Dave Sinclair was a prolific photographer in the 1980s and was particularly brilliant in capturing the likes of the striking dockers, various marches and the general decay of the 80s dilapidation and wastelands and what a good job he did. I must have pointed more than a hundred people in the direction of his flickr albums of old Liverpool photographs. Again here, I try to catch some 2011 comparisons.
The Stanley Locks were derelict in the 80s. The canal basins were sludged with anything and everything from the recent demolitions that surrounded it as old barges even rotted away. Fast forward 30 years and the Athol and Eldonian villages thrive in this area masterminded by the housing co-operative that was born out of the demolition of the Burlington and Eldon Street tenements.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The Berni's Inn looks a bit tired here and as ever advertises concessions to get you in. A little later it was to convert to a Chinese Restaurant which saw better fortunes and I particularly liked the Pier Head in its 1970s and 80s guise with the zany yellow mosaic walls, the subways, roof terrace and long corridors leading to the bus access where they parked awaiting their customers and Sandy Bromilow to back them out of their diagonal slots.
div>
The area looks a little more grown up now with the canal extension and futuristic ferry terminal and Liverpool Museum designs but only time will tell.
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
W.J. Leech & Sons sailmakers and Tarpaulins were a company that we used in the road haulage business in the 80s and 90s for our wagons, though their newer premises on Derby Road, Bootle. By coincidence, we then used a haulage firm called CFC that eventually took over the tenancy of this building which was situated on the corner of Vauxhall Road and Hopwood Street. Both shots are taken from the hump backed canal bridge though back in 1980, this was Lightbody Street but that now terminates at the railway arches and this is now Barmouth Way as it curves its way from Boundary Street. Interestingly, even Hopwood Street at this end has changed its name to Gem street in commemoration of the Gem Cinema which in fact was quite some way away on Vescock Street. The premises opposite Leech's was the Jamaica Pub aka The Rat. Although the building is still there, it is now disused. Viewers may have seen a photograph taken by Carbonara during the 1911 strikes which shows a crowd standing outside this pub as one of two men who were killed by the police during the riots, was so outside this pub.
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Not a great deal has changed in Pall Mall as it was always a street lined both sides with cars from as far back as I can remember when we all used to go down trying to catch 'micks' by Bibby's, luring them with corn as someone would dive over them with their coat. Mealies, Redduns, Fantails, all ringed were popular - some would eventually get bored and head off with match sticks 'doing' the nearby parking meters instead as a steady streams of tanners dropped to the floor.
At least 3 of the buildings captured in the earlier shot still exists but long gone are the classic shapes of the Vauxhall Viva and Ford Escort, Cortina and Capri for what I think are very mundane like for like car bodies of today. Back then of course, Tates, Bibbys, Clarence dock power station and Graham Gratrix employed many of the local population and those cars were overspills from the car parks that utulised the still so prevalent bomb sites. The people that park there now head into town for their employment.
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
Bookmarks