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Liverpool - one hour ashore and one hour afloat

By William Starkey

On what was - for me - a rare foray south of Hadrian’s Wall, I had the opportunity to visit Liverpool – opportunity in this case meaning just two hours. Using the ferry from Woodside to the Pier Head, this involved a short cruise on the Mersey, followed by one hour to explore a little of Liverpool’s waterfront - with the much-photographed Royal Iris of the Mersey performing ferry duty between Birkenhead and Liverpool.

SJ3389 : Royal Iris of the Mersey by William Starkey SJ3389 : Royal Iris of the Mersey by William Starkey SJ3389 : Royal Iris of the Mersey by William Starkey SJ3389 : Shadow cross the Mersey by William Starkey

In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow - perhaps appropriately then, a rainbow duly appeared in the sky over Liverpool as I waited for departure. This is a very different view to the one I remember from childhood, when scarcely tall enough to look over the ship’s railings, the buildings I saw on Liverpool’s waterfront were blackened by soot and grime.

SJ3390 : Rainbow over the Liverpool waterfront by William Starkey

Leaving Woodside, the Iris heads first to the south, offering good views of the docks in Birkenhead and shipping on the river, with marine traffic surprisingly busy.

SJ3388 : Cammell Laird docks, Birkenhead by William Starkey SJ3388 : Wind turbine monopiles at Cammell Laird dock by William Starkey

SJ3389 : The Ardea in the River Mersey by William Starkey SJ3388 : Mersey estuary by William Starkey SJ3389 : MV Aasheim by William Starkey

SJ3387 : Torm Gyda at Tranmere by William Starkey SJ3388 : Marine traffic, River Mersey by William Starkey

Then with a change of direction to the north – down-river - the ferry heads for the Pier Head landing stage.

SJ3390 : Approaching the Pier Head by William Starkey


Once ashore, there is much to see and photograph on Liverpool’s waterfront, with the architecture of the Liver Building, one of Liverpool’s “three graces”

SJ3390 : Royal Liver Building by William Starkey SJ3390 : Liverpool waterfront buildings by William Starkey

contrasting with modern designs such as the Mann Island Buildings and the new Museum of Liverpool.

SJ3390 : Mann Island Development, Liverpool by William Starkey SJ3390 : Mann Island Development Building by William Starkey SJ3389 : Museum of Liverpool by William Starkey SJ3390 : Shop, Museum of Liverpool by William Starkey,

These buildings feature highly reflective glass, and perhaps also reflect changes in Liverpool’s economy, as its emphasis moves from shipping and manufacturing to leisure and tourism.

SJ3390 : Mann Island Development Building by William Starkey SJ3490 : Reflective glass in the Mann Island Development Building by William Starkey SJ3389 : Museum of Liverpool by William Starkey

The Canning and Albert Docks, which lie further along the river to the south east, are also very photogenic, with water reflecting buildings, ships, chimneys and an unusual vehicle known as the Yellow Duckmarine, used to take visitors on an amphibious journey through Liverpool’s streets and docks – further evidence of the increasing importance of tourism to Liverpool’s economy.

SJ3489 : Canning Half Tide Dock by William Starkey SJ3489 : Canning Dock by William Starkey SJ3489 : Yellow Duckmarine by William Starkey

My all-too-brief hour ashore nearly over, a quick walk takes me back to the Pier Head, with just enough time to snap some of the waterfront’s sculptures, including the Carter’s Working Horse Monument and William Goscome's monument to Edward VII.

SJ3389 : Carters Working Horse Monument by William Starkey SJ3390 : Monument to King Edward VII - and seagull by William Starkey

Then back to Woodside Pier with the Royal Iris, and a final shot of the ferry departing.

SJ3389 : Farewell to the Iris by William Starkey


Most of these images were taken in an area little greater than one square kilometre, mostly in gridsquare SJ3389 (which touches both banks of the Mersey), and a little help from SJ3489, SJ3390, and SJ3388. This area ticks many of the “geographical context” tags, and is visually striking throughout – a photogenic city worthy of a visit despite the complete absence of Geograph points! Finally, the Geotrips submission form requests a mention of difficulties encountered – for me this was simply too little time to explore this most interesting of cities.


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When
Mon, 8 Apr 2013 at 11:59
Grid Square
geotagged! SJ3389
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