Lydiate, Merseyside, England

Exploring many of the hidden villages in my area brought us to the village of Lydiate, not far from the town of Maghull, which also includes the oldest Pub in Lancashire…

Lydiate (lid-ee-ut) :

Status: Sefton District, Merseyside (historically Lancashire), England

Date: 14/11/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: Lydiate Hall Farm, The Scotch Piper

Attractions: Oldest Pub in Lancashire, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Lydiate Hall, St Catherine’s Chapel, Our Lady’s Church, St Thomas’s Church, Parish Hall, C C Lollies Bridge etc

We parked up outside “The Scotch Piper”, which has the distinction of being the oldest pub in Lancashire. Although Lydiate was transferred to the new county of Merseyside in 1974, it remains part of the historic County Palatine of Lancashire. Lydiate is located just past Halsall, not far out of Southport, and despite having lived in this area for years I had no idea that the oldest pub was on my doorstep.

Dating back to 1320, this charming old thatched building was originally opened as “The Royal Oak”, due to it being built around an old Oak Tree. This still exists and parts of it can be seen inside the building. The change in name occurred many centuries later, and the story goes that in 1745 an injured Piper from the Highlands of Scotland stayed here at the Pub, and eventually went on to marry the Landlords daughter. In honour of his visit this lead to the pub being renamed, and it has kept the name ever since.

Heading North West just a few metres away from the Scotch Piper, we came across another of Lydiates famous landmarks, the ruins of St Catherine’s Catholic Chapel, which some of the locals have nicknamed Lydiate Abbey. Not quite as old as the Scotch Piper, the Chapel was built around 1500, and it was used for the next 50 years as a Chapel for the private use of the Ireland Family who at the time owned the land the village lies on. It is thought that it was Laurence Ireland (1410 – 1486) who started the building work, however he passed away long before it’s completion so it was probably finished by his son.

The Chapels history was cut short in the 1530’s as Henry VIII instigated the Dissolution of the Monasteries and turned on any Catholic Institutions, so the Chapel was abandoned. All that remains today are the ruins, however records indicate that it wasn’t until the 18th century that the building began to decay and the roof collapsed, so its possible it was still being used by the local community over the interceding centuries, until the present Catholic Church was built, just a bit further up the road. You can walk around the ruins, as the Nave is in good condition aside from missing the windows and roof. At the West End stands the tower, and you can look up into the empty shell which presumably once contained a bell.

The Ireland family lived at nearby Lydiate Hall, which also stands as a ruin, but more on that in a moment.

Continuing along the same road, we arrived in the Churchyard of “Our Lady’s Catholic Church”, 1 of a number of Churches in the area, which became the 1st proper Catholic Church in Lydiate since St Catherine’s Chapel. The Church was completed by J. J. Scoles between 1854 and 1855, and one of the most notable additions to the building since it was completed is the Reredos (Large decoration behind the Altar) which was added in 1878.

Exploring the Churchyard, there are a variety of intricately designed headstones, from large Crosses to statues. The Church is accompanied by another building (brick) directly to the South of the Nave although I am unsure exactly what it is, although its probably a Vicarage.

Crossing the road, you get a great view back at the Church, which has a small Porch leading into the Churchyard. There are supposedly the remains of a medieval cross located somewhere in the Churchyard but I didn’t spot it as we were exploring.

Also from here you get a great view towards the Church of St Thomas, located just outside the village on the way towards Halsall and Southport. It predates Our Lady by about 15 years, as it dates back to 1841. It has a very similar layout to Our Lady, with the central Chancel and Nave, and a Tower at the West End, however in this instance the Tower is in front of the rest of the Church rather than just to the side.

Like Our Lady, it too has had at least 1 notable addition/change since it was built, as the Chancel was rebuilt in 1913. Lydiate is a great place for Church Spotters, as we have already found 2 current Churches, the ruins of a Chapel and looking at the map there is a Roman Catholic Presbytery further into the Village to the South.

A small track road almost directly opposite the Church of Our Lady leads West up to Lydiate Hall Farm. It’s a pleasant rural farm who we suspect breed Peacocks, as they were literally everywhere, with little pea chicks in tow! In one of my most well timed pictures ever I managed to snap one of the Peacocks taking flight off a fence post, and what a sight it was!

The Farm also has a cracking cafe, and was the perfect place to have lunch. Their Cheese and Bacon panini was delicious, and we highly recommend a stop here for a meal if you are visiting Lydiate.

What makes Lydiate Hall Farm even more interesting is the wood located next to it. In that wood lie the ruins of Lydiate Hall which I mentioned before, not far from the ruins of St Catherines Chapel.

The ruins are incredible, as you can walk around between the various sections of wall, and even look through the now empty window frames. The wood has grown up around it, and its like something you would find in the depths of South America, not rural Lancashire.

Lydiate Hall was built around a century before the Chapel, sometime in the 15th century, although some records put this at the 16th century instead, however it is generally agreed the building was complete by 1550. As noted before it was built by the Ireland Family who moved here from Garson, which is now a suburb of the city of Liverpool. They took control of the estate that covers the whole of Lydiate, and it remained in their family between 1410 and 1673.

The Hall is quite extensive and where I took the 2nd picture I was in the old courtyard, which had walls running across all 4 sides of it. Sadly by 1940 the building had fallen into ruin, after passing through various hands, despite attempts to stop the building decaying with improvements carried out at the end of the 19th century.

Moving away from the Northern edge of Lydiate, the Parish of which actually overlaps into the neighbouring district of West Lancashire, we wandered further into the main village, where we found the local Parish Hall.

Above the central window on the 1st floor is a large stone block which has the following carved into it:

“1935. Grayson Memorial. Lydiate Parish Hall.”

As this states the building was completed in 1935, although I am unsure which particular Grayson it was named after. Records show that there were a number of people with the surname here around the same time including a Joseph Grayson.

Continuing to head South we arrived at the Leeds & Liverpool Canal for the 2nd time in as many trips, after finding the place in nearby Halsall where the first ever part of the Canal had been dug. Crossing the bridge which carries the road over the Canal, we found a path which lead down to the Canal itself, and we spent the next 20 minutes having a pleasant canalside walk in the sunshine.

Construction of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal began in 1770, and it runs between the port city of Liverpool, and the Yorkshire city of Leeds. 2 branches run from Burscough towards Tarleton (and Locks to the River Douglas) and Wigan (to the famous Wigan Pier).

Whilst in Halsall we found bridge number 25 over the Canal. Here in Lydiate is bridge number 17a. Of course nowadays there are many more bridges over the Canal, as new settlements have grown up and others have expanded leading to many more roads in the area, however at the time this was only the 17th bridge over the Canal since it left Liverpool, which is 11 miles South of here. As we crossed the bridge on the road, we found an inscription which gives it an actual name “C. C. Lollies Bridge” as it was rebuilt in 1930 so it’s not the original crossing.

Lydiate is a beautiful little village in a great rural setting. There is something about a Canal that makes it so much calmer than a river, as it doesn’t flow so it’s very still, perfectly reflecting its surroundings. Lydiate even once had a train station on the “Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway” which was a supplementary route from Liverpool in to Southport via Lydiate, Sefton/Maghull and Birkdale. The line opened in the 1880’s, and was finally closed in the 1950’s. The track is no longer there however you can still follow the route of the line as it’s now a cycle track like many old track beds, most notably in the Lake District.

Despite the lack of a train station today, buses run between Southport and Liverpool, via Bootle, Maghull, Halsall and Scarisbrick. Both terminuses of the route have connections to the mainline and the rest of the country, allowing you to travel onwards to anywhere in the UK. Lydiate is another stunning village in South Lancashire, along with the likes of Sefton Village, Little Crosby, Hightown and Halsall, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed visiting.

Sefton Villages: Pt 2 – Little Crosby, Merseyside

After leaving the historic village of Sefton, we headed for Little Crosby, via a quick stop to look at the War Memorial in the village of Hightown…

Little Crosby:

Status: Sefton District, Merseyside (historically Lancashire), Village, England

Date: 19/12/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Hightown War Memorial, Merseyrail, Little Crosby Hall, Crosby Hall Educational Trust (CHET), St Mary’s Church, Little Crosby Museum etc

On the way towards Little Crosby, we pulled up briefly in the small village of Hightown, at the centre of which stands the Hightown War Memorial. It was designed by Herbert Tyson Smith (1883 – 1972, Liverpool Sculptor), and features a large kneeling Angel bearing a wreath on top of the main column.

