Wirral

Video: Discover the Beatles in their early years in this multilingual YouTube video

2019-01-07 By @AidanEyewitness

This video is on the subject of Beatles locations in and around Liverpool and Wirral. The Beatles legacy is a huge reason for tourists to visit Liverpool. For me personally, I love visiting the locations connected with the Beatles as it helps me to discover more about Liverpool and I can relive the excitement and fascination of growing up with the music of the Beatles in the 1960s.

The video is narrated by me in English with German subtitles. I am using German because from 2019, the main focus of my main YouTube channel is German language. The subtitles will be of use to my students of German and those on my mailing list. I also hope to reach people in Germany who are interested in the Beatles, and who will find the German subtitles helpful and welcoming.

From 2019 all my videos will have a bilingual narration in English and German. I enjoy occasionally featuring other languages as well and in this Beatles video, I’m excited to be doing a Japanese version. A teaching colleague has helped with the translation into Japanese. I’ve given the video a Japanese look with Japan-influenced music by the talented young musician Bad Snacks, featured on the YouTube Audio Library.

To make the video I travelled all over the Liverpool region on various trips and photoshoots and I’ve been to nearly all the places connected with the Beatles where tourists like to go.

Of the many places I’ve listed so far, one of my favourites is the Casbah Coffee Club, which I visited for the first time in mid-2018. It’s an excellent place to visit as you can really experience what it was like to see John, Paul, George and Pete play in their early days.

I also love the Beatles’ childhood homes 20 Forthlin Road, home of the McCartney family,and Mendips, where John lived with his aunt Mimi. They’re fascinating to visit as they are both time capsules of the late fifties and early sixties. It’s not possible to take photos inside the houses, so I have only exterior photos.

Just before publishing the final version of the video in January 2019, I found out that there is going to be a new Beatles attraction on the grounds of Strawberry Field. The gates will finally open and fans will be able to find out about John and the other Beatles in a visitors centre. It looks great.

It was perhaps a controversial choice to include this Japanese-style background music in a video about a famous British band from the early sixties. However I wanted to highlight the Japanese perspective. The Beatles are very popular in Japan and many Japanese fans visit Liverpool. One of my goals is to build bridges and overcome barriers of language and culture. This is my way of doing it!

The background music is by an artist who calls herself ‘Bad Snacks’. Her work is available on the YouTube audio library and I think it is superb. I loved these two tracks when I first heard them. in fact some of the content of the video was inspired by this music.

The first track we hear is called Mizuki and has a bright, upbeat character with its Oriental style memory played using the sound of an Eastern instrument, perhaps a koto.

The second track is ‘Shibuya’ and it ‘interrupts’ the narrative in two places. The first time we jump to the little known Japanese garden in Calderstones Park. I wanted to emphasise aspects of Japanese culture in Liverpool. To be honest, there aren’t that many! When I first heard ‘Shibuya’ I immediately wanted to include images of the wonderful Japanese garden.

The second time we jump to ‘Shibuya’ we see the train to New Brighton. I got the idea of using an image of a train because in ‘Shibuya’ there is a hissing sound, perhaps from a train in Tokyo. That image and concept were taken directly from the track by the supremely talented artist Bad Snacks, or whatever her real name is. She is based in Los Angeles and I think she is destined for a very successful career as a musician. Try doing a search on YouTube to find her. She is a very talented young musician.

I hope this video will be seen and enjoyed by people in Germany and Japan as well as those living closer to home. It’s been great fun making this video, though it has taken a long time from its inception to final upload and publication on 8 January, 2018. Co-incidentally, 8 January 1947 is the birthday of David Bowie, another musician I am very keen on.

I love the Beatles music. I grew up with it as a child and two of my favourite songs or theirs are Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. They had a profound effect on me as a child and I’m glad I am able to pay tribute to them in this video.

On my Patreon page I plan to provide more background information and some interesting anecdotes that I don’t share with the wider public.

