Moving bins in Liverpool

Photographing street art is, for the most part, fairly straightforward but sometimes I’ll come up against an obstacle which partially obstructs something I want to take a photo of. Parked cars and large commercial wheelie bins are two of the biggest culprits and while I can do nothing about a car parked in front of an artwork I can usually manage to move a bin out of the way, and this was the case on my late September visit to Liverpool.

My street art hunt began in an out-of-the-way steep and narrow back street about five minutes walk from Lime Street station. An open gated entrance off the street led to a large scruffy cobbled courtyard surrounded by commercial premises and the rear of a converted apartment block, and almost every wall had some form of artwork. Further up the street were two more artworks though they were each partially obscured by a large wheelie bin; there was no-one around however so I moved the first bin, got the shot then moved the other bin for the second shot. At the bottom of the street another mural was partially obscured by a bin and a car; the back door of the premises was open and voices came from inside but I managed to move the bin, get the shot and scarper before anyone came out.

Artist – Liam Bononi

A while previously it had been suggested by someone at work that the small Chinatown area might produce some street art and it wasn’t too far away so I went to check it out. Through the ornate arch just off the main road Chinatown wasn’t really an area, just a street full of Chinese restaurants one after the other down both sides, however when I got to the end I found something worth walking down there for. A pleasant green with a playground at one end and houses and flats on three sides was surrounded for the most part by a wall with brightly painted Chinese designs, while a single storey health centre building had a series of bright murals on its end wall.

One thing I’d noticed on my previous wanderings around the city centre was that Liverpool was very much like Manchester in that among all the trendy and over-priced bars and eateries it was hard to find a down-to-earth cafe providing no-nonsense food at no-nonsense prices, however a previous internet search had thrown up Ryde, a bicycle cafe near the Baltic Market. It had consistently good reviews and as I was almost on the edge of the Baltic Triangle anyway I thought I would give it a try, however I was disappointed as soon as I walked in – at 1pm lunchtime on a Saturday they weren’t serving hot food. It seemed a bit odd, especially as there were several customers in, but I settled for a hot chocolate and a slice of Victoria sponge cake instead, which were both very nice, and my initial disappointment was made up for when I found a brightly coloured artwork in the corridor leading to the toilets.

”Ryde” bicycle cafe

Across from the cafe was a rough-surfaced car park at the rear of some commercial premises and one of the walls had several artworks along its length. It was bin moving time again but only one this time, and though I recognised Kiwie’s trademark blue monster there was nothing to say who the other artists were.

Artist – Kiwie

The twin-axle trailer was my last street art shot as I was moving on to another part of the city to photograph something quite different. Unfortunately the very dull day didn’t improve and the next photos I took were equally dull so I headed back to the station for the train home – I could always retake those photos on a future visit to the city and (hopefully) on a much nicer day.

A brief visit to Glasson Dock

A short break in the currently interminably wet weather brought widespread clear blue skies and sunshine last Saturday; it was too good to miss so I decided to take the 37-mile hop northwards to Glasson Dock on the Lune estuary. Unfortunately the journey was far from straightforward as what would normally be a drive of just less than an hour was disrupted by no less than five sets of roadworks with single file traffic which added another forty minutes to the time and completely screwed up my plans.

By the time I finally got to Glasson I knew I wouldn’t have time to do my intended walk before I lost the best of the sunshine so I stuck to wandering within the boundaries of the village instead. Past the dock and onto the Bay Cycleway I walked for a short distance before turning inland and from the bridge which took the road over the canal I noticed a strange looking boat moored up a distance away. It looked more like a submarine than a canal boat and as I hadn’t seen it last year when I was round that way I went to take a closer look, although it was partially obscured by all the canalside vegetation.

Back on the road I went to take a look round the marina, something which I’ve never done before. I wasn’t sure if I might be trespassing on private property so I was prepared for being thrown out but no-one bothered me – presumably anyone who saw me assumed I was with someone who had a boat there – and I spent a pleasant ten minutes or so wandering round to get a few photos.

From the marina entrance the road took me uphill past fields and the village primary school and eventually I came to the lay-by with its views across the estuary and where I parked for the night one weekend last year, although this time I was parked at the bottom of the hill not far from the Dalton Arms pub. With thoughts turning towards finding something to eat I headed back towards the dock and came across four cute cats in the pub car park, and luckily they all stayed put while I took their photos.