Hightown is well known for an old military base called “Fort Crosby”, the remains of which can be found on Hightown beach. The Fort saw much use during World War II, with Prisoners of War from both Germany and Italy being held here. It was later decommissioned as it is no longer in use.

Until sometime in the 20th century, the Fort was accompanied by the Hightown Lighthouse, built in 1839. It sadly later burnt down, and no trace of it remains.

Flowing into the Irish Sea at Hightown is the river Alt, where a number of batteries from the War stand. It is rather poignant that to create them, rubble from the Bootle Blitz of 1941 was used, from the destroyed houses in the nearby town of Bootle. To access the village you can take a train from either Liverpool Central or Southport, at either end of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail Network which stops in Hightown.

Moving on, we made a quick stop at the “Crosby Hall Educational Trust (CHET), an educational attraction for children and young people housed in the old stables of Little Crosby Hall. In the 1st picture you can see the main buildings of the trust, which were once farm buildings, listed as dating back to the 18th century.

The 2nd picture features the Dutch Barn, created in the 19th century as a Hay Barn, however it is now used for storage, mainly for vehicles. In the final picture the stables themselves can be seen, where the horses would originally have been kept. They were closed off when we visited so I am unsure whether there are still horses there or not, but I am guessing not.

This complex of buildings is incredible, and unlike anything else we have seen in this area. It’s almost like an old-timey village all on it’s own, and it’s a shame we couldn’t see the Hall itself. Little Crosby Hall is private, and located down a small road that runs next to the Stables. It dates back to 1786, when the previous house of 1609 was rebuilt out of sandstone and ashlar.

On google Satellite View it looks to be a decent size, with large acres of land around it, including open countryside and vast gardens.

We wandered round to the main village centre, and stopped outside the Roman Catholic Presbytery to nearby St Mary’s Church. The Presbytery is the building in the centre of the row, and has an attached Chapel, which is now a Convent.

The Presbytery originally dates back to 1719, however it was presumably enlarged by 1850 due to the presence of date stones on different parts of the building covering both dates. The original buildings here are listed as being from the 18th Century but they have obviously being altered many times over the centuries, as the Covent also has a date stone, from 1859.

Little Crosby as a community is quite strict religiously. Up until recently, no Protestants were allowed to live in this Catholic Village, however this has changed, although they still need permission from the local Squire (the Blundell Family) before they can move in. The village is also thought to be the oldest Roman Catholic village in England, and it also appears to be one of the most traditional, as a lot of modern improvements haven’t been adopted here, including Street Lights. It appears to have changed little over the last few centuries, and remains a pleasant look back through time.

The Church of St Mary’s lies directly to the right of the Presbytery and associated buildings, cutting a dramatic figure in the heart of the village. The building was completed by a duo of Architects, Matthew Ellison Hadfield (1812 – 1885, architect behind Sheffield & Salford Cathedrals) and John Grey Weightman (1801 – 1872), in 1847. As religion and the Catholic Faith is so important in Little Crosby, the Church is the focal point of the community.

It’s a beautiful building, with stunning sandstone on the outside, and it looks out onto the main road into the village. It characterises Little Crosby brilliantly, and within the 50 ish houses lies a well preserved 17th century village. This was the end of our trip to the village, but we had a great time exploring the villages of Sefton District, from Sefton itself, to Hightown, to Little Crosby. They all have a rich history, and look stunning in this countryside setting.

Sefton Villages: Pt 1 – Sefton, Merseyside

Our next little road trip was around the district of Sefton in Merseyside, named after the village of the same name. There are a number of interesting places in the area, and we covered a few villages that day, starting with Sefton itself…

Sefton:

Status: Sefton District, Merseyside (historically Lancashire), Village, England

Date: 19/12/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Sefton Parish Church, St Helens Well, Sefton Conservation Area, Sefton War Memorial etc

We parked up next to the stunning St Helens Church, located in the centre of the village. This whole area is part of the Sefton Village Conservation Area, which recognises the cultural and historic value of the Church and its surrounding buildings.

The Church is the only Grade I listed building in the entire district, and dates back to around 1320, when the Church was built to replace the previous Norman Church of 1291. Most of the main structure of the building, minus the tower, was replaced in the 16th century around the 1530’s and the Reformation. This has resulted in a jumble of 14th and 16th century areas of the building, showing how it as evolved over the centuries.

The name of the Church refers to Saint Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta (250 – 330, Roman Consort), who also lent her name to the local, much larger town of St Helens, which in turn gave it’s name to the district of St Helens which encompasses it, and lies alongside the districts of Sefton, Knowsley and Liverpool.

Across the road you will find the Sefton War Memorial, erected around 1920, a few years after the end of World War I, as a permanent tribute to the fallen soldiers from the area. A series of plaques line the base of the memorial, and an extra one was added in 2012, to mark 60 years of Elizabeth II’s reign as Queen of the United Kingdom, as a special memory for the fallen.

Just to the West of St Helens Church lies the “Punch Bowl Hotel”, an old public house completed in the early 19th century, around 1826. There is evidence that it was built by a M. Bowker, as his name appears on the East side of the building, along with the date of 1826.

If you look closely at the bottom right hand window, there is a small blue plaque just to the right of the window. It states that that this is:

“Sefton Village. Conservation Area. This Conservation Area includes the site of the mediaeval township of Sefton together with The Parish Church of St. Helen and later 18th Century buildings in the vicinity.”

This area is widely recognised as one of the best historical villages in this area of historic Lancashire, and we could see why. It’s a charming place with no sign of modern buildings, bringing with it a refreshing sense of rustic England.

Outside the Punch Bowl we spotted a sign, which pointed towards the medieval St Helens Well, just West of the Hotel. We explored a bit up the road and quickly found what it was referring to.

Although the original Well is no longer accessible, a large stone marks it’s location, surrounded by iron railings that identify it. It is thought that the Well was a spring discovered in the Middle Ages and used as a pilgrimage site for travellers passing through. It most likely predates the Church, which was probably built close by due to the presence of the Well.

It was still accessible as recently as 1891 when the 4th Earl of Sefton (1835 – 1897), William Molyneux, created a pleasant pump house around it. At some point since it has been closed off, but it is still used as a focal point by the local Church community on the feast of St Helens, which falls on the 18th August.

Looking back from the Well, we got a great view of the Punch Bowl and St Helens Church, which form a stunning area of ancient buildings. Sefton is one of the smallest villages we have visited so far, however it packs more into this small area than some towns do.

Arriving back at the car, we spotted the “Mill Houses” located to the rear (East) of St Helens Church. The listing for the buildings states that it was originally 1 large building constructed in 1753, which has since been split into 2 separate residences. Its a shame there is a slightly more modern house sat behind the Mill Houses, but they are still a welcome addition to this lovely village scene.

Sefton historically did have a Mill, which an old painting by Andrew Hunt shows was sat behind the Church around the same place as the Mill Houses.

Sefton is a stunning little village, just a few miles outside of Maghull, which lies on the Merseyrail Network on the Northern Line between Ormskirk and Liverpool Central, giving relatively easy access to Liverpool, Ormskirk, and from there on to Preston and other regional towns/cities. It was time to move on, and we made the short 5.6 mile journey down the road to Hightown, and the adjacent village of Little Crosby…

2014: A Year in Pictures

Throughout 2014 we visited many stunning places, most of which I have written about on this blog, however there are a few that I shall have to leave for 2015. This short guide will show you our favourite places that we visited month by month throughout 2014, although there are many many more I wish we could add in as well:

January

Starting off our January adventures was the beautiful English city of Coventry, located in the West Midlands. We visited the bombed out Cathedral from 1941, and climbed up to the top of the tower to get a great view out across the city. It was a poignant reminder of the virtues of peace, and the Cathedral is a permanent memorial to the Coventry Blitz which destroyed the building and much of Coventry’s historic city centre.

