ended up at the Birkenhead Priory. It was founded in 1150 and was of a Benedictine order. As well as there normal duties they were also granted the rights to ferry people across the Mersey by Edward II in 1318. Originally they gave free food and lodgings but this became too expensive. They provided the ferry service for 400 years until Henry VIII dissolved the Monastery and since then has been in ruins. The site was bought by a private individual who managed to get what was left preserved. The monks Chapter House is still used as a church. St Mary's Church was built in 1821 but became ruined in 1974 after a large part of it's graveyard was taken for an extension to Camel Lairds shipyard which is right next door. The tower was preserved and give great views across the water.

Vaulted ceiling in the Chapter House Church.

The Liverpool skyline from St. Mary's Tower.

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral from St. Mary's Tower.

Mersey Ferry Royal Iris. 

Mersey ferries Iris and Daffodil took part in both World Wars and were a major part of the Zebrugge raid in 1918, where that port was to be blockaded. The raid wasn't a great success but the ferries played a brave part and the King allowed these vessels to be titled 'Royal' ever since.

The One O'clock Gun.

Birkenhead was a very busy dock area and as with the Victorian Clock Tower the One O'clock Gun was designed to be able to adjust the chronometers of passing ships. It was fired at 1300 exactly by electronics from Bidston Observatory. It started in 1867 was was final ceased in 1969. The cannon in the picture is obviously not the actual gun which is in a museum. We wandered back to the ferry and wended headed for the Pier Head again and back to the boat for a well earned cup of tea.

Slow Day.

It had rained through the night until about 0900 and then stopped but never looked like clearing up. We had decided that we would crack on with the jobs aboard as it wasn't the best weather for gadding. There was the loo to sort out and the shower to finish off, and to get on I sent Helen off to the Tourist Information Office in Albert Dock to purchase an electricity card for the shore electrics on the berth. There were 7 Kw on when we arrived but that had dwindled so we got a 10 Kw card for £1-98 to last us through the rest of the stay. We have already lengthened our stay as we were due to leave on Saturday but have now extended to depart on Monday. We don't have to be in Wigan until next weekend so we have plenty of time. Helen went off to buy the electricity card and as I would  be busy with the loo I told her to check out the Tate Gallery. I must confess as to not really being bothered about missing a modern art exhibition so it would be good if she went on her own. By the time she got back the deed was done and everything was smelling of roses again. I just had to finish off the shower etc and that was another job completed. There were no leaks this morning so I am hoping that it is sorted for the time being.

Compared with yesterdays picture the shower doesn't look too bad.

When Helen got back she set too doing some baking and at the end we were better off by some Chocolate and walnut cookies and a Victoria sponge cake. I was also bottling the elder flower cordial that we had been making. It is a very different taste and is very refreshing. I think once we get out into the country the  blooms will have gone over so we may not be able to make more. We saw the bottles in Wilkinson's at a very reduced price so another good buy.

Three and a bit bottles of Elder flower cordial.

The ironing then beckoned and we took it is turns to crack on with it with the electricity meter  topped up. By then it was getting to the evening and we decided to go out for a drink early. We consulted the map of 125 pubs in Liverpool and decided on the Ship and Mitre. When we got there we remembered that we had been there on out last visit to the city. It was 81830 and heaving. I had a pint of Sandstone bitter from the Sandstone Brewery, Wrexham. It was very nice and hoppy fruity. Helen had Aspalls cider. We then proceeded up the road and went to the Vernon Arms and again realised that we had been there before. Here I had A Reverend James Bitter from Brains Brewery Cardiff. Helen had a Black Dragon welsh cider. Both pubs were busy and quite old fashioned, and busy. We had set our limit to three drinks and headed to the Poste House that we had been directed too previously. We got there to find there was no real ale and the place was a bit of a den of iniquity. I had to settle for a rare pint of Guinness an Strongbow cider. It was so disappointing the Helen said that we had to find a proper drink before completing so off to Rigby's. It turned out to be a cracking pub. Again busy but with a good mixed crowd. By the time I got the drinks in Helen was chatting to a couple of locals and we were there for longer than expected as they bought us another drink. It was Okells Bitter Brewed in the Isle of Man. Helen has a Thatchers Gold cider which is one of her favourites. Since being here my best pint has been a Lion bitter breweed specially for the Lion Tavern, which is also a cracking pub. We finally got back to the boat at 2245 and took a photo of the Echo Wheel near Albert Dock still going round.

