December 2008 Archives

CAN anybody help Valerie Stern of New Jersey, US, who had sent me an email about her great-grandfather, Henry Brown, chief steward for the Cunard Line c.1890-1901.

He served on Carmania, Caronia, Lusitania, and Mauretania, and his title in the 1891 Census of Bootle was "Superintendent Steward Club". Valerie is trying to find any record of what and where this club was (if it was a club at all).

She says she has written to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Sydney Jones Library at the
University of Liverpool and the Liverpool Record Office, all to no avail. Can anyone help her?

A SEASONAL blog post for you - researchers at Liverpool University have uncovered details of a Christmas party held for its servants at the Victoria Building in 1895.

It took place on December 27, with food and music, and was given by the Vice-Principal, Professor MacCunn.

Children make the most of the snow on Ashurst Beacon, near Skelmersdale, in 1979. Code: tmc040108nostsnow-06.jpg

To order this or any other Photo of the Week, call 0151 472 2549, quoting the relevant picture code, or click here.

FASCINATING objects salvaged from the seabed around the wreck of the Titanic, 2.5 miles below the surface of the ocean, will go on display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum tomorrow.

The exhibits are a wrist watch, spectacles, a White Star Line cup, lead ventilation grill, a gold wristwatch, five tie pins and a five dollar banknote.

A TREAT for those who appreciate Liverpool architecture - photographs sent in by Margaret Wolfarth of Great Crosby showing the construction of Tower Building on The Strand.

I particularly love the one of the sign announcing that the Liver Building will be arriving soon. It's hard to imagine Liverpool without the Liver Building, even though it is a relatively recent addition to the city's skyline.

Flying Breeze tender takes Christmas hampers from the Mersey Mission to Seamen out to the Mersey Bar lightship Planet, December 1959. Code: tmc201206lookback.JPG

To order this or any other Photo of the Week, call 0151 472 2549, quoting the relevant picture code, or click here.

JOURNALIST Ken Seymour was lucky enough to be perched on the end of John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's bed during their Bed-in peace protest of 1969.

Ken, a window-cleaner's son, was working as a freelance journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation at the time and just a few minutes of his tape recorded interview was used on air.

THE hanging committee for the Liverpool Art Academy at the Bluecoat chambers in May 1934. Code: zz180534lookback.jpg

To order this or any other Photo of the Week, call 0151 472 2549, quoting the relevant picture code, or click here.

IF YOU were in the 17th century and decided to go off exploring Britain, which items would you not be without?

In the case of women travellers following the Home Tour, the answer was pretty much everything - they loaded their carriages with sets of china, small items of furniture and lots of servants.

Hope University senior lecturer Zoe Kinsley has written a book describing their adventures. You can read my interview with her by clicking here.