Later that same month we headed back to the Midlands, but this time to the East, where we visited 1st the city of Leicester, and then moved on to the town of Oakham. One of Oakham’s most interesting landmarks is the great hall of Oakham Castle, shown above, with the spire of All Saint’s Church in the near distance behind it.

February

In February we spent a lot of time on and around the River Mersey, which separates the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Starting in New Brighton on the Cheshire side, we explored the old Lighthouse, Fort and promenade, before turning to get a beautiful view back up the Mersey, with the city of Liverpool visible in the far bank, and the town of Wallasey further down the promenade.

Arriving in Wallasey, we boarded one of the Mersey Ferries to enjoy a trip along the river, giving some unrivalled views of Liverpool’s most famous buildings, the Three Graces, consisting of the Liver Building, Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building. We could also see the Radio City Tower, Liverpool’s 2 Cathedrals, and the historic Albert Dock.

March

In March, we arrived in Staffordshire for a day out, where we visited the city of Stoke-on-Trent, formed out of 6 towns who merged to create one city. Stoke has many varied attractions, and leaving the train station we came face to face with Josiah Wedgwood, a famous pottery maker from the city, whose statue greeted us. In the city centre we found an Elephant Trail in the Potteries Shopping Centre, various Town Halls that the different towns were once run by, a beautiful public park and Stoke Minster on the far side of the train line, amongst other things.

From Stoke, we did a 6 mile walk to the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme which is contiguous with Stoke. Here we found the impressive Guildhall in the centre of the Market Place, which heralded the end of our walk, although of course we still had to walk back again to get our train home!

April

April heralded a return to the Mersey, but this time we went a little further, to spend the day at the National Waterways Museum in the town of Ellesmere Port. Here you could walk around a wide variety of different canal boats, tugs and other vessels, and explore the old warehouses which were in use when this was an actual port. In the background the skyline of Liverpool can just be seen, and between us and the city lies the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey.

Later on in the month, and over 100 miles away, we arrived in the city of Durham, which we had visited previously in 2012 however we couldn’t resist but make a return visit to this beautiful place. The river Wear runs through the city centre, and high up above it on the clifftop sits the majestic figure of Durham Cathedral, alongside Durham Castle. The front end of the Cathedral was used as part of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

Later that day we moved on to the nearby city of Newcastle to cross some of the famous bridges over the river Tyne, including the most famous one, the Tyne Bridge, which carries traffic between Newcastle and Gateshead. The Tyne forms the boundary between the historic counties of Northumberland and Durham.

May

May began in the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which is home to one of my favourite buildings in England. Rochdale Town Hall, with a Clock Tower to rival even that of the Palace of Westminster, rises up into the sky, with a beautiful Union Jack flying below it. It sits in the centre of the town and is part of a much larger, grander building that we could ever have imagined. Elsewhere in Rochdale there is fine architecture and a lovely old church on top of a hill overlooking the Town Hall. The same month we also visited other towns in Greater Manchester, such as Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham and many others, all of which have plenty of attractions.

Moving further North into the historic county of Westmorland, now part of Cumbria, we had a few hours in the town of Appleby. The centre of the town contains two Market Crosses, one at either end of the hill that forms the main road in the town, leading down to the Parish Church at the bottom, and Appleby Castle at the top.

June

We returned a month later to the area consisting of Westmorland, when we paid a call to the town of Kendal. It’s majestic Town Hall is the centrepiece of the town centre, along with a number of other stunning buildings. Kendal sits at the Southern edge of the Lake District, surrounding by stunning open countryside, and is of course famous for Kendal Mint Cake, which is readily available in the town.

Moving on from Kendal, the same day we moved down towards North Yorkshire, where the Settle to Carlisle line forges a path through the countryside, moving through the hills via the Ribblehead Viaduct, pictured above. There is a small station at the South end of the viaduct, so once you have travelled over it you can stop for a look at this masterpiece of engineering.

July

A lot of July has been spent closer to home, with our 1st stop being the city of Lancaster in Lancashire. Following the walkway along the Carlisle Bridge which carries the West Coast Main Line through the city over the river Lune, you get what is perhaps one of the best views in England. You can see towards the city centre, with the Millenium Bridge, Lancaster Castle, Ashton Memorial, Lancaster Cathedral and the Clock Tower of Lancaster Town Hall all visible. It’s an outstanding view, showcasing a beautiful city.

Later that day, on the way up to Carlisle, we stopped at Oxenholme Lake District station, to enjoy some of the local countryside. The station was very busy with trains towards Glasgow/London/Manchester/Edinburgh flying through, as well as local trains arriving from Windermere in the Lake District. A plaque at the station commemorates a local policeman called George Russell who was shot and killed during a stand off with criminals at the station.

August

In August we had an epic voyage down to the South of England, through the town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, through Bristol and Somerset, towards Devon. From there we also visited Cornwall, and had a day out to the most Southwesterly point on the island of Great Britain, Land’s End. We posed with the famous signpost, in this rare opportunity.

Just a couple of weeks later, we embarked on our 1st trip outside of the British Isles, as we flew out to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, which borders Spain and overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar, on the far side of which lies Morocco and Africa. The rock is a stunning sight, rising high up above surrounding Spain, and there is a never ending list of things to see in the territory, from the famous Apes who live up on the rock, the Cable Car up to the rock, the city defenses, the Governors House, 2 Cathedrals and the Lighthouse at Europa Point looking out to Morocco. We also took a bus into Spain itself, to the border town of La Linea and the city of Algeciras further around the coast.

September

September saw the arrival of Southport Air Show, and we were treated to incredible displays by the Red Arrows as they performed their famous routine above Southport Beach. Various other acts, including Lancaster Bombers, a Hurricane, rescue Helicopters and many more also joined the party, to the delight of the crowds.

October

On my birthday, the 23rd of October, we had a drive out to some local Halls in Lancashire, starting with Samlesbury Hall, just outside Preston, a fantastic 13th century mansion, which is open to the public. You can visit the gardens, the various floors and the old rooms which are still furnished with some original items. It is located close to Samlesbury Airfield, and within easy reach of the M6 Motorway.

Not far away from Salmesbury, lies Hoghton Tower, another Hall high on a hill looking out across the local countryside. It too is open to the public, and once you get to the top of the incredibly long drive, you can enter the old stone courtyard through the main gate.

November

November saw a return to the south of England, as we met up with a friend in the town of Leamington Spa, located midway between Birmingham and Oxford. A lot of the town centre is made up of a large park with the river at its edge, full of Plants, Memorials, a Lake and an Arboretum. Elsewhere in the town the towering Parish Church overlooks the river, and has a great little cafe where we stopped for lunch.

Moving on from Leamington Spa, we met another friend in Reading, and together we took a trip to Guildford, where we encountered the enormous brick form of Guildford Cathedral, sat on a hill overlooking the rest of the town. Despite a rather brutish exterior, the interior was finely furnished, and a joy to explore. The rest of the town is full of attractions, from the remains of Guildford Castle Keep, the top of which affords some stunning views, to the Guildhall on the cobbled pedestrianised shopping street that runs through the centre of town. This area is home to various old buildings, such as Churches, Almshouses and fine architecture in general.

December

To round off the year, one final set of trips. 1st up is the village of Sefton in Merseyside, which is a conservation area which takes in the ancient Church, as well as some other local buildings. Also in the village is the local War Memorial, and the site of a Medieval Well called St Helens Well, the Saint that both the Church and the nearby major town of St Helens are named after.

The village is close to other nearby attractions such as the Hall at Ince Blundell, the Memorial in Hightown, and the Hall in Little Crosby.

Our final picture is of the view from the remains of Hadrian’s Wall in the village of Banks up in Cumbria, not far from Carlisle. The sun was setting, and illuminated the silhouetted form of the mountains that make up the Lake District, a spectacular view to round off 2014!

To everyone out there I hope you had a great 2014, and all the best for the New Year, and 2015. There will be many more places featured on this blog throughout next year, including those shown on this list from Gibraltar onwards, so I hope you will rejoin our adventures for another year!

