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Custom House remains
According to Bob Halliday, local Anfield Cemetery expert. He lives locally and recalls them being dumped at the back of the cemetery almost 50 years ago. They've had a recent clear up of the undergrowth.
http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/custom0001.jpg
http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/custom001.jpg
http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/custom002.jpg
http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/custom003.jpg
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I remember the story of the missing blocks from the Seaman's Orphanage. They had been dumped where the advertising hoarding used to stand on the corner of Paradise Street. Coming back from a pub late one night years ago, I tripped over one without realising what they were.
Years later, some were stolen (not guilty!) and the rest were put in to storage at the Joseph WIlliamson Heritage Centre.
I love our city and the way they have a total disregard for our heritage!
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wow, thanks Dave! I started a little discussion about the cusoms house and oild dock in the 'past' section which can be read here :)
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Ah, so that's where they're from! I'd often wondered when they were from, assuming they were taken from a more local building.
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The Customs House
God, that's fascinating. i had no idea.
I've put some nice views of the Customs House here:
The Customs House 1
Would it be ok to add a couple of your pics to those pages?
i gather the Customs House suffered a similar fate to the Museum, ie, it was gutted by incendiaries but the external structure was relatively undamaged and so, like the Museum, could easily have been restored.
I remember peddling down the Dock Road from Crosby to the Museum as a kid when there was only two galleries open- the rest being hidden behind hoardings and the sound of hammering everywhere as it was rebuilt.
The first time I found it, I was hovering outside the vast building in awe when one of the guards, who happened to be at the top of the steps having a quick smoke, spotted me and shouted down, "come on, lad, up you come, I'll look after your bike!"- and in I went, to a wonderland- even though there wasn't really much to see- a human and gorilla skeleton side-by-side, and I was particularly fascinated by the bee's hive in a glass case with a hole through the wall to allow them access in and out.
As I left that first time, the kindly guard told me to be sure to go next door to the Walker Art Gallery too. I didn't think they'd let the likes of me into such a place but I couldn't have been more wrong.
I'll always be grateful to that guy- he opened a new world to me (we didn't even have books in my house) and I never looked back.
I briefly had an original visitor's guidebook to the pre-war museum which I thought was fascinating- until my mate's dad used it to light his fag from the fire!
Ah, I digress.. Can you tell me what's being built on the old Customs House/Old Dock site as part of the redevelopment? Struck me this would have been a golden opportunity to re-excavate the Old Dock but I assume this isn't happening...
I took quite a lot of photographs around the area before the work began which I'll try to put online soon. Here's a page about the Sailor's Home though...
The Sailor's Home, Liverpool
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Great site you have knowhowe, as soon as you posted it up, I remembered seeing it a few years ago.
My dad worked as an attendant in the Walker, starting off in 1967 before moving onwards and upwards in the Corpy throughout the 70s and 80s. It was always a rule that they couldn't speak in the room unless to tell you off for trying to touch the painting or whatever but my dad always did talk to people - it was unhuman not too - don't know what they were thinking of, the bosses. Anyway, the rule's been lifted now and the imput from the attendants who know the paintings and exhibits off by heart is welcoming.
Great recollections.