Liverpool Echo Big Wheel.

Separate Ways.

After writing the blog last night we went for a walk around Albert Dock and the Pier Head to test our new camera and take some air. It was a cold wind but the evening light was beautiful. Having viewed them on the computer they seem to be nice and crisp.

Writing the blog.

Albert Dock. Opened in 1846 and in 1848 the world's first hydraulic cranes were fitted. It was closed in 1972 and eventually reopened in 1984 as a major tourist attraction and catalyst to the re-energising of Liverpool.

Detail of monument to all lost Marine Engineers. This was bought by subscription following the sinking of the Titanic. 244 engineers lost their lives in that incident in 1912. Later the Memorial was rededicated to all the Marine Engineers that lost their lives in WWI. It was of extra interest as our son has just passed his exams as a Marine Engineer and just has his Oral exam to take before becoming qualified and off to sea.

A mountain of Portland stone with the Royal Liver Insurance building to the left, the Cunard Building in the middle and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board building on the right. They make a fantastic show at the Pier Head.

Just over the Strand, the main road along the waterfront, is Albion House which was the headquarters for the Ismay, Imrie Shipping Company that later became the White Star Shipping Company Building. White Star owned the Titanic. When it sank in 1912 the officials of the company were intimidated by the crowds waiting for news outside in the street so the went to the middle balcony to read out the lists of the lost.

Albert Dock in the evening sun.

We had decided that Helen would have a day window shopping and mooching about in town today whilst I stayed aboard and did some jobs and today was the day. My first job was to trace the leak in the shower. It took me some time and some destruction to access the problem area. I was not impressed with the workmanship in this case as there was almost 1cm gap in one place that meant that the sealant was always going to be struggling to remain watertight. Hopefully I will have managed to halt the problem by the end of the day. Helen came back with blouses and bit and news of some sandals that she liked but hadn't bought. With everything still in bits and tools and sawdust scattered everywhere I sent her back out to get them to give me more time to get tidied up. She didn't complain too much. It started to rain just before lunch and only stopped after tea time.

It should look like a repair job, rather than a demolition job.

Camera Day.

After our late night last night we took a while to get going this morning. I summoned up the energy to write the blog for yesterday after a lovely day. The trip down the tunnel was very informative and we even got a medal each for doing it! Mind you they are left over from the Year of Culture here in 2008.

We had applied for a timed ticket for the National Trust Hardmans' House via email. We had had no reply but the home isn't open until Wednesday so we waited to see if we heard from them or not. We eventually did and we were due at 1400. We left a bit early and ended up at the Philharmonic pub to await the allotted time.

Philharmonic Dining Rooms.

The 'Phil' was named after the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall opposite. It is said to be the most ornate pub in Britain. It is built like a Gentleman's club with several rooms all separated by paneled walls.

The large room in the Philharmonic pub.

The pub is just on Hope Street that actually runs between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals. We have been to the RC one, or Paddy's Wigwam as the locals call it, on a previous visit. I have to say it did not have the same impression on me as the Anglican one but they do make a big contrast with each other. The original design for the RC Cathedral was for a huge stone more conventional basilica. It was so huge that in the end they realised that they couldn't possibly raise the money in a timely period.

The Liverpool Roman Catholic Cathedral.

Mr. Chambre Harman and his wife Margret we portrait photographers to the high and mighty in the Liverpool area. Their home and studio was on Rodney Street and it was full of the professional people and is still known as the Harley Street of the north as can be seen by the name plates at most doors. They moved in in 1948 and the house is set as it was the 1950's. They hadn't thrown anything away and there were many reminders of my childhood. Although he was a portrait photographer he and his wife took many landscapes in their spare time and these were much more interesting. He took many street scenes of Liverpool which now present a social record of a life that has now passed. The guides were informative and you were ushered from room to room. The Hardmans' only lived for the craft and had little regard for their own living and their rooms were a shambles really. There are about 400,000 photographs that were just stored in the house but are now being catalogued at the newly refurbished Central Library. It was a very interesting 1.5 hours.