The Lock Keeper’s Rest adjacent to the car park at the far side of the dock is popular with bikers and on such a nice day it was very busy, but though it gets good reviews I went to the much quieter village shop and cafe instead, just managing to place an order before they stopped serving hot food. The cheese and ham toastie and hot chocolate were really good and I’m sure the guy must have put half a pig in that toastie as there was so much ham – and it was proper ham too, none of that processed stuff.

Back on the Bay Cycleway the mid afternoon sun was casting long shadows and a golden glow over the marshes of the inner estuary. Turning off at the entrance to the churchyard I popped into the little chapel for a few photos then walked back along the canal and past the marina and canal basin. Since my visit to the village last year a ‘bicycle wheel’ sculpture has been added to the picnic area near the inner dock; created by Ulverston-based blacksmith/artist Chris Brammall it marks the start (or end) of Morecambe Bay’s 80-mile long Bay Cycleway.

With the wheel sculpture and pilot boat ‘Gertrude’ being my final photos I headed back to the van and set off for home, finding my way to the M6 to avoid all the previous roadworks and arriving back just before I needed to put the van lights on. In spite of not having time to do my intended walk it had been an enjoyable couple of hours in Glasson, appreciated more now as it’s rained every day since then.

The gnomes of Gnome Island

On the Salford side of the Manchester Ship Canal, near the modern residential and business area of Clippers Quay, is a man-made concrete island left over from when a twin-track swing railway bridge once crossed the canal. The bridge became redundant when Salford Docks closed in 1982 and six years later it was refurbished and re-sited in its current location as part of the huge Salford Quays development, although it no longer swings. The concrete island remained though, abandoned for many years until 2017 when out of the blue a single solitary gnome mysteriously appeared.

The origin of gnomes dates back to the mid 16th century when they were introduced into the world of magic and alchemy by Swiss physician, alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus who described them as small underground-dwelling ‘humanoids’ often guarding mines and underground treasures but very reluctant to interact with humans. Use of the term ‘gnome’ remained fairly obscure until the early 19th century when it was taken up by various authors of fairytales and fantasy literature, becoming synonymous with other terms for ‘little people’ such as ‘elves’, ‘goblins’ and ‘leprechauns’.

In the later years of the 19th century lawn ornaments crafted as gnomes were introduced and grew in popularity during the 20th century, becoming known as ‘garden gnomes’ after the second World War. During the 1970s the look of garden gnomes began to change when they started to be manufactured from plastic and styled on the look of the seven dwarves in Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White, and though originally portrayed as elderly men with full white beards and pointed hats the range of gnomes nowadays extends well beyond that.

And so to the concrete island in the middle of the Ship Canal and the gnomes’ story. The first inhabitant was Gnorman, the footballing gnome who arrived in 2017 and claimed the island as his ‘gnomestead’; he had the place to himself for quite a while but then he met Gnorma, the gnome of his dreams, and after a whirlwind romance the pair were married on the island. It wasn’t long before the happy couple discovered they were expecting twins and Gnoah and Gnatalie were eventually delivered safely by the local doctor. Of course looking after two babies was hard work so Gnorman’s parents, Gnellie and Gnorbert, moved onto the island to help out.

Both Gnorman and Gnorma wanted their new babies to have a naming ceremony so they invited over Gnorman’s half-sister Gnakita, who lived in Hawaii, to join the occasion, and she liked the island so much that she decided to stick around. Not long after the naming ceremony came Manchester’s PRIDE weekend and when Gnoddy and Gneddy arrived for the parade they were so impressed with the city that they decided to move onto Gnome Island. Unfortunately not long after they arrived the island was subjected to a gnomaphobic attack in which Gnoddy and Gneddy were injured but after being patched up they were thankfully okay. Following the attack Gnomeland security was improved and not long afterwards Gnakita’s boyfriend Gnelson, a landscape gardener, also joined the island and brightened the place up with some exotic plants from St. Lucia.

After the gnomaphobic attack and improvements in security the island became home to guard dogs Gnasher and Gnosher. Life settled down and all the usual yearly celebrations occurred including visits from a gnomish Santa Claus during each Christmas period, although there was great sadness one year when Gnakita was tragically taken from them during a storm. With the arrival of Gnorma’s parents Gneil and Gnala, firefighter Gnigel, Gnobby the entertainer and various other gnomes the pint-sized community has continued to grow over the years and they even have their own Facebook and Instagram pages, although there have been no updates since August last year.

