This post picks up where the previous post ends; you can read about my visit to Granby community gardens here. Having enjoyed my short visit to Granby I decided that I would walk back to Lime Street Station, pacing myself slowly and giving my knees a rest as required. It was all downhill and there were places to sit along the route. It didn’t turn out that way but my intentions were good.
Leaving Cairns Street, I turned the corner and walked right into a film set. I hope the lady who’d asked me if I worked in television wasn’t watching from her window, or I might have seemed like a bit of a fibber. Police cars and uniformed officers – i.e. actors – that I’d spotted an hour or so earlier still seemed to be standing around. I spotted the big TV van with all the technical equipment inside and heard a passer-by ask what was going on; a channel and a drama were mentioned, though not anything I was familiar with.
Quickly crossing the road, I noted plastic sunflowers strung around the scaffolding of another building under renovation. Flower power seems to be the driving force in this community. I wondered if they might find a way to save the huge buddleia that had grown as tall as the three storey building.
As I turned onto Princes Avenue I spotted some street art on a building in the next side street, so doubled back to take a closer look. The venue appeared to be some sort of children’s centre, or possibly an extension of a nearby Methodist church, where lots of kids were milling around in the playground, probably attending a school holidays activity club. A colourful mural covered the front of the building, depicting a mix of African culture, wild animals, fantastical imagery and scenes from the city of Liverpool.
There was more art at the back but as kids were playing there, I had to leave it.
Moving back onto Princes Avenue I admired the flower beds and old-fashioned lampposts and sat for a while on one of the benches.
About fifteen years ago (probably the last time I was in the area) a friend of mine lived for about a year in a second floor flat within one of the large converted villas somewhere along this stretch. I couldn’t believe his luck at the time, living for a modest rent in a beautiful, spacious home with loads of original features and such a great view. Unfortunately, he found the place cold and had some noisy neighbours with lots of issues so moved on at the end of his contract. In some ways, the area reminds me of parts of south Manchester, where formerly salubrious villa-lined leafy lanes have been converted into bedsit lands, student villages, vibrant and energised but not without problems.
Toxteth’s problems are historical and well documented. In 1981 England experienced a summer of riots in Manchester, the Brixton area of London and in Toxteth. In all three areas, tensions between the local black communities and the police had been rising, a result of alleged heavy-handed police tactics and black men being disproportionately targeted for stop and search checks. All three areas had been significantly hit by recession and unemployment was high, especially in the Toxteth area. The rioting was intense, with the police using CS gas for the first time in the UK outside of Northern Ireland. Forces from other parts of the north of England were drafted in to support the Merseyside constabulary. The police later came in for heavy criticism.
Another little detour into a side street revealed a beautifully kept community garden, a tranquil spot to sit for a few minutes. The garden was the idea of 14 year old Khan Odita who raised funds and got backing to create the garden for the enjoyment of all the community. Well done, Khan!
Across the road stands Al Rahma mosque, its golden dome and minarets creating quite a spectacle. The area has a large Muslim community, mainly Arabs. Being a port city, Liverpool is melting pot and has very old Yemeni and Somali communities. Other immigrants have arrived from the Muslim world in the last few decades. The mosque was built in 1974, though the Muslim Society that runs it has existed since 1959.
In the distant background I could see the top of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, its design not to everyone’s taste. I quite like it. Watch this space for a future post on both of Liverpool’s cathedrals.
Back on Princes Avenue, I took a few minutes to appreciate an art installation, celebrating Liverpool’s heritage as a sea-faring city and those who have come to live here from far flung shores.
Liverpool 8 is the post code for Toxteth, the number eight designed to resemble to chain of a ship’s anchor. Four stones are engraved with words and phrases associated with those early journeys made by immigrant sefarers from the docks to the Toxteth area.
The sculpture symbolises the spirit and journeys of the people of Toxteth, Liverpool 8, the links of the 8 representing the chain that connects a ship to its anchor. The sculpture reflects the maritime heritage of the community, shaped by merchant seafarers from across the globe, particularly West Africa, China, the Caribbean, Somalia and Yemen. Many of the men settled in the area, marrying local women and building diverse communities.
Just a little further along Princes Avenue, just before its junction with Princes Road, is the delightful Princes boulevard and yet another beautiful garden. Here, we are reminded not only of the global roots of this area but also of the many faiths represented. A plaque provides some details about the key places of worship within a short walk of each other, most still active. The spire of the now derelict Welsh Presbyterian church, once the tallest building in Liverpool and known as the Welsh Cathedral, can be glimpsed in the background.
During the short time I spent in the garden admiring the wild flowers, several other people came in, just to sit on one of the benches and relax for 5 or 10 minutes. For somebody living in a small flat and having no garden of their own, this space must be a godsend.
Moving on again, I immediately found myself at one of the aforementioned places of worship, the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation synagogue.
I also noted that Selborne Street was the spot where the riots started in 1981, when Leroy Alphonse Cooper was arrested for challenging the police’s treatment of another black man who they had stopped to search and question.
The synagogue is still in use as a place of worship and hosts Jewish cultural activities and events. It is reputed to have a beautiful interior but is rarely open to visitors apart from school parties.
Crossing the road again, I soon arrived at another of the faith buildings I’d just read about on the boulevard plaque, the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. On the corner of Princes Road and Upper Parliament Street, the Greek Church is an interesting and imposing building. Like the synagogue, it is reportedly very attractive inside, but it was not open at the time of my visit.
The end of Princes Road marks the boundary of Toxteth and the city. Looking across to the top of the Anglican Cathedral, just a short walk further ahead, I decided I would save that for another day.
Toxteth had been full of surprises and well worth an afternoon’s exploration, though I know I only scratched the surface. I’ve already planned another visit for a few weeks from now, with a particular destination in mind but hoping Liverpool 8 will reveal even more of itself.
Welcome to the Beautiful North 