A few days ago our main camera seemed to give up the ghost. It seems to be a software problem. We do have a small compact camera but the quality is nowhere as good. We will send it off for repair but thought we would treat ourselves to a new one. After a bit of research we decided on a Fuji Fine Pix S4400. We had a look round a few places to check out the feel etc and ended up buying it from Curry's as the price was almost as good as the internet with no delivery charge and we could have it now! I hope you will see an improvement in the photographs in future. Helen is the main camera person as she says she has a much better eye than me. I am just the director.

Ups and Downs in Liverpool.

My apologies for the lack of a posting yesterday. We had a full day and didn't get back until late, so bed was more important.

After doing household chores, including a load of washing as the weather was so good, we walked up to the Anglican Cathedral. It is free to enter with a suggested donation of £3. The Cathedral stands on a hill and can be seen from far and wide and is a very imposing building. It is the newest cathedral in Britain. 1901 a competition was initiated for a design for a new cathedral and in 1902 a 22 year old won, even though he had never completed a commission at that stage. Giles Gilbert Scott was involved through the rest of his life. It was Giles Gilbert Scott that won another competition in 1926, this time to design the new telephone box which is the classical one that we try to preserve now. There is one in the cathedral. The foundation stone was laid by King Edward VII in 1904 and the cathedral was finally completed in 1978 and consecrated by Queen Elizabeth II. Along the way the cathedral was used as the Lady Chapel was completed and then the high altar etc.

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. The original design had two towers but was changed in 1910 for the more imposing single massive tower.

The first impression you have on entry is the warmth of the locally quarried sandstone and then the huge space that is there. The height of the building soars above you. It has the worlds highest and widest Gothic arches, 33m. The masonry is not over adorned but is just beautiful to look at. We paid £5 for a trip up the tower plus. The plus included a film presentation and then an audio guided tour. There was to be school leavers service at 1300 so the Cathedral was full of children and parents. Before going up the tower we had a cup of tea in the mezzanine cafe in the building. 

Soaring Gothic arches looking down the from the Altar rail with the Dulverton Bridge that crosses just the other side of the tower.

The trip up the tower was via two lifts and steps. The top of the tower is 101m tall and gives a great view of the area. It is higher than the St. John's Tower that you can also go up. We spoke to the guide on the roof who was very knowledgeable and soon developed a crowd with folk with memories of the area.

The City Centre from the Cathedral tower with Albert Dock on the left Liver Buildings, St. John's Tower etc.

Looking South West from the top of the Cathedral tower.

The Cathedral Bells. It is the worlds heaviest peel of bells at 31 tonnes. The largest bell, 'Great George', weighs 14.5 tonnes alone.

The cathedral also has the country's largest organ with 10,267 pipes. They are raising money for maintenance of it and require £900,000. Massive doesn't come cheap!

A School Leavers service underway which gives a good impression of the massive space of the Cathedral.

We wended our way back to the boat for a cup of tea and a rest before out next trip. This was a trip down the Mersey Queensway Tunnel. Hence the highs and lows! The tour stated at the Mann Island offices near the Pier Head. There were six of us on the tour and two guides.

Health and Safety everywhere.

The Queensway Tunnel is a contraflow tunnel with four lanes of traffic. It was started in 1925 with shafts started on the Liverpool and Birkenhead sides and they met in 1928 and were only 1" out of alignment. The tunnel is dry lined with steel frames and plates covered in concrete. The tunnel is just over 2 miles long. The roadway is actually along the diameter of the tube. and is suspended on three walls.

Liverpool entrance to Queensway Tunnel.

This is the central gap beneath the roadway the trickle of water is along the bottom of the tube. The two walls support the road above. The concrete box like structure contains the National Grid Electricity cables.

This is the other side of the road supporting wall showing the rounded side of the whole tube.

Access Tunnel from the safety refuges built under the roadway.