If you’d like to support what I’m doing, please visit www.patreon.com/aidanorourke

The Welsh influence on Liverpool and the Scouse accent – view from a language teacher

2018-08-17 By @AidanEyewitness

Althorp Street Liverpool with view of the Mersey and Welsh Hills

There are many connections between Liverpool and Wales. It’s said that Liverpool is regarded by many people in North Wales as their capital, not Cardiff. The Welsh accent has influenced the Liverpool accent, and the border with Wales is just twelve and a half miles down the road from Birkenhead.

You can see the Clwydian hills from many parts of Liverpool including Althorp Street in Toxteth in the image above.

And the view down onto the Liverpool region from the A55 in Flintshire is magnificent.

There are Welsh communities in Liverpool and many people go on day trips to North Wales or for a longer holiday.

Welsh people started to migrate to Liverpool in the 18th century and it’s reported that by 1813 around 8000 people or 10% of the residents of Liverpool were Welsh.

People from Wales created communities around Liverpool and Welsh was the dominant language in those places.

As in other British cities there are streets named after places in Wales such as Denbigh Road and Barmouth way.

But the most important symbol of the Welsh influence in Liverpool is the area called the Welsh streets in Toxteth, next to Princes Park, about a 10 minute bus ride south of the city centre.

The street names include Kinmel Street, Rhiwlas Street and Madryn Street, former home of Ringo Starr.

These streets were built by Welsh workers around the end of the 19th century, but over the years they have become very run down.

View Larger Map

There has been some controversy about the Welsh Streets area. In 2013 Liverpool city council put forward plans to redevelop the area. Some houses would have been demolished but new houses would have been built. The plan was rejected by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles. In early 2015, the future of the Welsh Streets is still uncertain.

The Welsh influence in Liverpool declined during the 20th century. According to the 2001 census, around 1.17% of the population were born in Wales, but there are plenty more people in the city who have a Welsh heritage.

VIew Everton Brow Liverpool with the Welsh Hills

View of Everton Brow Liverpool with the Welsh Hills

For me the clearest evidence of the Welsh influence in Liverpool is the accent. Compare the up-and-down intonation of the Scouse accent with the Welsh accent in English or the Welsh language and we can literally hear the influence of all those people who migrated to Liverpool in past centuries.

The patron saint of Wales is Saint David, or Dewi Sant in Welsh. Saint David’s Day is celebrated every year on 1 March.

60 great places to visit in Liverpool – 120 second video online

2018-08-13 By @AidanEyewitness

I wanted to present 60 of the best places to visit in Liverpool in a short video and here it is. These are some of my favourite attractions but there are many more!

As part of my research for the video I wrote descriptions of some of the locations but in the end, the descriptions weren’t used in the video.

