Isn’t ‘Heritage’ a peculiar word and concept? How come some things are ‘Heritage’ and others merely ‘ordinary.’ And who decides anyway? Being ‘National Heritage Weekend’ when you can get into approved places you might not always be able to, I decided to walk round the neighbourhood here and have a think.
Starting at the heart of things.
Granby 4 Streets of course. Where I spent most of yesterday and much of the last week. This week we’ve started handing out the keys to the first Community Land Trust houses to come off site. This week they’ve started turning into homes. Heritage or just places where people live?
Off out walking on Friday morning.Forever fixing the roads that are too much travelled on. Heritage or utilities?Past the Unitarian Church, Ullet Road. Official Heritge, William Roscoe and all, and open this weekend.
Their definition of themselves.The next church along. Also Heritage.And Sefton Park?
Well obviously as Heritage as you can get.
But half of its biggest field is already being closed off.For a divisive, pay to enter food festival that doesn’t even take place for another two weeks.
I’ve ranted about the iniquity of this thing on here before so I won’t repeat myself. Now it’s being run twice a year I hope the City Council are charging it enough to fund the inclusive and free festivals we also have on here?
Glad to see Bellem Tower finally on site. Would be even gladder if it was still municipal housing. Flogged off Heritage.Into Princes Park. Grade II Listed Heritage.With exercise machines.And its own Stonehenge. So there.Leaves are on the turn now.I never mind the coming of Autumn, the passing of time.It brings its own treasures.Past the far end of the Welsh Streets. Suspended Heritage?To here. High Park Street Reservoir.It’s official Heritage, you can tell. There are people on the door.Long disused but entirely fascinating.What would you do with this?Market stalls?A secret bazaar?A place with a future?Or just Heritage?Local people are having ideas.And maybe you are too?One of Liverpool’s loveliest secrets.Next door is another bit of open Heritage, Toxteth Town Hall.
I don’t go in. I can only stand so much officially sanctioned Heritage tourism.
Next door is the savagely brutalist 1970s Job Centre. Not Heritage it seems. Or not yet?Down the hill there, the Florrie. Quite a lot of Heritage.I walk on, along Park Road.Heritage graffiti?A renovating pub? Probably not to be a pub though is it?Now, a serious bit of Heritage.Coleman’s Fireproof Depository. Long admired by many, though long disused.But official Heritage? Apparently not.Good to see a still open pub though.
The Globe, where Margie’s assured warm welcome would now seem to have been taken over by Janette!
No queue or guided tours, but you’re welcome to walk around it.These probably didn’t supply the tiles for the cathedral though?Some edgeland in Upper Stanhope Street/Dexter Street. My kind of Heritage.Into the Baltic Triangle.Constellations.Creating a future from not much wanted heritages.Messy?Disobedient?Creative?Not yet tidied up?And long may it be so.Relentlessly interesting.And yes developers are moving in.
Getting a piece of the action in a place that had no action in it for years. A leftover place where some of Liverpool’s future is currently being created from its leftover heritage. Well done all.
And people who’ve long lived here still do.I’ve got one more piece of tourism left in me.The Scandinavian Church.Walked past thousands of times.Never been in.So it’s about time really.They’re very proud of their Arthur Dooley bronze of Jesus.
Delivered at 3am one Christmas Day in the morning, apparently.
This is by Arthur Dooley too.Madonna and child. With all the pastors behind her.They’re welcoming to children here.In fact to everyone.Plenty to read too, if you know the languages.And stylish.Obviously.I’ll be back.
Heritage this, but living heritage. Somewhere I’d like to come and sit on a quiet, nothing particualrly happening kind of day. But do have a look this weekend while you can.
Along the road, some often overlooked Heritage poetry.
Time for a quiet sit and a drink in a secretly quiet place just a few yards away from Liverpool One.
The Cow & Co Café.Thinking about the Heritage that matters most to me.
Writing about life, Liverpool and anything else that interests me. As well as working with others to make the world a fairer and kinder place: http://asenseofplace.com.
View more posts
Join the Conversation
4 Comments
The ornate lamp post was my favourite item of heritage here (part of it is missing, I think) – compare it with the dull looking lamp posts surrounding it. I believe you had coffee at Cleveland Square, where the early Chinese settlers lived (with the occasional opium raid by the police).
Hello Ronnie. I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now & thought it was time I commented. I’ve worked in the Baltic Triangle for nearly 13 years & have seen so many changes in the area. I think it’s great & like you I’m not sure I like ‘Heritage’ to be regimented & packaged, I prefer the variety & freedom. I don’t know if you saw Who do You Think You Are last night on BBC, with Gareth Malone in Cleveland Sq where his ancestor had a pub/music hall in late 19th century, sadly now demolished but a bit of heritage that should have been preserved? Hopefully we are getting better at this, as in Granby, bringing the old buildings into a state fit to be useful today, rather than wholesale demolition as we’ve seen so often in the past.
Thanks Sue, and welcome to the talking bit of the blog. We lose so much, thoughtlessly. But I still prefer the kind of heritage that lives and breathes to the preserved in aspic kind. Which is why the Baltic and Granby are working so well.
Time for a quiet sit and a drink in a secretly quiet place just a few yards away from Liverpool One.
The ornate lamp post was my favourite item of heritage here (part of it is missing, I think) – compare it with the dull looking lamp posts surrounding it. I believe you had coffee at Cleveland Square, where the early Chinese settlers lived (with the occasional opium raid by the police).
Good taste Pak! And yes indeed. What’s left of Cleveland Square.
Hello Ronnie. I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now & thought it was time I commented. I’ve worked in the Baltic Triangle for nearly 13 years & have seen so many changes in the area. I think it’s great & like you I’m not sure I like ‘Heritage’ to be regimented & packaged, I prefer the variety & freedom. I don’t know if you saw Who do You Think You Are last night on BBC, with Gareth Malone in Cleveland Sq where his ancestor had a pub/music hall in late 19th century, sadly now demolished but a bit of heritage that should have been preserved? Hopefully we are getting better at this, as in Granby, bringing the old buildings into a state fit to be useful today, rather than wholesale demolition as we’ve seen so often in the past.
Thanks Sue, and welcome to the talking bit of the blog. We lose so much, thoughtlessly. But I still prefer the kind of heritage that lives and breathes to the preserved in aspic kind. Which is why the Baltic and Granby are working so well.