Liverpool Maritime Weekend: Pt 2 – Mersey Maritime Festival

After enjoy the incredible view up the Radio City Tower in the heart of Liverpool City Centre, we wandered down to Albert Dock to check out the old sailing ships, as well as the Naval Frigate…

Liverpool has always been a thriving port throughout it’s history, so there are usually a few boats here and there in the city. They are a great addition to the festival, with the first two we came across visible above.

At the back is the LV23 Light Vessel, also known as the Planet, shining red in the afternoon sun. It was launched in 1960, after two years of construction, and went to work for the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board, standing guard over the Mersey Estuary and using it’s powerful light to guide ships in safely. It was later sold to Trinity House in London, in 1972, and was transferred to Kentish Knock, between the coasts of the counties of Essex and Kent. It was moved through various stations in later life before settling near the Channel Islands in 1979. When it was decommissioned in 1989 it was the last manned Light Ship in the UK. It finally returned to Liverpool in 1992, and is now sat here in Canning Dock, as a Museum, Cafe and Bar.

The second ship in view is called the Lady of Avenel, and was built in 1969 as a motor ship, later being converted into a sailing ship. The name for the ship comes from a Novel called “The Monastery” written by Sir Walter Scott (1771 – 1832, Scottish Novelist and Poet) in 1820. Today the ship is maintained by Heritage Sailing as an experience ship and visits various events.

Moving further into Albert Dock itself, we passed the “Kathleen and May”, built in 1900 by Ferguson & Baird in the Welsh town of Connah’s Quay, Flintshire. It’s had an impressive Maritime History, from 8 years in Wales until 1900, through Ireland (1908 – 1931) to England where it remains, now based in Liverpool. It went through a period of restoration in the 1970s at the docks in Gloucester, and looks fantastic today buy the quays.

The ships original function was to sail the Irish Sea, and was named Lizzie May when it was first launched. When it was sold to Ireland it became part of a coal-shipping fleet, in Youghal, where it was given it’s present name. By 1931 the ship had been bought by Captain Jewell from Appledore in Devon, and was given a new diesel engine, with the masts reduced and the topsails were removed. It’s final job was as a film ship in the 1960’s, before being bought by Paul Davis, who started the ships restoration, which was continued by the Maritime Trust in the 1970’s in Gloucester, which I mentioned before. The ships current owner is Steve Clark from Bideford in Devon, who restored all the layout of all the rigging and masts. It’s a stunning ship, and one of the standout boats from the day.

A permanent addition to the waterfront here at Liverpool, it is the last surviving “three masted topsail schooner of her type” in the world as well as the only large schooner pre-dating the two world wars. It’s certainly the most historic ship we spotted that day, although more modern ones are still a joy to explore.

We kept moving, and soon came across a Dutch ship called Mercedes, which we were openly invited to come aboard and explore. It’s been fantastically realised, and was originally built in 1958 as a fishing vessel in the Netherlands. It was later bought by Atlantic Ocean Co. Ltd from Merseyside, and she was renamed as Atlantic. In 2005 the ship went through a full redesign and rebranding by Wind is our Friend C.V., and was launched ready to sail around the world through international waters.

Here you can see the bar, as well as the main deck which you can walk around and explore. Above us, the main sail bore the brand name “Wind is our Friend”.  It was the only ship we had time to go on, but the view out across the docks from the water itself was great.

Across the water from Mercedes, on the other side of the docks were two more fantastic ships, starting with the Vigilant, shown at the back of the picture. At first glance I thought it was a ship belonging to the Royal Navy, however upon closer inspection it does say “Border Force” down the left hand side near the bow.

Officially titled HMC Vigilant, it was launched in 2004, in the service of the HM Customs & Excise department. This department was later merged with another to create the UK Border Agency in 2008 so the Vigilant, along with it’s four sister ships, were transferred to the Border Agency. The HMC stands for Her Majesty’s Cutter, having changed a few times to reflect the change of departments.

Whilst it operates in the service of the British Government it was actually constructed in the Netherlands, at the Damen Shipyards. With a total length of 138 feet and a top speed of 48 km/h, or 26 knots, it’s a formidable vessel to any illegal ships trying to avoid detection.

Next to the Vigilant, is the Stavros S Niarchos, and is known as a tall ship, similar to Lady of Avenel. It is run by the Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) and was built in 2000, using a half completed hull from Germany. This ship, along with a sister ship called Prince William, replace to older schooners that the company own, called Malcolm Miller and Sir Winston Churchill. The ship was completed in Appledore in Devon, again like the Lady of Avenel. The vessel is stunning, with an impressive array of rigging and masts.

The next ship along, back on the side of (and just in front of) Mercedes, is the Pelican of London, seen here at the front of the picture on the right. We have actually seen this ship before, as it was docked in Weymouth when we visited in Summer 2013.

The Pelican of London was built in Le Havre, France, in 1948 as a fishing trawler, one of five similar ships. After spending 19 years fishing for a company from Norway she was reclassified as a coaster as opposed to a trawler and in 1968 was renamed Kadett, until 1995 when Graham Neilson, who used to work for the Navy, bought here and wanted to make her into a tall ship, like the ones we had previously seen during the day. It was based in Portland (next to Weymouth) and it took 12 years to restructure the whole vessel. Today it’s used as a training ship for young people by a charity called Adventure Under Sail.

By this time we had reached the riverside, and we gazed out across the Mersey. As it was a Maritime Festival, it was fitting that one of the Mersey Ferries was crossing the river from Birkenhead/Wallasey towards the Pier Head outside the Liver Building.

We had a journey along the river on one of them not long ago, and you can find out more in my post here.

The last boat we encountered, was the imposing figure of the HMS Dauntless (D33), one of the Royal Navy’s six Air Defence Destroyers, also called Type 45’s.  It was constructed by BAE Systems in the Scottish town of Govan, on the banks of the River Clyde in Scotland, between 2004 and 2007 when she was launched, by the wire of Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Lady Burnell-Nugent.

The ship was sailed down to Portsmouth in 2009 and officially given to the Ministry of Defence the next day. Since then the ship has visited various parts of the UK including Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London (the first of the six to do so), as well as the United States for war drills with other ships. Most recently it was deployed to the Falkland Islands to replace the HMS Montrose which had previously been stationed there.

The Type 45’s are stealth ships, and the sleek shape means that it only appears as a small boat, for example a fishing boat, when picked up by radar. We have encountered one of the Type 45’s before, the HMS Duncan, in the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, and you can read about it here.

That was it for our Maritime Adventure, and of course there are many other things to see around the Docks, including a variety of Canal Boats in the Basin, as well as the Tate Liverpool, Slavery Museum (Liverpool was once a slave port) and the other museums in the area, as well as statues to the settles who used Liverpool to sail to the new world in America. You can find out more about Albert Dock and it’s many treasures, as well as the city in general, in my post here.

Liverpool Maritime Weekend: Pt 1 – Radio City Tower View

From 13th – 15th of June 2014, the Mersey Maritime Festival was in full swing. Lured by the promise of beautiful old ships, we decided to attend on the first day, the Friday. As the sun was shining brightly we decided to double up the day, with the morning up the Radio City Tower for unrivalled views across the City, and the afternoon down by the Docks to see the boats. We soon arrived, and at 11am when the Tower opened, we ascended…

Radio City Tower (Nearest Merseyrail Station: Liverpool Central, Northern & Wirral Lines)

We arrived at Liverpool Central, where both the Northern & Wirral Lines of the Merseyrail Train Network intersect. We exited the station, and the Tower loomed high above us. As I said before, the Tower only opens at 11am, so we had a quick walk around the shops before it was time to go up.

It’s a very reasonable price to go up, at only £5 for an Adult, and for that you get taken to the top, and you get a 360 degree panoramic view for as long as you want to stay, along with a souvenir booklet containing an actual panoramic photo. The tour starts on the upper viewing level, called the Zoo Room, which offers stunning views. You are then taken 25 steps down to the next level, which you still get amazing views from.

The Tower itself was opened in 1969, as St John’s Beacon, a large revolving restaurant, with the main saucer section taking 1 hour to complete a full rotation. You can travel to the top via either 558 steps, or one of the two lifts which get to the top in less than 30 seconds. Sadly the restaurant closed in 1977 for Health and Safety reasons, but it was reopened in 1983 as “Buck Rogers” a new restaraunt with a space theme. This was short lived and closed just a few years later.

