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Maps

29/11/2015

I do like a good map! And this one from the latter half of the eighteenth century shows the 'Moss lake', soon to be Abercromby Square, at the bottom. Its also interesting in showing the reservoir which originated in the stream through the fields, a reservoir which through an earlier dam on the site, during the literal turf wars between landowners, had influenced the silting up of the 'pool itself, and in turn the development of the first dock.

I think over the coming months I may now start posting a cut down version of some of my research of the early period, as its only tangentially connected to my core work. The next bits are likely to go back to pre-historic Lancashire, so I shall be writing on the shoulders of giants. Or more specifically, collating the writings of anthropologists. I can claim no original research in these parts, as it isn't my area of expertise, but I hope a few of my comments and suggestions add something. I'll also post some links to existing works I used, mainly public domain, so you can read the original authors too.

For now, have a nice map though. Maps are great.

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Unrelated

24/11/2015

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Not Dylan Thomas or Abercromby Square but you might also be interested i n a little piece we put together as part of the 'Being Human' festival, up on the Uni website. All about what 'Being Human' means in different languages, and why the machines haven't taken over quite yet!

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Nearly there

24/11/2015

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Thanks for all the comments on the last post, most illuminating! I'm glad to say the Charleston 'Confederates of Abercromby Square' is in its final stages of prep so I'll post a link once its up. Latest plan is hunting out old maps the University might hold for house conversions to try and trace when certain particular alterations were made.

The problem with 'restoration' work when it takes place is that by definition the point is to try and make something look more like the original! I'm determined to find out if some parts are real or fake though. I might take some pics and set a quiz if I'm in the mood :-)

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Trigger's Broom

16/11/2015

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I got an interesting query in the week on the numbering of Abercromby Square. Its a fascinating subject, and anyone interested can trawl through my early posts here for some tips on it, but I'm always loathe to admit to people that much like 'Trigger's Broom' in Only Fools and Horses; yes the Square is an amazing example of totally original Georgian architecture... only the handle has been replaced a dozen times, and the brush the same.

I'm perhaps being unfair, and it truly is remarkable how much of the original look you can still see, but even from the outside it is obvious where doorways and steps have vanished, windows been enlarged and modernisation taken place. This is particularly true on the side where the Bishop's Palace sits. During the refurbishments it was fascinating to see the infrastructure and where doorways have been added, removed and relocated. A prime example is the main foyer when you come into the building.

Facing you, you'll see a doorway to what is now the student reception, and a solid wall. If you knock ( gently if you please) under the large screen you'll hear a hollow sound, where the symmetrically matching second door used to be. Which was a fake door leading no-where but important for the aesthetics. The doorways you CAN see, has quite oddly been moved a few inches to the left, and then a few inches to the right over the years. The doorways to the right of this, as you face this wall, leads down steps and out to the rear yard. When originally built however, the current student reception was actually the staircase and rear exit from the building, and the doorway next to it was a solid wall hiding the china closet and safe. And if you're standing there looking through it I'd be careful, as you're standing on what used to be another staircase parallel to the wall leading down to the basement, loo and billiard room.

The miracle is that all the murals and most of the wall paneling and coving actually IS still original, and even the carved post at the base of the main staircase dates right back to the building of the house. As I said, 'Trigger's Broom'. And a rather astounding restoration job.

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Under Milk Wood

16/11/2015

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Damn. The new Under Milk Wood is out on dvd today. Should I wait till xmas? Decisions decisions.

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Writing the book

11/11/2015

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I thought you might be interested in a short piece more on planning and writing that may or may not make it into the finished book in some form, but which I’ve been tinkering with as its been on my mind.

When I began, this history of the Square seemed like a fascinating little project I could throw myself into, learning more about local history that had captivated me, and spreading my joy and wonder to a wider audience. To put myself into context, the idea didn’t intimidate me at all; I’ve written a number of book length outputs, have published here and there before, have completed a PhD, and have project management qualifications just to prove I’m able to organise myself and deliver. I had no external deadline to work to, no format I was tied to, and the choice of material was mine. It was a joyous idea.

The early days were exciting and fancy free, researching wildly, uncovering new avenues to follow, creating my blog, making contacts and visiting records offices and graveyards. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still loving this subject and the research but to make a rather odd analogy, I’ve stayed in the friendship zone too long to easily put this project to bed.

It’s my own fault, but I should have known from previous experience that the key to getting a book finished is to plan. Not every nuance and detail, but my lack of restrictions have lead me to a place where I could happily continue researching for the next thirty years without writing a word, and could just as easily fill a book just concentrating on one house alone in a single year.

Let me give you an example. I genuinely just picked this at random and in 1861, Julia Ripley and at least five other people lived or were staying at 21 Abercromby Square. Two are from major shipping families of the times, I have newspaper reports about the family, legal precedents created and still on the books today, links to current institutions in Lancaster and missionary work in New Zealand, and I could go on. And this is one of the smaller houses in just one year. I have 34 houses over the course of around eighty years to cover, and this is just in the nineteenth century, and discounts the fact that some of the occupants are hugely influential at home and internationally, unlike Julia who is a wonderful example of how even the names of ‘unknown’ occupants can have rich histories and a long reaches of influence. Add to this that for every fact or link I find, ten more routes for exploration pop up. And the fact that numerous children who grew up in the Square later went on to have amazing biographies too. It’s an over-abundance of riches.

My point, dear reader, is that even though this was never intended to be an exhaustive history, it is an exhausting one. And some hard choices are on me at the moment as I badly want to keep researching and finding out more, but know I should write what I have first. I may be forced to change my name to Squiggle ( the project manager formerly known as Prince2) in penance and apology for forgetting the basic principles of planning.

Here endeth the rant.

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My break

10/11/2015

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Lovely weekend away, thank you very much for asking! Now nicely refreshed and ready to start again.

For being so patient, have a photo of one of the display boards currently housed at number 19 Abercromby square. The names are a who's who of Liverpool in the early nineteenth century, made up of those eminents who subscribed to the Royal Institution on Colquit St, the proto-University. As you'll know many of the more famous names this snap is of a section of lesser known Liverpool luminaries ( in the main). No prizes for guessing which Square many of them lived in though!

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Maps

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Nearly there

Trigger's Broom

Under Milk Wood

Writing the book

My break

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