The Liverpool Georges Dock Ventilation Tower houses the ventilation in and out ducting, offices and control room. The trip round the control shows they have a comprehensive over view of the traffic, ventilation, drainage etc. The Building was designed by Herbert James Rowse and is made of Portland Stone to an art deco design. The principles wanted it to blend in with the other buildings in the area. Rowse wanted it to have Egyptian styles too as Tutankhamen's tomb had just been opened. The three building, Liver Buildings, Cunard Building and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Offices, along with the Ventilation tower at the Pier Head were actually built over the old Georges Dock. Before then two bridges were built over the dock for access. You can still see the original dock wall and the bridges. Rowse had a thing about our Hull Heroine pilot Amy Johnson and it is said that the art work on the building is her.

The carving that could be Amy Johnson (who seems to be riding a motorbike!).

The art deco work included the lighting and the toll booths that can be seen here by the side of the very posh chimney! The tor was two hours long and the guides were very good indeed and a well spent £5 each.

We went off to find a pizza before heading to the Lion Tavern as there was to be a quiz night we had seen. It was a very nice night with plenty of chat with the locals and us coming last I think. There were no prizes and no entry fee but all the ladies got a chocolate bar for entering!

On the way back we had the city almost to ourselves. It was nice and warm still and no breeze.

Albert Dock complex from the Strand.

Our mooring just by Albert Dock. Holderness is the upper boat.

Sussing out Liverpool.

The wind was so strong in the night that I had to get up at 0100 to adjust the moorings as the ropes were surging in the swell in the dock. The rudder was also banging on the hull. Afterwards all was okay and through out Helen never woke at all!

In the morning we first went to the Tourist Information to get our time here sorted and then wandered up to the nearest Tesco's to stock up on provisions and use our vouchers. After a bit of lunch we wandered into town. The architecture in Liverpool is fantastic with things to notice where ever you look, upwards. Here on the Waterfront there is a great mix of old and new. I'm not sure where I fit in though. Unfortunately the camera packed up at this stage and we had to resort to the  the 'little' one.

Canning Dock near Pier Head with the Bar Light Vessel on the right and the Liver Building just showing between the modern buildings.

On the way back from Tesco we came across these Gates near the Liverpool 1 Shopping area. They were from the old Sailors Home. The Home was built in 1850 and closed in 1969 and the building knocked down in 1974. I started at sea in 1974 and close to Canning Place was the Seamans's Mission that took over from this place. I joined my first ship from there that year. It was a block of flats type building and it seems to have all gone gone to make way for the Liverpool 1 shopping centre. The gates actually killed the wife of the the Homes Porter in 1852 when the heavy iron door swung closed and crushed Mary Ann Price. In 1907 it also killed a Police Constable Locke who had helped to open the gate when it fell and crushed his skull. When the building closed the gates went back to the maker, Avery in Sandwell. Birmingham, where they were displayed as a good example of the company's art. The Home was demolished in 1974 and the site unused until about 2005 when Liverpool 1 was built. In 2011 the gates were returned to the site.

After lunch we wandered in to town to wend out way over to the St. Georges Quarter. We passed the Liverpool Town Hall. It is a lovely building and must be great at night with the chandeliers lit and shining through the large windows.

Liverpool Town Hall.

A beautiful hidden alleyway.

The Central Library and Walker Art Gallery.

We didn't go to either of the above places but the one next door, the World Museum. There are five varied floors and we sat and saw the planetarium show. We left at about 1630 and decided to head in to the shopping area to see if we could find another planter for the boat. It meant a visit to several shops in the St. John's modern shopping centre. After a while we decided we needed a drink but the pub we went into seemed to not have one 'real ale' on tap. We went next door to the Lion Tavern on Tithebarn Street. It has lovely tiles and old radiators and there is a news reading room. We got talking to the barmaid and the result was she gave us a map with 70 real ale pubs in the centre. We are now thinking of extending out stay in Liverpool!

Blowing into Liverpool.

It was blowing a gale when we got up and it was raining too! I made the tea at 0630 and we were off by 0750 as we had a little way to go to be at the starting point for our descent into Liverpool. We thought we would have breakfast when we got there. Just before we set off the rain stopped luckily. We had just finished our breakfast when the Canal and River Trust men knocked on the roof and asked for our papers. What papers? I only had the verification on the email on the laptop. That was soon sorted and off we started just before 0900.

We set off through the first bridge. We are third in the convoy of five. Not the new tub off flowers on the deck.