The Towers transformation to it’s current form happened in 1999, when it became the base for Radio City 96.7, along with Magic 1548 who share the tower. The restaurant section is now the main offices for the Radio Stations, and is the main part you are allowed to walk around.

The Tower is actually a functioning Radio Station, with live on air offices located on this floor. You can even hear the presenters holding the live shows, and because of this you can only go around 75% of the circular floor, encased completely in glass windows. This is no problem however, as the two views meet up at either end of the 75% so you still get to see the entire city.

The first view we got was over the City Centre, which is just incredible, with the Three Graces (Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building) visible in front of the River, with the Wirral beyond that. The crowning glory is the fact that the Wirral is completely flat so you can see straight over it to the mountains of North Wales, and Wales’s tallest mountain, Snowdon.

Looking towards the Irish Sea, as Liverpool is where the Mersey empties out into the large body of water separating Ireland from England, you can see some local landmarks. The first is the ventilation tower of the Kingsway Tunnel, although it looks more like the lower sections of a rocket than a ventilator. Beyond that, is a tall Clock Tower, part of the historic Liverpool Docks, which are actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Three Graces and the Waterfront. This section of the docks contains many old warehouses, preserved due to Liverpool’s status as one of the worlds most important ports.

Beyond that is a large Stena Line ship, with the company running ferries from Liverpool to Dublin daily, along with ferries to Belfast from Birkenhead, a large town located across the Mersey opposite Liverpool. Looking past that is the small town of New Brighton, with it’s impressive Fort at the end of the beach, and the New Brighton Lighthouse just behind that. Check out my New Brighton post here to find out more about them. Incidentally the walk along the promenade from New Brighton to Birkenhead is a great walk, offering views of the Liverpool Skyline, and a great place to relax and take in the atmosphere of life down the river.

Moving around the viewing area, you can see down to Albert Dock, the Ferris Wheel and the Town Hall, as well as various other features of the City Centre. By far the most stand out feature is the Anglican Cathedral, pictured above, which is just incredible to look at. Completed in 1978 after 80 years of building and extension works started in 1904, this vast structure has a total height of over 330 feet, and is the longest Cathedral in the World, as well as the fifth largest. We have been inside on a previous trip and the interior is a cavernous space, full of detail and ornate furnishings. It’s one of the grandest Cathedrals in the country, and one of the most recently completed.

On the left is another Church building, however this one is an empty shell. It’s called the Church of St Luke, and was built between 1811 and 1832 after a few additions were made during construction, including the Chancel. In 1941 it was bombed by the Germans during the Liverpool Blitz, an incendiary device setting fire to it and destroying the roof and the interior, but leaving the other main parts of the building standing. It’s so sad how much of the city was destroyed during the war, but it has come back from the ashes and become a thriving city, as it has been throughout it’s history. Although the Church was burnt out, it stands testament to the bravery of the Liverpudlians during World War II.

Off to the left of the main Cathedral, is Liverpool’s second Cathedral, which has been nicknamed Paddy’s Wigwam for it’s distinctive shape. This is the Metropolitan Cathedral, serving the Roman Catholic population. Completed in 1967 after five years, it is an instantly recognisable landmark of the City, and was built around the same time as the Radio Tower.

You can see across the entire city from every direction, and it really gives some perspective of the different buildings locations relative to each other, which you can’t get from ground level especially when you are surrounded by taller buildings.

In this shot you can see the mountains of North Wales, past the flat terrain of the Wirral, the district making up the peninsula across the Mersey. Mount Snowdon is visible in the distance, the largest mountain in Wales. There is a railway running from the bottom up to the summit, the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which is a must see for tourists. There are many varied and interesting places in North Wales, and so far we have visited the cities of Bangor and St Asaph, as well as the towns of Holyhead, Rhyl and Wrexham. A train journey from Chester down the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey is highly recommended, and goes past many local landmarks including the enormous ruined Castle at Conwy.

The docks at Birkenhead are visible in the foreground, where the Belfast ferry leaves from, and a year ago we made the journey, getting some great views of Liverpool, as well as down the Mersey.

The 360 degree view of the city begins at St Georges Hall and finishes just across the street, where you can see the front of Liverpool Lime Street station just jutting out as the corner appears. This is the main regional train station in the City, with trains to Birmingham, Manchester, Preston and London running frequently, as well as many other services starting here.

St George’s Hall has 4 magnificent stone lions outside the main entrance, along with a Statue of Queen Victoria (1819 – 1901), and her husband, Prince Albert (1819 – 1861). Further past that you can see the tall, dark outline of Wellington’s Column erected between 1861 and 1865, in memory of the Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852, famous British Military Leader). The Column has a fountain in front of it, and together they are stood outside the Walker Art Gallery (right) and the World Museum (left). Behind St George’s Hall is a grand garden with a variety of statues around the outside, and two War Memorials near the hall.

I took a 270 degree Panoramic Shot from the Tower, running from the Anglican Cathedral, past the Three Graces and across most of the city centre. The Welsh Mountains are visible in the background. It’s an incredible view from this high up, and it’s certainly worth paying a visit to the Tower if you are in the city.

We spent almost an hour up here just marvelling at how much we could see, and on a clear day you can even see Blackpool Tower. We just about spotted it, past the nearby skyline of Bootle. You can find out all about the rest of the City of Liverpool, in my dedicated post here, from the Cathedrals to the Three Graces, via one of Liverpools most famous creations, the Superlambanana, and many more.

We soon descended from the Tower and made our way towards the waterfront to have a look at the old sailing ships gathering for the Maritime Festival, a few of which we had spotted sailing in from the Tower…

St Helens, Merseyside, England

In the middle of Merseyside, and a proud part of Historic Lancashire, is the town of St Helens, that is sometimes overlooked due to the close proximity of the major city of Liverpool and the well known town of Wigan. St Helens is a gem, and one of the most interesting towns we have been to in the North, with a great mixture of historical and modern architecture…

St Helens:

Status: St Helens District, Merseyside (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 14/05/2014

Travel: Stagecoach (Banks – Southport), Northern Rail (Southport – Wigan Wallgate), Northern Rail (Wigan North Western – St Helens Central)

Eating & Sleeping: Cafe Nero

Attractions: Town Hall, Beechams Clock Tower, St Helens Penguins, St Helens Parish Church, Old Bank Building, War Memorial, Town Library, St Thomas Church, Lowe House Church, Market, St Helens Needle etc

We arrived at St Helens Central Station, which has recently undergone a complete refurbishment, resulting in the fantastic domed exterior pictured above. The big M in the centre stands for Merseyrail/Mersey Travel (which is used on all buses, trains etc in the Merseyside Area).

It is certainly one of the most impressive modern stations we have seen, and was originally opened back in 1858 as “St Helens”. At this point it was owned by the St Helens Canal & Railway, and replaced the two older nearby stations. Subsequent name changes went from “St Helens Shaw Street” in 1949, through to St Helens Central in 1987, which it remains today. The new modern exterior was opened in 2007, after ideas were put forwards in 2005. There are regular services to Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western, as well as Preston and Blackpool North. The line here is being electrified, line many local lines in the North West, which includes the Manchester to Preston line which now runs via Wigan for the time being.

Leaving the station, we progressed into the main town centre, past the St Helens Hippodrome just down the road from the station. This old red brick theatre was built in 1892 and converted in 1903. It is easily visible as you leave the station.

We soon stumbled across one of my favourite structures in the town, and it provided the opportunity to get some epic photographs. I refer of course, to the St Helens Needle, pictured above. It is officially known as the Millennium Needle, and was commissioned by St Helens District Council. This beautiful metal spire stands 20 metres tall, made out of shining Stainless Steel. Around the top are a variety of small holes which allow light to shine through them. I like the second picture, as it almost looks like a like funnel stretching far into the sky, and the sky itself was perfect when we visited, and I don’t think pure blue would have worked as well.

