Liverpool - Pier Head - Old Engraving

From the engraving of St. Nicholas' Church, Chapel Street, Liverpool, 1829.

Today St. Nicholas Church is landlocked, but this engraving illustrates how the docks once stood immediately outside its front door.  It truly was the Seaman's church as thousands of Sailors and emigrants would attend church here for the last time before setting out on their adventures around the world.

The majority of the nine million emigrants who emigrated from Liverpool left from St. George's Dock and Basin which stood in front of St. Nicholas.   The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, and the Port Of Liverpool building now occupy the site of the old Dock.  The only hint of its existence is the name of the road: George's Dock Gates.

Drawn by G & C. Pyne.  Engraved by H. Jorden.  Published by Fisher, Son & Co., London, 1829

The engraving is dedicated to 'The Rectors The Rev. R. H. Roughsedge, M.A. and the Rev. Samuel Renshaw, M.A.'

This Liverpool Pier Head area can be discovered in greater detail in our FREE tour on www.obelisktours.com

Manchester - Market Street - Old Engraving

Flashback

A view of Market Street from Piccadilly, Manchester.   The Bridgewater Arms (Royal Hotel) featured on the left, and Joseph Gleave & Sons the printers to the right.

Drawn by John Harwood (1818-1836?).  Engraved by Frederick James Havell (1801-1840).

Originally produced as a steel engraving for paper for W. H. Pyne's "Lancashire Illustrated, from Original Drawings" (London : 1828-1831).     Published By London: Fisher, Son & Co.,1829

I intend to create a tour of Manchester's City Centre in 2016.  Keep an eye out on www.obelisktours.com

British Quotables - Horace Walpole

 

"Men are often capable of greater things than they perform.   They are sent into the world with bills of credit, and seldom draw to their full extent."

Horace Walpole

English Author
1717-1797

London Bridges

London, Southwark & Blackfriars Bridges
by W.H.Barlett & E.I.Roberts
From a steel engraving

This image is taken from a steel engraving of 1842.   London is shown in its Victorian glory where the only interruption to the skyline are churches and their steeples.  St. Paul's stands majestically above the whole city, and to the far right stands the monument to the Great Fire of London, both of which once offered visitors unbroken views across the city.  The nearest bridge is  London Bridge, followed by Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge in the distance.

All three of these bridges have now been replaced.

London Bridge is 'the' bridge of London.  There has been a crossing here since the Romans built a wooden structure to cross the river around AD 50.  The bridge depicted was opened in 1831, but due to subsidence had to be replaced in 1973.  The bridge illustrated in this engraving was purchased by Robert P. McCulloch who transported it to Arizona, USA for a new lease of life as the centre piece of a housing project and Tudor styled shopping mall.

The Southwark Bridge shown was built in 1819.  Its cast iron structure earned it the nickname of the 'Iron Bridge' and boasted the largest cast iron span in existense.   It was replaced by the current Southwark Bridge in 1913.

The nine arches of Blackfriars Bridge were built in 1769 out of Portland Stone.  It was originally named the William Pitt Bridge, but became commonly known after the Blackfriars area it connected to on the London side of the river.  A century later (1869) the current bridge replaced the one shown in this image.

The original image is labelled: "London, Southwark & Blackfriars Bridges From the Surrey Side of the River."
By W. H. Barlett & E.I.Roberts

These bridges and the southbank area are covered in greater detail in our tour of the Southbank on www.obelisktours.com  

Southbank Tour:  "This Thames Path River Walk follows the South Bank of the River from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge with great views of Parliament, the City, St Paul’s, and the Globe.  We explore some lesser known sites such as Jubilee Gardens, the Clink, and the blackness of ‘Ladies’ Bridge.    We look out to the River to learn how Londoners reacted to a frozen Thames, and learn of the Golden Hinde, Winchester Geese and Oxo. "

 

London - Mahatma Gandhi

Today, October 2, is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.

As a mark of respect for this amazing man I thought you might want to pay your respects to him at an oft missed plaque in the St Paul's Cathedral precincts.

By the south gate of the Cathedral is a Friendship tree planted in honour of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) – apostle of peace and non-violence.   It was just down the road from here that Gandhi arrived in 1888 to study law at the Inner Temple.  He studied, took dancing lessons, and joined the Vegetarian Society.  The most lasting impact of his English stay was an increased interest in religious thought.  

There are other tributes to Gandhi in the City... but those will have to wait for another day.

This is an excerpt from the FREE tour St Paul's Precincts found on www.obelisktours.co.uk

Preston Guild

Blacksmiths in the Trade Procession
Preston Guild 1882

What is a Guild?

