Even though the ill-fated Titanic never visited Liverpool it
has many connections to the City. First
of its owners were the White Star Line whose main office was in this red and white striped building called Albion House or the White Star Building (built 1898). The ship was registered here which resulted in the words Titanic, Liverpool being painted clearly on its stern.
Most of the Titanic's crew were from Southampton, but there
were Liverpool staff who lost their lives.
These included John Thompson and Thomas Threlfall as
Firemen, Mr. Pallas as a Greaser, Henry Ashe, William Carney, Thomas Hewett,
Charles Hogg, Thomas Holland, Andrew Latimer, and Thomas Weatherston as
stewards, Elizabeth Leather and Sarah
Stap as stewardess, James Hutchinson as
a Vegetable Cook , Charles Morgan as a
storekeeper, Charles Proctor as a Chef and John Clarke as a Bassist. Not surprisingly concerned family and friends gathered on
the streets outside these offices to hear any news of their loved ones. Officials read names of the deceased from the
balcony.
In 1934 the White Star Line moved over the street to merge
with the Cunard Line. Cunard continued
to use the expression White Star Service
to highlight their commitment to high levels of customer care.
In 2013 the building was purchased by Signature Living to
turn it into a Hotel complete with a Titanic
Pool and Spa and a roof top bar and restaurant with World Heritage Views. You can stay in The Vault Cabin – the very
room where the Titanic's plans and documents were stored, The Lightoller Suite – named after a first
class officer, The Molly Brown Quarters – after the unsinkable Molly Brown, The
William Hartley Quarters – after the
famous Lancashire bandmaster who played on, and The Guggenheim Quarters – named after
the Gentleman who returned to his
quarters.
There are many more Titanic connections plus a variety of
other rooms named after other White Star Line ships.
Engineer's Memorial
When the Titanic struck an iceberg in April 1912 it sank
with 1514 souls, and sent shockwaves around the world. It was the 9/11 of its day, and a century
later the tragedy still resonates with horror.
This monument was originally planned as a tribute to the 224 engineers
of the Titanic, those often unsung heroes who work deep in the bowels of the
ship. Eventually its scope was broadened
as a Memorial to all the Heroes of the Marine Engine Room who are lost at sea. Admittedly for all those boarding their
cruise ships here an Engineer's Memorial sounds less ominous than a Titanic
Memorial.
When this was
unveiled in 1916 it was a pioneering work as there was no British sculpture
that recognised the contributions of the working class.
The four nude figures represent Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Incidentally this was carved by William Goscombe John who also created the equestrian statue of King Edward VII located in the middle of the Pier Head.
Around the monument you can see World War Two shrapnel damage from exploding bombs.
This is one of the many monuments and buildings to be found in the FREE tour of Liverpool Pier Head found on
www.obelisktours.co.uk
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