It was installed in 2006, and a metal staircase winds its way around it up, up to the car park of the Hardshaw Shopping Centre at the top of the wall. At night, the whole area is lit up by floodlights and it must look spectacular reflecting the different colours. You can get an idea of what it looks like at night by visiting the website of one of the manufacturers, M-Tec, here.

One of the areas I was most looking forwards to visiting in the town was the large square containing some of the most notable buildings, the impressive Town Hall, the stunning War Memorial and the Red Brick Library.

Starting with the Town Hall, which obviously dominates the picture, we were stunned at the shear size of it. It’s history begins in 1839, when the original Italian Style version was constructed. Sadly a number of fires (in 1871 and 1873) damaged it beyond repair and it was torn down, and replaced by the current building in 1873. This new Town Hall did originally have a steeple on top of the tower, however in 1913 the third fire struck and destroyed the steeple.

The building stretches the length of the square, and is similar in grandeur to many other Northern Towns and Cities like Manchester and Sheffield. It’s a fantastic building, and has retained its lovely rustic charm.

Over to the right is in the imposing front of the Library, built in 1896. It is a stark contrast to the rest of the square, however you get the feeling that you are crossing the years standing here. Outside the Library is the town’s War Memorial, in the shape of a small obelisk. It was constructed not long after World War I. The names of Soldiers from the town who fought in the war are listed on plaques around the outside, along with those from World War II above them.

The whole square is a very pleasant place to explore, and just off to the left, out of the square itself we found a familiar face…

Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901, Queen of the United Kingdom) sits in all her splendour looking out across the town, and today she was enjoying the lovely sunshine.

The statue was created a year after she died, and was given to St Helens by Colonel William Windle Pilkington (1839 – 1914, the then mayor). There are many statues of our most prolific Queen spread throughout the United Kingdom, from Dundee to Southport to Weymouth.

From the Queen Victoria Statue, we could see the next building of interest and made our way in that direction. I refer to the beautiful smooth exterior of  Beecham’s Clock Tower, part of a large building built in the 1880’s as the headquarters of the Beechams Pharmaceutical Company, started by Thomas Beecham (1820 – 1907) who has a small bust above the main entrance to the building.

Today the building is part of St Helens College, which has a number of new and interesting modern buildings, including the one on the right, which I think looks fantastic. The green exterior contrasts well with the Clock Tower. The College was founded in 1896, as the Gamble Institute by the then Mayor, Sir David Gamble (1823 – 1907, served three terms as Mayor). It became a Technical College in 1959 and today it is one of the best colleges in the country.

As the town has expanded, it has almost merged with a few surrounding townships, including one called Eccleston, which is located just over the A58, which runs next to the College. The stand out feature of the area is shown above, and is called the church of St Thomas. Looking at the exterior, it appears very modern, however it was actually founded back in 1839.

Eccles means Church Farm or Settlement, although there is no recorded church in the township until the 18th century when the Portico Our Lady’s Roman Catholic chapel was constructed. One of the most famous children of Eccleston is Richard John Sedden (1845 – 1906) who went on to become the Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1893 and 1906, making him the longest serving PM so far.

The St Helens skyline varies wildly from different areas of the town. For example, you can see the Town Hall Clock Tower from the station, and when you get there the Beechams Clock Tower then comes into view. We saw the Church of St Thomas from there, and then from St Thomas we could see, in the near distance, the above church, which looks more like a Cathedral you might find in the centre of Europe, leading it to be nicknamed “The Basilica of St Helens” in the local area.

The dome and the tower stand out across the local houses, and it made it very easy to navigate our way over to it. As I said before, it looks very European, and the building style is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic. It’s official name is the Church of St Mary, Lowe House, and it serves the Roman Catholic population of the town. It looks a lot older than it actually is, as it was only founded in 1924. It takes its name from the house that was once built on the site, in 1793.

The Archbishop of Liverpool himself, Frederick William Keating (1859 – 1928) laid the foundation stone of the church. Three years later, in 1927, the new building opened, built a design by the Irish Architect Charles B. Powell. The main stand out features are the dome and the tower, and in the tower the Nave, Sanctuary and the Transepts meet up in the Octagonal Tower the dome sits atop. At the very top of the dome is a 16 feet tall cross, made out of Copper.

It’s a remarkable construction, and something I wasn’t expecting to find in St Helens. It gives the town a large scale sense of grandeur, and made for some great photographs.

We started moving back into the main town centre to explore the pedestrianised streets, which usually contain a plethora of old and interesting buildings. As we passed around one of the large roundabouts, we noticed a large statue/sculpture in the centre.

It is called the Miners Monument, and local collieries had up to 20,000 workers by the 1970’s. Many workers died during the pit years, and this monument stands in tribute to all of them.

We made it into the pedestrianised section, and my favourite building there is this one, the grand white front of “The Manchester and County Bank Ltd” sat on Church Street. We stopped for a break in a Cafe Nero directly opposite the building, and got a seat upstairs with a great view across to it.

Across the top of the building are the Roman Numerals “MDCCCCXIV” this translates as 1914.

M = 1000, D = 500, C = 100, X = 10, IV = 4. These together then make 1914. It was a branch of the Manchester and County Bank (established in 1862) when it opened, although the bank then merged with the District Bank (Manchester & Liverpool District Banking Company) in 1935. Today it is occupied by the Yorkshire Building Society. Its a great looking building, and still looks brand new. There are a number of old Victorian Buildings on these streets, as well as a few shopping centres including The Hardshaw Centre and Church Square.

Church Square relates to our next discovering, the Parish Church, sat right in the middle of the shopping centres and shopping streets.

St Helens certainly has a taste for large churches, and this is the third one we have found today. The Church is a very important part of the towns history, as the original chapel here, St  Elyn’s (built before at least 1552) was the start of the town. The building lasted until 1618, and was the location where Eccleston, Windle, Sutton, and Par (the four townships) met up. A new hamlet grew up around the chapel and eventually became the town of St Helens in the 19th century.

A large church was built here before 1780, and extended over the coming years. It was known as St Helens Chapel, and was the Parish Church by 1852. It was eventually destroyed by fire in the 1920’s, and the current building was built. It presented an opportunity for a large church to really show off the importance of the town. World War I caused the price of stone to rocket, so brick was used instead.

The name St Helens also comes from the original chapel, as Elyn became Helens.

We moved round to one of the newer buildings in the town, built in a similar style to the station. I love the rounded glass exterior, and the glass is done in such a way you are never quite sure whether it’s green or blue, but even so it has a lovely tint to it.

St Helens is historically a market town and there have been regular markets held here. St Mary’s has been around for a long time, and had the new front installed recently to update it. There are many stalls inside, and the entrance round the other side comes out back at the Parish Church.

Opposite the Market is one of St Helens major attractions, the World of Glass. This fantastic building houses a large collection of Glass products, as well as Glass-blowing exhibitions and courses, and various galleries of art. The shop is free to enter free of charge and you can get a number of interesting souvenirs. St Helens had a major Glass industry, established by a company called Pilkingtons (founded in the town in 1826), and there were up to 30,000 Glass Workers.

The entrance to the museum is through the large kiln on the left. It’s incredible when you step inside, as the whole kiln is completely hollow and in it’s original condition. You can see straight up to the roof, up to the circular hole at the top (now glassed over). The echo is fantastic and it’s a very surreal experience. It gets you excited before you even enter the museum, and its certainly a great way to enter the museum.

It was at the museum that we noticed something. There was a large blue penguin sat at the entrance, and we realised we had seen a penguin at the station as well. We assumed that the station penguin was just an art installation, but after asking at the museum we found out that, much like the Superlambananas in 2008, there were over 200 penguins painted and spread throughout Liverpool, St Heles and the Wirral as a fund raising venture in 2009/10. Even though I am from the area I had only heard of the Superlambananas as I don’t get into Liverpool that often.

It’s a shame we missed them, but a few of them still inhabit the area. As I said there is one at the station, and the blue on at the museum. All of the penguins are made out of fibreglass, and based on the Emperor Penguin. The main penguins stood 5 feet tall,  with some smaller school penguins at 3 feet. Most of the penguins were sold at auction to raise money for Liverpool’s Year of the Environment, promoting the dangers of Global Warming.

