ALL I SURVEY


Sometimes a place needs more than one visit to fully explore the possibilities and potentials inherent for photography. The area around Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is one such location, which I have already visited on this blog, but which still needed more time devoted to exploration. On this occasion, I made the trip to the top of the cathedral tower, as well as investigating the grounds. 

Designed by Charles Gilbert Scott of red telephone box fame, it was built between 1908 and 1978. The cathedral is 331 feet high and the tower itself is accessible by two separate lifts and 108 steps, snaking their way up the inside of the upper stories of the hollow tower. 

The lifts are tiny and just big enough to accommodate two people, even so, there was a regular stream of people visiting the tower, despite the accessibility issues.
Despite being described as a ‘tour’, the experience is self-led and you find yourself in narrow corridors, punctuated by the odd tiny leaded window or securely bolted door. The stairs are the original maintenance access and stop off at several points to allow workers to reach the outer galleries or tend to the bell mechanisms.
The red sandstone of the main building is supported on a mass of girders and concrete, which is clearly visible as you ascend the steps.

Tiny gaps in the doors and the view through the leaded glass gives an indication of the views to come.
The first lift takes you from the ground floor, up to the bell chamber. A ring of bells weighing 16.5 tons is mounted on a concrete dome and the tower itself functions as an echo chamber, with the sound exiting through the louvered vents in the sides. 
The next lift makes its way to the upper story, from where a series of steps climb the inside of the tower to a concrete roof area. 
On exiting the doorway, a small wooden cabin is staffed by an attendant, presumably to ensure nobody has had trouble with the steep steps. Once in the open air, the upper walls are punctuated with narrow ports, allowing fabulous views across all four quarters of the city. 

BURBO BANK OFFSHORE WIND FARM

The narrowness of the slits makes photography tricky, as they are barely wider than an average mobile phone. Whilst it is possible to put an arm through the gap to hold the phone, any slip would be irreconcilable as if dropped, the device would be lost among the crennellations on the roof. My nerve was not up to the task, so I shot one or two portrait shots and relied on the camera with a 16-50mm lens.

VIEW TOWARDS CAMMELL LAIRDS SHIPYARDS

LIVERPOOL CENTRAL WITH RADIO CITY TOWER AND MERSEY ESTUARY

CENTRAL CITY WITH ST LUKES BOMBED OUT CHURCH

GEORGIAN QUARTER, RODNEY STREET

ALBERT DOCK AND MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL

The cathedrals position overlooking the river gives a fantastic view across the land for a full 360 degrees, reaching far into Wales across the Mersey, and out into the estuary to see the ferries and freighters journeying to Eire and Man. Looking north-east gives a view of Liverpool’s Municipal Cathedral, a much more radical, radial design, variously referred to as ‘The Mersey Funnel’ or ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’ by the locals. 
MUNICIPAL CATHEDRAL
From each of the three other cardinal points the city’s eclectic mix of ancient and modern architecture sprawls in casual abandon, surrounded and enclosed by verdant trees and parks. From this height, it’s possible to appreciate the amount of green spaces and foliage in the city, both on the streets and in the copious gardens behind the Georgian architecture in the immediate area.
ST BRIDES CHURCH, GEORGIAN QUARTER

Across the city, the hand of modernity has raised all manner of modern buildings in concrete and steel juxtaposed next to red brick and white stone. Glass and chrome reflect the overcast sky, but the colour of the living city shines through.
BRUNSWICK DOCK AREA AND EASTHAM OIL TERMINAL

It was also possible to see sections of the cemetery area and the sub roofs and towers on each wing of the cathedral.
Chalybeate Spring discovered in 1773

Huskisson Memorial Folly

The Oratory (original mortuary chapel for the cemetery)


Having exhausted all the possibilities for photography on the roof area, I made my way back down to explore the cemetery area again.

 



 


 

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