British Isles Explorer: Liverpool II (3/31/2022)

Thursday, March 31, 2022 (continued)
We continued our self-guided walking tour of Liverpool.

Hard Days Night Hotel (2008) opened in the
Central Buildings (1884, by Thomas C Clarke)
and is a Beatles-themed hotel with statues
perched just above the ground floor; this
statue is Ringo Starr (2007, by David Webster)

Statue (also by David Webster) of George Harrison

Statue of Paul McCartney

Statue of John Lennon, which was technically
at the corner of N John St and Mathew Streets,
but the statue we sought was missing

Video of royal bobbleheads:

The statue of a relaxed John Lennon was supposed to be in
front of the Cavern Club Wall of Fame 

This Wall of Fame recognizes the bands and individuals
who appeared at the original Cavern Club between
1967-1973, requiring about 1,800 bricks

This Wall of Fame has a bronze disc for each
number one hit since 1953 on the UK Singles
Chart, by a Liverpudlian or Liverpool band; it
was unveiled in 2001 by Lila Roza, whose
"How Much is That Doggie in the Window?"
was the first Liverpool-based number one hit

The Fab4 in mosaics on Mathew Street

The entrance to the Cavern Club today, a nightclub
considered as the cradle of British Pop Music, after
its start in 1957 as a jazz venue in a warehouse cellar;
we did not know to include the reliefs on the façade,
which were designed by Cynthia Lennon

Kent at the site of the original
entrance to the Cavern Club

Tamiko with statue (2017) of Cilla Black
who started her 'career' in the cloakroom
of the Cavern Club, and went on to
have two number one hits

Cavern Walks is advertised as a mini shopping mall,
but it was quite empty except for more Beatles statues
(1984, by John Doubleday)

We were looking for murals done by Cynthia Lennon (but
were misled because she had done exterior terracotta reliefs);
instead Cavern Walks had this pop-art Yellow Submarine
mural (2009, by Andy Prior)

Also a Yellow Submarine mobile

Tamiko with Eleanor Rigby (1982, by
Timothy Steele), a tribute to
All the Lonely People (KSS)

Former Bank of Liverpool (1881-1882,
by George Enoch Grayson) is now the
Sir Thomas Hotel

The Sir Thomas Hotel is host to colorful plastic pigeons,
meant to be a deterrent to real live pigeons

Based on what we believed we would see on our included shore excursion, we turned to head back to the Viking Venus.

Royal Insurance Building (1896-1903,
by James F Doyle in Neo-Baroque style)
now houses the Aloft Liverpool Hotel

Liverpool Town Hall (1749-1754, by John Wood the Elder,
1785 extension, after a fire it was rebuilt in 1795 with
the addition of a dome by James Wyatt)

Atop the dome is a statue (1799, by John Charles Felix Rossi)
representing Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom (KSS)

Behind the Town Hall is the Nelson Monument (1812-1813,
by Matthew Cotes Wyatt, statues by Richard Westmacott)
that includes an idealized nude statue of Admiral
Horatio Nelson with his amputated right arm (1797, when
during battle Nelson insisted his injured arm be amputated
so he could return to duty) covered by the flag (KSS)

Regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history, Admiral Nelson had a long career with the Royal Navy. It was during the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805, Napoleonic Wars) that he was shot by a French sharpshooter from an enemy ship and died of his injuries. It is said his body was placed in a cask of brandy mixed with camphor and myrrh to be transported to Gibraltor, then transferred to a lead-lined coffin filled with spirits of wine, to be taken to London.

Exchange Newsroom War Memorial
(1924, by Walter Gilbert) is dedicated to
26 newsmen and their sons who
gave their lives during World War I

This telephone booth contains a defibrillator

Martins Bank Building (1927-1932,
by Herbert James Rowse)

In 1940, when under the threat of invasion,
280 tons of the United Kingdom's gold
reserves were transported to Liverpool
and lowered through the hatch to be
stored in the vaults of Martins Bank,
until it was eventually taken in secrecy
to Canada for safekeeping

Tower Building (1906-1910, by
Walter Aubrey Thomas) is faced with
white glazed terracotta made by Doulton

The sunny side of one of the Royal Liver Building
towers that is topped by the mythical Liver bird;
this one is male, Bertie, who watches over the
seamen's families in town, while his partner, Bella,
on the other tower, looks out to sea to watch out
for the seamen to ensure they return home safely

Jimmy, the Dock Horse (2020, by Faith Bebbington)
represents horse-drawn boats that came by canal,
bringing cargo to the docks starting around 1740

Our Lady and Nicholas Church Garden:

Homeless Jesus (2019, by Timothy Schmaltz)

MV Derbyshire (1976 ore-bulk-oil ship from
Liverpool) Memorial (2018) commemorates
the lives lost when the merchant ship
MV Derbyshire sank in the South China Seas
during typhoon Orchid, on 9/9/1980

Liverpool Blitz Memorial (2000, by
Tom Murphy) honors the 1,700 residents
of Liverpool and Bootle who were killed
in the Blitz of 1940-1941

We walked back onto the Viking Venus for lunch.

Next: Liverpool III.