Our last stop in St Helens is the old Bank Building,  and the second of the two former banks after the Manchester and County Bank I talked about earlier. This one opened as Parr’s, later to become part of National Westminster in 1970.

Parr’s Bank was founded as Parr & Co in the nearby town of Warrington, and had 400 branches in 1914. Today the building is inhabited by a pub called the Counting house, however the building itself has been kept in great historical condition.

This was the end to our St Helens adventure, and we returned to the station to get a train home. It’s a fascinating little town, and easily accessible from local towns and cities, as well as having the advantage of being nestled between the major airports of Manchester and Liverpool. There is plenty to see in the town, and aside from what I have talked about there is also the Museum of Transport, reasonably close to the station.

If your in the area around Liverpool of Wigan take a trip to St Helens, and see what you discover.

Port Sunlight, Merseyside, England

On the way back from Ellesmere Port, we stopped in the village of Port Sunlight, served by two train stations on the route we were using. The village was suggested to me by a friend, and when I looked it up it turns out to contain over 900 Grade II Listed Buildings, so we decided it was worth a look…

Port Sunlight:

Status: Wirral District, Merseyside, Village, England

Date: 19/04/2014

Travel: Merseyrail (Ellesmere Port – Port Sunlight), Merseyrail (Bebington – Southport, via Liverpool Central)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Lady Lever Art Gallery, War Memorial, The Lyceum, Christ Church, Lever House, Old Buildings, Leverhulme Memorial etc

We decided to alight at Port Sunlight station, and walk through the village the short distance to the next station along, Bebington, close to the adjoining town of Bebington. This was around a 15 minute walk and took us past all of the major landmarks of the village.

We exited the station, and we were suddenly in this picture perfect world, of finely laid out streets, trimmed bushes and, in every direction, beautiful old buildings that look like they were built yesterday.

At the end of the road, was the above building, and the large stone front of Lever House. Port Sunlight was constructed in 1888 to house the workers of the newly built Soap Factory, which was opened by the Lever Brothers, a manufacturing company created by William Hesketh Lever (1851 – 1925) and James Darcy Lever (1854 – 1910) in 1885. The name Port Sunlight comes from the signature product the company created, called Sunlight, a powerful cleaning agent.

I imagine this building would have been their headquarters here, and even though it is one of the few stone buildings in the village it fits in perfectly, the centrepiece of a perfect setting. Or so we thought. We soon found a even more impressive centre to Port Sunlight, but more on that later.

As we kept moving, we came across a small valley, flanked on either side by beautiful trees of all colours. Halfway down a small stone bridge crossed the valley, over to the orange building with the spire, called the Lyceum. It was built between 1894 and 1896 as a school for the new community. As a newly built village there needed to be educational services, and as more and more families moved in this was a priority. It also doubled as a temporary church until the main one was built, which we came across later on.

I love this scene, it’s just so perfect and like a small fairytale village. The colours all fit together so well, especially with the radiant blue sky, which we were so lucky to have that day. The sun shone on everything and lit it up perfectly to show off all the detail.

There is such a wide variety of buildings in Port Sunlight, most of them houses, with a few shops and of course the station, the last picture in the above gallery. There are a number of styles being used, from Tudor to Georgian, yet they all blend seamlessly together to create a place that you could literally walk around for hours and still find something new and interesting. Even the train station is completely different to all the others on the Merseyrail Network, and shows how much effort has gone into the construction of Port Sunlight.

Every building was designed individually, so instead of rows of uniform houses you get a world of intrigue, with so many shapes and colours to enhance the area.

Around the side of one of the large houses, in the middle of the garden, and surrounded by colourful tulips, is the bust of a sphinx, which bears a large wooden cross on her back. It is actually also a sundial, and the metal bars holding up the cross are marked with the hours. THe shadow of one bar falls onto another and provides a reading.

A plaque is sat halfway up the column, called “The Equation of Time” and it has the minutes on in a graph with a long wave going across it. To calculate the time you read across to the current date on the graph (in 5 day intervals) and then add or subtract (depending on the graph for that day) that from the hour on the bars to give the time. It’s quite ingenius, and is one of two sundials we found in the village, and the other is just as clever.

We reached the main avenue of the village, which contains a number of interesting features. The first of these is through a tall stone arch, and is called the “Hillsborough Memorial Garden” which commemorates the 96 Liverpool FC Supports who were killed during a game with Sheffield at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 when they were crushed during a push into part of the stadium.

The garden was planted that year and was the first of many memorials to the tragic disaster.

Moving past the memorial garden, we were greeted with an incredible view. The War Memorial is a largestone monument that makes up a roundabout in the centre of the road, with a tree lined boulevard behind it leading to the Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Port Sunlight museum at the end of the road. It looked amazing and it genuinely reminded me a bit of Washington DC in the USA, although I know obviously not quite as grand.

The War Memorial was designed by Sir William Goscombe John between 1916 and 1921. The main cross in the centre is made out of marble, and list the names of locals who died in the World Wars. A variety of copper soldiers are situated around the outside, from women and children to emergency services and soldiers, showing how the war affected everybody. It’s a beautiful construction, and a fine tribute the brave men and women of Port Sunlight.

From here we could also see down to the main church, called Christ Church. It was built between 1902 and 1904, opening late 1904. It replaced the temporary church I mentioned earlier that was in the Lyceum building. It was originally part of the Congregational Church, however it later became part of the United Reform Church. Situated in the grounds of the church is the Lever Family Vault, a memorial to Lady Lever, who I think was the mother of the two brothers.

Between the War Memorial and the Art Gallery is the second sundial we found. A plaque on the left tells you how it works:

“Analemmatic Sundial. To tell the time you need the sun. Stand on the month stone. The time will be where your shadow is cast across the hour pillars. (Inner circle for British Summer Time months. Outer Circle for Winter months)”

The month stones are on the floor between the flowers, and where your shadow falls either on the pillars or so far between them indicates what time it is.

Outside the Art Gallery is a large pool, with a bronze fountain in the centre. The whole area has been laid out perfectly, and the building itself is one of the finest surviving examples of late Victorian/Edwardian architecture. Again dedicated to Lady Lever, it was opened in 1922 by Princess Beatrice (1857 – 1944, daughter of Queen Victoria).

Inside there are collections from all over the world, many of which were to William Levers own tastes. There are also exhibitions on ceramics from China and the Wedgewood Company from Stoke-on-Trent. Sadly we didn’t have time to go inside, but the building itself is superb and it is certainly worth a return visit.

Around the other side of the fountain is the Port Sunlight Museum, which gives you a history of the village as well as showing how much it has changed over the years. Again we didn’t get chance to go in as we were heading to the next train station along but we will certainly come back for a look sometime.

The Museum also looks at the village from the inhabits perspective, from the original 125 workers to nearly 2 thousand today. It is housed in a stunning looking building, that looks like a small mansion. The view out over at the Art Gallery, the fountain and the gardens looking back towards the War Memorial is in an amazing sight.

The final structure of interest we found is the memorial to William Lever, who was the 1st Viscount of Leverhulme. It consists of a tall column, with four statues on a plinth at the front of the memorial. These represent Industry, Charity, Education and Art, all of which he brought when he founded the village all those years ago.

It is sat directly behind the Art Gallery, and although it is quite modern it is still in keeping with the rest of the village, and a fitting final tribute the man who came up with this incredible, beautiful place.

From here we walked down to Bebington Station, just a few minutes up the road. There are direct trains from here back to Ellesmere Port and round to Chester, as well as to Liverpool via Birkenhead. You can change in Liverpool for trains round to Southport, as well as Crewe, Manchester and Birmingham. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also accessible from the city centre. The A41 runs past the village and connects it back up to Birkenhead and round to the M53 from the Wallasey Tunnel to Chester.

Port Sunlight is an incredible place, and one I highly recommend that you visit, for the stunning architecture, peaceful location and beautiful memorials.