St George’s Hall this magnificent neo-classical building contains a breathtaking hall and a prison museum. It’s one of my favourite buildings in Liverpool.
Sefton Park is a very special place to people in Liverpool, with a special atmosphere. The lake the palm house, the paths, fountains and pavilion give Sefton Park its unique character.
Birkenhead Park inspired the designer of  New York’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. It has been restored and has beautiful open spaces. The Swiss Bridge and  Roman Boathouse have been restored.
Newsham Park is one of Liverpool’s lesser known parks but it has an idyllic character. It has two lakes and you can often watch model boats on the water.
The ‘Dome of Home’  – The Basilica of Saints Peter and Saint Paul is situated on the hill above New Brighton. Returning crewmembers always knew they were home when they saw its dome.
The Bluecoat is an arts centre in the centre of Liverpool. It was formerly a school. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Liverpool and also has a beautiful garden.
The Liver Building  is the most famous building in Liverpool. It’s a proud symbol of the city along with its two liver birds, designed by German emigré sculptor Carl Bernard Barthels.
The Cunard Building is the middle of the three graces and was once the luxurious terminal for passengers travelling by ocean liner. The Mayor of Liverpool has offices in this building.
The British Music Experience is housed inside the Cunard building and tells the story of British pop music.
The Port of Liverpool Building  is a stunning building both on the exterior and inside, with its balconies and interior atrium. There are many stained glass windows on the theme of Liverpool’s maritime history
The Museum of Liverpool. is housed in a controversial modern building and contains a fascinating collection that tells the detailed and fascinating story of Liverpool.
The Albert Dock once earmarked for demolition, this 19th century dock complex has become Liverpool’s most popular tourist attraction.
Bold Street is one of Liverpool’s most liveliest streets, with its bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. At the top of the street is St Luke’s, the Bombed Out Church,
The Mersey Ferry is perhaps Liverpool’s most famous tourist attraction. It still functions as a daily means of transport for commuters but only on weekday mornings and afternoons. The tour on the Mersey is a must for all visitors
The Cavern Club is where the Beatles played their early gigs, but today’s cavern club is not the original but a faithfully reconstructed one. Still, it looks and feels similar to the original.
The Beatles Statues on the Pier Head were created by artist Andy Edwards. Since their installation in December 2015 they have been visited every day by thousands of people who love to have their photo taken next to Paul, George, Ringo and John
Liverpool One is a shopping district in Liverpool city centre that was created from existing streets and buildings, with the addition of many new buildings.
The Philharmonic Hall is a stunning concert hall in a 1930s design. Here you can go to orchestral concerts as well as performances by legendary pop artists. The style and ornamentation are stuperb.
The view from Everton Park is stunning as you can see over the rootops of the city centre across the Mersey to the Wirral, with the Clwydian Hills across the Dee in North Wales. Everton Park is built on the site of a former residential district.
The view from Seacombe gives you perhaps the best angle on Liverpool waterfront. You can reach it on the Mersey Ferries river cruise or drive through the Kingsway Tunnel.
The view from Woodside ferry terminal is also magnificent and is closer to the waterfront. You can admire all the buildings along the Liverpool waterfront and watch cruise ships arriving and leaving.
The view from Port Sunlight Riverside Park is a relatively new viewpoing point as the park was created from a gigantic landfill site. From here the waterfront is to the north.
Lady Lever Art Gallery is my favourite art gallery in the North West as it presents a uniquely personal collection reflecting the tastes of founder Lord Leverhulme. There are many paintings and sculptures, some ancient, as well as furniture and ceramics.
Port Sunlight is a village with houses in a variety of traditional English styles. It was built by Lord Leverhulme to provide housing for workers in his nearby factory.
Birkenhead Priory is an ancient religious site that pre-dates virtually everything around it. The visitors center we can learn about the early history of this area and from the tower, look across the river and into the neighbouring ship repair docks.

View from Tranmere – Story behind the image

2016-07-26 By @AidanEyewitness

One of the themes of the Eyewitness blog is ‘secrets behind the image’. In this post I am going to write about the creative and technical questions underlying this photograph of Rodney Street, in Tranmere, near Birkenhead on the Wirral.

About the location
I love to photograph cities. To be frank I find the man-made environment more interesting than the natural environment. I was driving through Tranmere, close to Birkenhead town centre, and glimpsed the view down a long straight street looking towards Liverpool.

The street is Rodney Street, Birkenhead, not to be confused with Rodney Street, Liverpool. The view is similar to the one in the famous photograph of the Ark Royal by the photographer Edward Chambre Hardman (1898-1988). He lived on Rodney St Liverpool and his home is open to the public. If you’re interested in photography I definitely recommend it.

The view here looking roughly east north east towards the centre of Birkenhead, with north Liverpool in the distance. I love the effect of the long, straight street with the houses on either side and north Liverpool skyline in the distance.

We can see the ventilation shaft of the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel centre right. It overlooks the River Mersey, which is hidden in this view. Just to its left is the Tobacco Warehouse on the Liverpool side of the river.

Technical info
The photo was taken with my new Canon 750D DSLR camera, using the Tamron 16-300mm zoom lens. (I’ll review this camera in another post).

I took the photograph in Program Auto mode, which I use in most situations. The camera chose the settings of 1/160s f/6.3 ISO100. This indicates the light level was plus two thirds of a stop. (If you’d like to find out more about light level and why it’s important, why not take a look at one of my walks or courses.)

The lens was at focal length 70mm so it is roughly mid-way in its range from 18mm wide angle to 300mm telephoto.

