Duke Street - Rope Walks Areas

[skgogosfan]

The third one of Kev's pix in post 22 is interesting-it shows just how big that substation thingy is. However it's got pretty impressive walls for just that. Has anyone got any history of it? Was it always a substation? It looks like it was an actual building that's had its upper floors sliced off and the innards removed for some reason,I've always thought there was something odd about it.

Dave.

[Mike McG]

I'm doing some research for my dissertation at the moment and have hit a bit of a dead end

i'm doing a project on the design & development of the warehouse system in liverpool, and the issues surrounding their regeneration.

any tips where i could find some info on the history of the rope walks?

or the organisations involved in the redevelopment of the area

[julieoapw]

English Heritage do a good book on Liverpool's warehouses:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Storehouses-...6147186&sr=8-2

Julie

[Kev]

A CASH injection announced last night could force owners of rundown historic buildings in Liverpool’s Ropewalks area to improve their properties.

The North West Development Agency has approved a grant of just over £1m which will be used to help sustain the historic character of the area.

The money will be used to support the city council in enforcement action against owners where other efforts to secure improvements to the properties have failed.

An extra £500,000 has also been allocated from the local authority Business Growth Initiative to enhance the public realm.

Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley said: "We are supporting owners of buildings who are taking positive action to restore and improve buildings – through the Townscape Heritage Initiative, for example – but unfortunately there are other owners who are allowing their property to deteriorate and we will be taking action against them to ensure that Ropewalks’ regeneration continues."

Over the last 10 years, a £40m regeneration programme, which saw £150m of private investment levered in to Ropewalks, enabled the development of creative industries and new public spaces in the area, which includes the likes of Wood Street, Concert Square, Seel Street and Duke Street.

The Ropewalks also helped pioneer the revival of city centre living in Liverpool.

Last year a Creative Ropewalks programme was approved to take forward the regeneration of the area.

It identified a three-year programme which includes focused legal action to prevent the decline and loss of historic buildings, unlocking possible sites for development, improved public amenities and more effective promotion of the area in the daytime.

Creative Ropewalks has received £3.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and the Townscape Heritage Initiative to provide grants to building owners to help them renovate their properties and bring them back into effective use.

Cllr Bradley added: "This new funding is very welcome. Ropewalks has been a regeneration success story over the past decade but we need to keep the impetus going.

"Creative Ropewalks enables us to start delivering the priorities which have been identified by the businesses and key developers in the area.

"While a great deal has been achieved in Ropewalks there is the potential to do a lot more." while retaining the unique character of the area."

Peter Jones, head of the Chamber of Commerce Business Crime Direct, said: "We would also like to see some of this money used to introduce more use of bollards to help shield people drinking in the Concert Square area from traffic."

richarddown@dailypost.co.uk

[marky]

Re: Substation. Here's a pre-WW2 pic. which shows upper floors.
Here's two of the three heads on the wall. These are similar in style to this one on philipgmayer's photostream on Flickr. (also a sub-station)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4443567...7604601038430/

[PhilipG]

It was built for the electric tram system which started in 1898.
I'm guessing that the male figure is Mercury.

Here's a rather dark view.

[Ged]

Great detective work Marky and Phil.

[marky]

I thought the bearded man, might be Thor? and the second Mercury. Some more carvings from the sub-station.

[Klaatu]

Some great pics here...stuff I've never noticed before

[skgogosfan]

Ditto! That eagle carting off the sheep is scary!

Dave.