The weather was dry but very cold in the wind. Helen was wearing her entire wardrobe to ward off the hypothermia.

The canal wends its way round Aintree, (we could see the grandstand from our overnight mooring but when we passed we couldn't see anything over the fence, Litherland, and Bootle. At first there were the suburbs and Rimrose Valley Country Park that was a large green open wild park land. You eventually run into industry and the above shows one of the covered berths and a warehouse, sadly unused now.

Passing under Boundary Bridge with Leigh Bride in the distance. It seems that these lovely bridges were provided by the Liverpool Council Health committee for some reason.

Information Badge on the bridges by the Health Committee.

The canal takes a 90 deg turn at Eldonian Village and then there is a flight of four locks. We were now No.2 in the convoy as another had stopped to empty their cassette loo at Litherland. That meant we slipped into the first pen of the locks. The C&RT workers worked the locks so it was just a case of not colliding with the other boat and Helen taking pictures and helping with the gates. Once down the locks we were in 'Pneumonia Alley'. This was the name given to this dock as it is nearly always in shade and the warehouses act as a wind tunnel.

'Pneumonia Alley'. On the left is the Tobacco Warehouse and the right the North Stanley Dock Warehouse. The North Warehouse was built in 1846. It is currently being converted into a large 4* hotel. The whole of the Stanley Dock area is a conservation area and business enterprise area.

The Tobacco Warehouse was built by the Mersey Dock Estate, started in 1900 and completed in 1901. At that time it was the largest building in the world, by area, and is still thought to be the largest brick built building in the world. It took 27 million bricks to build and covers 36 acres. Luckily it is a Grade II listed building. It fell out of it's original use in the 1980's. For a long time the only use found was for a weekly heritage market to be run in the ground floor. Plans have been passed for the building to be converted into 335 apartments. As the ceiling heights are not great each will be given a mezzanine floor. There are plans to 'hollow out' the middle of the building to add light and give a courtyard area. It is a very awe inspiring sight as you just come across it.

Under the Stanley Dock lift bridge with the Tobacco Warehouse in the background and enjoying the challenge in going almost sideways in the 35kt wind blowing across the dock.

Victoria Tower on the river wall between the Salisbury Dock Locks. The Tower is actually a Gothic Clock Tower built between 1847 and 1848 and built at the same time as the locks. It was originally built to give an accurate time for the ships passing in the river to set their chronometers and also display meteorological warnings and fog signals. It was also called the 'Dockers Clock'. It is Grade II listed and is currently under refurbishment.

The new Liverpool skyline from West Waterloo Dock.

Approaching the penultimate lock in Princes Dock.

After the lock you pass through a tunnel and then when you are clear you are going past the Pier Head Museums. As the weather was so bad luckily we didn't have too many spectators to watch to see if I made a mistake in the wind.

Just as we pass the Mersey Ferry Terminal we were welcomed to Liverpool by a fly past of the Red Arrows. They were on their way to the Whitehaven Festival. It is so windy I doubt that they would be able to carryout too much of a display. Later I think a Spitfire or Hurricane flew over. I was a little busy missing a dock wall as I was entering the last lock.

The last lock has two sets of gates, the first is canal gate and the second is for the levels in the big docks. This goes up and down a bit with the tides.

Once out of the lock you are in Canning Dock. The Liverpool Bar Light Vessel is preserved here as well as an old pilot cutter. You now have to go hard a st'bd to approach Albert Dock. The wind was very strong here.

Albert Dock is the tourist hot spot of the dock area. The level in Albert Dock and the dock complex to the south is maintained by the single revolving gate that can be seen under the bridge. We had to wait until it was flat to the sea bed and the traffic light changed.

Here we go through into Albert Dock. The job isn't over yet as we had to pass through into Salthouse Dock. Then there was the small matter of reversing on to a finger pier up into the wind. All was accomplished with no loss of life of equipment!

Our berth is next to the green/cream boat just to the right of the bow. Liverpool 1 Shopping Centre is just over the road.

We were finally tied up at 1345 so nearly five hours from start to finish, plus the first little bit to get to the start! After a quick bite to eat we filled up the water tank and headed into Liverpool to buy a paper and some milk. We will now have to plan our next five days here to get the most out of our time.