thanks dan I worked all over the docks When I was leavin Liverpool Me boss Billy Routledge said to me will miss this place (I thought who could miss this weather) its the people he said he was so right left in 1967 been home twice best place on the planet proud Bootle Buck
I never have yet seen a photo of the liver birds getting erected on the liver building but seen plenty like the one above without them also ones of when they are erected
Bob. Thanks for great photos indicating the process of installing the Liver Birds into place. It is always good to see the use of ropes, tackle and ladders (my Da was a rigger on the Docks). The copper cladding must be very thick on the steel supports. It's many years since I last saw the iconic birds; I worked for 45 years in corrosion and surface engineering; as young apprentice, I rapidly electroplated bright copper on steel posts, for improved electrical conductivity, as instructed by the boss. As the hours passed, the steel rusted through pores in the thin (0.001 inch thick) noble copper coating! Ah well, I never made the mistake again - and taught corrosion protection to engineers for much of my life - to bosses and workers. Walshy.
Dan. I enjoyed the QE photos, having worked on the engines, alternators and boilers, years ago.
The beach photo also brought back memories. Waterloo was a favourite beach when we were kids. It was easily reached by taking the train from Bootle (Marsh Lane) to South Road then walking about 100 yards down to the sea. The wonderful marine park (I recall seeing tropical plants and a kingfisher), toilets, drinks and shops (even Woolies) were nearby. I often dug down several feet, being fascinated to find not only wet sand but blackened sand at different depths in various places. My Ma explained that this was oil from ships. This increased my fascination. How could such oil be lost and from where? It’s often interesting to look back and realise where your interests came from – As a chemist and engineer, for over 45 years I worked on various aspects of pollution analysis, control, prevention and cleanup. It’s sad to realise how much oil was impregnated in local beaches, in the 60s. Walshy.
Dan. I enjoyed the newspaper excerpt from Miss May's history of Bootle. As a kid, I often walked down Merton Road, then towards the docks, imagining how wealthy sea merchants established large posh houses. As a teenager, I learned of Bootle's establishment as a seaside resort, rather than the industrial sites supported by terraced housing that I grew up in. Times changed and we had to walk as far as Waterloo, as kids, to find convincing sand then past Hightown, and as far as, Freshfield to enjoy good sea swimming. The endless progress of containerisation has 'transformed' the docks and 'terraformed' Seaforth. Continuing coastal erosion is likely to radically transform the entire northern coastline of our youth. On the other hand, events can overtake; computer climate simulations indicate that much of Essex is likely to return to marshy conditions and the Isle of Wight and Isle of Man will become much smaller... Walshy.