Previously I used the Tamron 18-270mm lens which was excellent. The newer 16-300mm Tamron is even better as it gives you slightly more wide angle and slightly more telephoto than the previous one.

In this case, I was able to frame or crop the view at 70mm. For comparison, here’s the view taken at 16mm wide angle. It’s clear that to get the best effect, you have to zoom in, but not too far. I zoomed in so the street and houses were visible, as well as the skyline at the top.

This photo was taken in the evening. The sun is shining from the west – off to the left – and lighting up the tops of the houses. The street was mostly in shadow. I lightened up the street slightly in Photoshop. I also rotated the image by about 1.5 degrees.

For the symmetry of the composition, it’s important to stand in the centre of the street.

In summary
It’s not a perfect image. Coming from the left, the light leaves the street partly in shadow – It would probably have been better to take the image earlier in the day with the sun directly behind. However I don’t take photos for the sake of technical perfection or to win competitions. I simply take photos to capture the striking views I see around me. Whether they are of interest to the viewer is up to them!

Here’s the same view taken at 18mm

Best view in the UK – Liverpool waterfront seen across Mersey

2015-12-20 By @AidanEyewitness

Liverpool Waterfront seen from across the river Mersey at dusk

For years, the Liverpool waterfront has been one of my favourite subjects. I’ve photographed it quite a few times, especially at dusk. For me it’s the best view in the UK. Better than London, because the skyline is not so crowded and the river is wider. Better than Newcastle, although Newcastle’s great, with its series of bridges, and better than Glasgow which has quite a wide river but lacks the cluster of tall buildings that we have in Liverpool.

It’s been spectacular for decades. In the late nineteenth century, they decided to fill in St Georges Dock and create the reclaimed area of land known as the Pier Head. Three buildings were erected directly on the foundations of the three former docks, which explains why we have three architectural gems standing side by side.

Silhouette of the Liverpool skyline April 2005

Almost as soon as the Liver Building was finished 1911, it became a major landmark and symbol of the city. The Cunard and Port of Liverpool building were completed a few years after. Over the course of the twentieth century, more buildings appeared on the Liverpool skyline: The Anglican Cathedral, The Metropolitan Cathedral, St John’s Beacon, now known as Radio City Tower. A few were lost, including the Customs House, which was damaged in the war and could easily have been restored. The Liverpool Overhead Railway was another integral element of the waterfront which sadly closed in 1956.

In the 70s the ‘Three Graces’ were cleaned and for the first time, the pristine-looking white stone could literally shine in the afternoon sunlight. As a child on visit to Liverpool, I was visually captivated by the buildings – for me they seeme to sing. Out on the Mersey on one of the famous Mersey ferries, the waterfront even more magnificent than before.

Liverpool Waterfront from Seacombe 2003

But in recent years, still more new buildings have appeared at the north end of the waterfront, around Princes Dock, including the Beetham Tower, Katherine Tower. The Unity Building appeared just behind St Nicholas Church, now the oldest building on the waterfront.

Since 2004, Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City has been a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site

After some controversy surrounding the addition of a ‘fourth grace’, the Museum of Liverpool appeared in the second half of the 2000s. It stands at a respectul distance from the older trio, and the views from inside are stunning.

It seems the waterfront has never looked better. But there has been a threat to the UNESCO world heritage status. Officials have expressed concern at the height of proposed buildings that are part of Peel Holding’s Liverpool Waters development to the north of the waterfront. In late 2015 the situation wasn’t clear though Liverpool City Council were said to be ‘taking the threat seriously’.

In December 2015, the Liverpool Waterfront was chosen as England’s greatest place in the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Great Places award.

I’ve taken the view of the waterfront many times from both Woodside and Seacombe, the two ferry terminals on the Wirral side of the river. But perhaps my favourite view is at dusk from Magazine Promenade. I often go for a walk there and like to look back at the waterfront as the light fades. There’s nothing more magnificent than the skyline, its light shimmering above the water.

Liverpool waterfront with rainbow and rainy skies