The above photos are all from Gnome Island’s Instagram page

Gnome Island actually shows up on Google Maps as a ‘cultural landmark’ and I came across it a few weeks ago when I was idly looking for something on satellite view. The quirky story and the photos really amused me so on a recent visit to Manchester I went to get some photos of my own. Although the island is closer to the Salford side of the Irwell the gnomes actually face the Wharfside tram stop on the Trafford side so to see them meant taking a very pleasant tram ride from the city centre.

It didn’t take long to get the photos I wanted; the views down river towards Salford Quays looked great and on a sunny day I could have got some good shots but it was very overcast and dull so I decided to head straight back to the city centre on the next tram. Maybe sometime next year I’ll go back to explore the area properly – and maybe by then there will have been some more additions to the quirky community on Gnome Island.

The Knife Angel comes to town

Just a few days ago my local town centre saw the arrival of the Knife Angel, a 27ft sculpture otherwise known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression. Since December 2018 it has been touring England and Wales, staying in a different town or city each month, and after I saw it in Blackburn two years ago I rather hoped it would eventually come to my own town.

The official welcoming ceremony took place during last Friday afternoon and in spite of intermittent and often heavy rain showers it managed to stay fine for most of the ceremony which was attended by various guests including the Mayor, a few local councillors, and a couple of representatives from Greater Manchester Police. Speeches were given, poems were read out, and Clive Knowles, founder and Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire where the Knife Angel was created, told the story of the sculpture and what it took to create it. Half a dozen white doves were released from a basket as a symbol of peace and hope, a commemorative plaque was presented to the Mayor then he and the other guests tied ribbons to the picket fence as a tribute to all those affected by knife crime.

While I was taking my photos I got chatting to the lady who owns the doves, apparently she lives in the Preston area and the doves would fly home and be back before her. It was during our conversation that she asked me if I would like a feather from one of her doves as a keepsake, and she gave me a single small white feather in an equally small silver drawstring bag. It was beautiful, and as I got the impression that these weren’t being given out to the general public I felt quite privileged to have been given that one.

They flew out so fast it was difficult to get the photo

With so many people around it was difficult to get any decent photos of the Angel so on Sunday morning I dispensed with my usual lie-in and went into town early – fortunately it wasn’t raining and at only 8am there was no-one around to get in my way.

Larger than actual size

The story of the Knife Angel’s creation is here for anyone who wants to read it – I’ve added a bit to the post since I first wrote it. It’s an amazing sculpture and after seeing it for the first time two years ago I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to see it and photograph it again – and Sue, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for the feather, it’s beautiful and I’ll treasure it always.

Liverpool street art – the Fabric District

Less than five minutes walk from Liverpool’s Lime Street station is the Fabric District, once the heart of the city’s textile and fashion trades but now undergoing a regeneration as a residential, commercial and leisure neighbourhood with small independent businesses and blocks of student accommodation. Situated between London Road and the A580 it was also, apparently, a good area for street art so a couple of weeks ago I went on an exploration armed with a list of a dozen or so murals to find, however I wasn’t prepared for just how many were actually there.

I found the first one as soon as I turned into the bottom end of London Road, it was on the gable end wall of Sketch pub and coffee bar, then from there the next hour or so was spent roaming the side streets where I found far more artwork than I expected and several things in unexpected places.

Artist – Mr Cenz

‘Routes’ – Shane O’Malley

Artist – Finbar McHugh

Artist – Marcamix

‘Sun Worshipper’ – Sicovecas

Artist – Les Paranoia

‘Blue Moon’ – Cheba

Artist – Emily Gray

Artist – Darren John

Artists – Hixxy and Lost Hills

Tucked away in a corner was a mural of Bob Marley done by Akse; I thought it was rather odd as it only shows half his face though later information told me it had been painted in 2019 and was originally a full mural but sometime since then the property owners had knocked a hole in the wall and installed the roller shutter door.

‘Man thinking’ and ‘The Valley of the White Horse’ – John Hyatt

‘Her pink wellies’ – John Hyatt

Artist – Philth

Artist – Ed Hicks

‘The Adventure’ – John Hyatt

‘Coffee Pickers’ – John Hyatt

‘Return of the Poet’ – John Hyatt

Artist – Ed Hicks

Artist – TeaOne

Artist – Kelzo

The Kelzo artwork on the building site hoarding was the last one – I’d been up, down and along every street in the area, some more than once, and I headed off to find a cafe satisfied that I’d found just about everything there was to find. A while ago someone asked me in a comment which city I preferred for street art, Manchester or Liverpool, and at the time I couldn’t give a definitive answer, but with enough stored images for two more posts plus these latest ones I think I would have to say that Liverpool definitely has the edge.