FALLING SOMEWHERE AS RAIN

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 secu...

I recently reported on a photographic dérive around Liverpool and my visit to St James Cemetery which sits in the shadow of the Anglican Cathedral. St James is situated in an abandoned 15th century quarry, which provided much of the construction stone for the old docks and Town Hall. Converted into a mausoleum and graveyard to house the manifold dead, especially following the Victorian Cholera epidemic, which ran through the city due to improper housing and unsanitary conditions, leaving thousands dead and the main necropolis in north Liverpool literally overflowing. In the shadow of the huge gothic cathedral, the peaceful gardens have now had many of the original internments removed and the statuary and monuments left to decay. However, the site is now maintained and secured by a working group and it has become a popular tourist destination. Naturally, any ancient site such as this will engender myths and stories and a wealth of historical detail. Many of the cities luminaries, as wel...

 Liverpool has an extensive history and is replete with many fine examples of period architecture. Its backstory is visible on every corner and in some places, it remains almost unchanged from past centuries. A particular favourite spot for me is St James Cemetery , behind the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool is blessed with two outstanding cathedrals an the older sandstone gothic monument overlooks the cemetery, providing a wonderful backdrop to the place. The cemetery itself was begun in 1827, after a new public site was identified for the burgeoning population, after the Necropolis at Everton began to fill. An old quarry at Mount Zion, was chosen, which had been the source of the raw material used to build the old docks. Quarrying had been ongoing since the 16th century and the area had been one of three major sites, which provided building materials for the growing city. 1810 Map of the area St James Cemetery 1896 In 1901, the site was identified as the location of the new Liverpo...