Day Out On The Wirral: Pt 5 – Leasowe, Merseyside

Our last stop of the day was in the town of Leasowe, on the Wirral. We had seen Leasowe lighthouse advertised on the train, so we decided to stop and have a look. Needless to say we couldn’t find it, but we got home and researched how exactly to get to it so one day we shall make a return visit. Never the less, we did find one or two interesting things in the town…

Leasowe:

Status: Wirral District, Merseyside, Town, England

Date: 28/02/2014

Travel: Merseyrail (Southport – New Brighton via Liverpool Central), Mersey Ferries (Seacombe – Liverpool Pierhead), Merseyrail (Liverpool – Hoylake/Leasowe), Merseyrail (Leasowe – Southport via Moorfields)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Lighthouse, Beach, Leasowe Castle, Typhoo Tea Factory etc

As we walked in the general direction of the beach (and where we expected to find the Lighthouse) we passed the Typhoo Tea Factory. The brand was launched in 1903 by John Sumner Jr. from the city of Birmingham in the Midlands. The original factory was also located in Birmingham, but by 1974 production moved to Leasowe (sometimes associated as part of the nearby town of Moreton).

The brand itself originated from John’s desire to create a new brand of tea he could sell in his shop in Birmingham, which he founded with his father in 1870, as a joint Grocery and Pharmacy. Taking the name from the Chinese word for Doctor (due to his sister’s comments about the soothing nature of tea) he came up with his Typhoo tea brand.

As we reached the beach, we found our way blocked by Leasowe Castle, which I assumed was a more modern building, or hall. It is in fact a true Castle from 1593, and was possibly originally used as an observation point for the Wallasey races (Horse racing) which took place on the beach in the 16th/17th centuries.

It was built by Ferdinando Stanley, the 5th Earl of Derby (1559 – 1594), and the first part of the Castle built was an octagonal tower. This fell into disrepair by 1700, and in 1821 the complex was bought by the Cust Family, and turned into a hotel by 1826. In 1836 the building was honoured, as the ceiling of the Star Chamber in Westminster, London, which was demolished in 1806, was brought here to the Castle. It is famously decorated with gold stars, and four tapestries (one for every season) were also brought to the Castle. By 1911 and 1970 the building was converted and used as a Railway Convalescent Home, before becoming a hotel again by 2000.

As it’s still a hotel today, we couldn’t go in, but we got a good view from the road, through the ornate gate posts, to the Castle itself. Access to the beach is difficult here and you have to go further down the road to find a path to it, so we decided to turn back at this point, as we weren’t sure exactly how far away the lighthouse might be. We later found out it was constructed in 1763 and is the oldest brick built lighthouse in Britain.

We returned to the train station, and made our way back to Southport via the Liverpool Stations. Leasowe is served by one train station, with local buses connecting it to the rest of the Wirral. It’s a pleasant little town and we hope to return soon to find the lighthouse and get down the beach.

That’s it for our Wirral Adventure, but another one to the area is on the horizon, with West Kirby, Kirkby, Ellesmere Port (Cheshire) and Leasowe Lighthouse left to find around Merseyside using Merseyrail, along with St Helens.

Day Out On The Wirral: Pt 4 – Hoylake, Merseyside

Our next stop on our Wirral day out was the town of Hoylake, and we got the train round from Liverpool…

Hoylake:

Status: Wirral District, Merseyside, Town, England

Date: 28/02/2014

Travel: Merseyrail (Southport – New Brighton via Liverpool Central), Mersey Ferries (Seacombe – Liverpool Pierhead), Merseyrail (Liverpool – Hoylake/Leasowe), Merseyrail (Leasowe – Southport via Moorfields)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Hoylake Beach, Lighthouse, Sculptures, The Quadrant etc

Walking from the Merseyrail Station, we entered the main section of Hoylake, which is faced with some lovely old buildings set in stone and the whole town feels very well laid out, with trees at regular intervals, and the roads very spacious. This part of the town is known as the Quadrant.

There are a number of sculptures in Hoylake, and the first two we found were based around Iron Ropes. The first of these was a bicycle rack.

The second were the benches, which have incorporated the rope into their handles. I would imagine the idea came about from the permanent Life Boat station in the town (one of the oldest in the country), and the fact that it is on the sea with regular boats going out into the Irish Sea. With ropes being an integral part historically and presently in ships then it would make sense to find them in a seaside town.

Further down the road, between the Station and the older buildings pictured previously, we found the second set of sculptures. The first is called the “Knot’s Sculpture”, and features a bird known as the Knot, which a small wading bird. It was designed and built by David Arnold, and a plaque on the side of it features a poem written by Elizabeth Davey:

Knots

Here, as they swirl, the birds descry
A loop, that links shore to sky
And in their flight across the sands,
Echo the ropes which roughened hands
Have hauled in years gone by.

But more than this, their outspread wings
Twisting in flight, place complex rings
Weave as they swoop, the greater hole
The knot that binds, whose timeless role
Links past with years to come.

The second sculpture in this set is sat in the middle of a large roundabout, opposite the Quadrant, where Station Road, The King’s Gap and Market Street all meet. 120 Knot’s make up this sculpture, featuring them flying in a flock around the roundabout. Together the plethora of Knot’s weigh a staggering tonne, but add to the layout of the town.

You might be wondering why the Knot is so heavily featured in Hoylake?

The answer is because it is a very local bird, and can be seen in flocks of up to 30,000 in the skies around Merseyside. The Wirral Peninsula is a thriving habitat for wildlife, as the Mersey Estuary has been designated as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the coast around Merseyside is well know for it’s wildlife with the Formby Nature Reserve at Formby as you head towards Southport.

We left the Quadrant, and moved down towards the beach, which is only around a 10 minute walk away. The beach offers amazing views along the coast, and it was a lovely sunny day to explore it.

Off in the distance the hills of North Wales and Gwynedd rise up, and it’s the first time we have seen them properly from outside Wales, as we have had many trips over to North Wales to the towns of Rhyl, Wrexham and Holyhead, and the cities of St Asaph and Bangor. The sun was peaking through the clouds and gave the whole place a slight air of mystery, as the hills themselves were wrapped in the grey tendrils of the clouds, which almost seemed to be flowing off them.

Aside from just looking across to general North Wales, one of the main views from the beach is Hilbre Island. Although it is open all year round, there are no permanent residents on the island. The causeway over to it is tidal and you can walk across from the town of West Kirkby, only a few miles further round the peninsula. The crossing itself is around 2 miles long, and if you set off at the start of low tide you have around 3 hours before the tide comes back in. You can stay on the island itself whilst the tide is in and this will last for around 5 hours, but don’t try to cross to or from the island at high tide. You can find out more information about the crossing here. The island itself is also a SSSI.

Looking further behind Hilbre Island, the Llandudno Peninsula in North Wales protrudes out into the Irish Sea (left) and far behind it you can see the Isle of Anglesey, one of the 26 Welsh Counties and one of the gateways to Ireland. The island is connected to the Welsh mainland by the famous Menai Bridge, along with the Britannia Bridge which is a joint road and rail bridge. For to find out more about the attractions in and around Anglesey, see my posts on Holyhead (a town at the tip of Holy Island which joins to Angelsey, for ferries to Dublin in Ireland), and Bangor (a city at the edge of the mainland just before you cross over to Anglesey).

The views from Hoylake are spectacular, and we picked a great day to visit to see them reasonably clearly.

As we left the beach, and headed back up the road to the Quadrant to find the station, we spotted something rather odd. A lighthouse, in someone’s back garden, quite far in land from the beach itself. The old lighthouse is now a private residence so you can’t go up, but it is high enough for you to see over to Liverpool itself, and far into Wales (going off sources where visitors have recounted their trips from back in the day) and it’s light must have shone far into the Irish Sea. It was a nice little find, and we only spotted it quite by chance as I glanced down a side street, and it was obscured by some of the other building sin the area when we had arrived initially.

Hoylake is quite an interesting little town, and with mainly residential sections, it is a good place to relax and you can enjoy the views over North Wales. Two stations serve the town, Hoylake Station and Manor Road station, nearer the shopping area of the town. By road the A553 and A540 connect it to West Kirkby and back towards Liverpool, Wallasey and Birkenhead.

From here we made our way back to the station, and boarded a train heading back to Liverpool, for our last stop of the day, which is a late addition to our trip, but based on a picture we saw on the train itself, advertising an interesting find at the nearby town of Leasowe…