Guilds were established throughout England to regulate local trade and served for centuries as the economic heart of communities. Guild members received trading privileges, political power and social prestige, and controlled their trades by administering fines and punishments, including confiscating the goods of any ‘foreign’ traders.

Once every twenty Years
It became necessary to monitor who was entitled to the privileges of Guild membership, and thus began the ancient tradition of convening a Guild Court to renew those rights. The Preston Guild determined that a renewal once a generation, or every twenty years, would be sufficient.

We are not sure when the first Preston Guild was held. King Henry II gave Preston a charter in 1179, so there at least 800 years of history. The first surviving Guild Rolls are from 1397, so the 2012 Preston Guild will be only the 28th held in the last six centuries – which is why locals use the phrase ‘once every Preston Guild’ when a bus is late or a teenager says thank you.

A Rare Survival

By the middle of the eighteenth century free trade was rapidly creeping into the nation’s economy which made the Guild’s role increasingly irrelevant. By the end of the century Guilds were considered by many as redundant, which was confirmed by the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act which officially abolished all Guild powers.

In most towns and cities the Guilds just evolved into a new form of local government, and their Courts, rolls, and celebrations disappeared into the mists of antiquity. Yet Preston’s Guild continued, even though the reasons for its existence had disappeared, and it had neither legs or teeth to regulate or influence. The amazing fact is that Preston is the only surviving Guild Court in the whole nation.

Why?

What did Preston see in the Guild that was worth preserving and celebrating?

First is a sense of tradition. There is something quite magical to think that the hundreds of people who renew their ‘rights’ in 2012 are doing so in the same fashion as their forefathers did in 1397. It is a delightful link to the past.

Secondly it is fantastic for trade. Originally Guild members promenaded to display their position and rights. Now the Guild provides businesses with an unrivaled opportunity for publicity. The past two Guilds have seen around a million people descend on Preston during the week long celebrations, and that does wonders for the local economy.

Thirdly it is a perfect excuse for some fun. Entertainment has always been big on the agenda for a Preston Guild. Since the 1842 Guild a major difference was the change of focus as a celebration for the whole community rather than elitist activities for a privileged few.

Over the years there has been a dizzying array of activity including: horse racing, cock fights, football, pipers, fiddlers, trumpeters, processions, promenades, hot air balloon ascents, balls, banquets, concerts, recitals, plays, assemblies, circuses, wild beasts, fairgrounds, and fireworks. No wonder that an 1822 visitor declared that Preston “presents an appearance of so much gaiety and bustle as to defy description.”

In 2012 the whole city once again erupted into a phenomenal array of colour and sound and activity. Don’t miss your next chance to be part of history and witness this unique and exciting spectacle.... in 2032!   Put it in your calendar.

See our Preston Guild Walking Tour
 Join us as we explore Preston's town centre and discover tales from Guilds past.  Visit www.obelisktours.co.uk.

London - Whitehall - National Liberal Club

This is an excerpt from the tour Whitehall  found on   www.obelisktours.co.uk

As we proceed along Whitehall Court note the 1899 lampposts decorated with a picture of St Martin giving his coat to the poor.  This is a reminder that we are in the parish of the church of St Martin in the Fields which overlooks Trafalgar Square.

                                              

Smaller, less conspicuous plaques can be found as we walk around this area.  They also display St Martin on horseback with the pauper by his side and the initials of the church are displayed as S.M.F.  We are close to the boundaries here of the next parish along which is St Margaret  (‘St M W’)– the church which sits right next to Westminster Abbey. 

The building stretching along the street is the National Liberal Club founded by William Gladstone in 1882 as a club for Liberal Party supporters and politicians.   This massive building was geared to support a membership of 6,000 and was a trend setter being the first building in London to have an electric lift and the first to have electric lighting.   The interior has been used as a backdrop for at least 23 films. This is a strictly formal dress kind of club – no jeans and trainers here if you please.   

Besides political members like David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill it attracted a number of Liberal minded authors such as George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion), Jerome K. Jerome (Three Men in a Boat), Bram Stoker (Dracula), Dylan Thomas (Under Milk Wood) and H.G. Wells (The War of the Worlds).  Those of you with young children might appreciate that the Club’s librarian was George Awdry the brother of Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry (1911-1997) creator of Thomas the Tank Engine.

The reverse side of this building looks out across the River Thames towards the London Eye and the old County Hall which make it attractive as hotel space.   The club has shrunk to a membership of around 2,000, so many of the rooms have been taken over for hotel space by The Royal Horseguards Hotel  opened in 1971.  

More details about the people, places and events associated with these sites can be found on the tour London - Whitehall  available on   www.obelisktours.co.uk