When you look at Old Photos of Liverpool and see the way the magical number of three plays out in aesthetic terms it is not hard to see that Liverpools architectural forebears were leaving us a gem.The way the prominence of the trio with is mix of classicism mould the dominence of the skyline. There is no co-incidence that the pride would shine and we would affectionately term them "The Three Graces" after Canovas masterpiece. It was with this inspiration that no-one less than Giles Gilbert Scott or Lutyens would be allowed to shape our future with monuments on our skyline. Charles Reilly and the Liverpool School of architecture (the first in the country) set about to make us the Athens of the North. Below is an image from the front cover of Quentin Hughes book Liverpool City of Architecture.
It is no coincidence that he placed this image on the forefront of his deliberation of Liverpool.
Quentin taught at Liverpool and was instrumental in helping save the Albert Dock from being demolished in the early 80s. He wrote Seaport the first book that took its hat off to Liverpool that said look what we have got here. He was incensed with what they were doing to Mann Island. We sat long and hard talking about the new dawn and the lack of quality being proposed.
We had it all and through all the dark days of Liverpool's decline we had our pride our beautiful views our mementos of the past showing us what could be created if Liverpudlians put their mind to it.
I grew up with people who hated the Germans for what they did to us. They blitzed the gubbings out of the city sending incendiary bombs from Hienkels. I played war games in the bombdies, (yes a strange name but they were everywhere). In the 60s there were derelict street after street that had been blitzed by Dorniers and Messerschmidts it was desolate it was barren and it was bleak. But we got through it even though the Derek Hatton regime did much damage to Clayton Square in the 80s. We still had our Waterfront.
The spirit of Liverpool could not be broken. There was a German kid at our school he got the blame for it all, such was the hatred of what the Focker Wolf's and the Stuka divebombers did to this country. They still find the odd unexploded bomb now.
I remember standing on the Kop for a European match, (I learnt my geography from who we played in Europe) and during the Borussia Moenchengladbach game a banner was unfurled "We'll beat you 'cos you bombed our chippy". I laughed, the whole crowd did, It was so funny. It was also a watershed moment where we learnt to talk about it and laugh.
Now, I am not prejudice to anyone.
But the Fockers are back, this time buying the land they missed 60 years ago, how times change.
They couldn't destroy our waterfront so now they are buying it. Funding Mann Island, the worst most ugly sister of the three. Destroying the skyline all over again. 'Where's me helmet'. Merseytravel are moving into this carbuncle building. Will the Germans find out that Neil Scalectric cut the U-boat 534 into five bits.
Was he worried they may want to use it again so he scuppered it? How come they couldn't find any money for the historic warship collection? How come the NWDA can fund an office block with government funds when its being taken over by the Germans?
Mann Island.... The Germans got the Rowse Ventilating Shaft, The Albert Dock, India Buildings, The White Star line, Lewis's, half the docks and they are back buying what they missed and it is being funded by the NWDA.
We had it all, We had an Iconic skyline.
Never..... have so many.... been let down by so few.
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