Chris | Postcards From Here and There

A Stroll Down Castle Street

Castle Street may not be anywhere near the longest street in Liverpool but it certainly manages to pack a lot in. You could easily walk its length in just a couple of minutes but to do so would mean missing out on some real treasures. Today it is home to bars, restaurants and cafés but Castle Street was formerly the place for banking and commerce in the city. Its financial importance is reflected in the grand architecture of its buildings, seventeen of which are Grade II listed.

Castle street is one of the original seven streets of the city (along with Water St, Chapel St, Dale St, High St, Tithebarn St and Old Hall St) and can date its history back to the thirteenth century. It was the main route from the river to Liverpool Castle, which stood where Derby Square and the Law Courts are found to day. It would have originally been much narrower, it was widen to its current width around 200 years ago. Most of its buildings date from the middle of the nineteenth century.

Castle Street was the location of the old medieval market and the boundary is marked by the Sanctuary Stone embedded in the pavement on the western side of the street. Medieval markets and fairs had their own rules and laws and were quite separate from those of the town. An individual being sought for breaking laws in the town could seek sanctuary in the market and so the boundaries of markets were marked with stones.

On the corner of Castle Street and James Street is the grand building of the old Alliance Bank, built in 1868. It later became home to the North and South Wales Bank followed by the Midland Bank. It is now a hotel going by the name of 62 Castle Street.

On the corner with Cook Street stands the Bank of England building built between 1845 and 1848 as one of three branches of the bank. It now sadly stands empty and is awaiting redevelopment.

27 Castle Street 1848
44 Castle Street 1890s

Two fine buildings frame the junction with Brunswick Street. On the south side is the old Adelphi Bank, built in 1892, which has some superb decorative features. The doors are well worth investigating, designed by Stirling Lee, they are made from bronze and show pairs of famous friends along with the name of the bank. The Adelphi Bank incorporated with Martins Bank which in turn became part of Barclays in the late 1960s. The building later became a branch of the Co-operative Bank and is now home on the ground floor to Café Nero.

31 Castle Street
31 Castle Street

To the north, at 36 Castle Street, is the former home of the Leyland and Bullins Bank. Designed by Grayson and Ould and opened in 1895 the ground floor now houses a Brazilian restaurant but the buildings is an important part of the city banking history. Thomas Leyland, a merchant of the city, won a considerable sum of money in a lottery at the end of the eighteenth century and went on to open the bank with his nephew in the early part of the nineteenth. The bank prospered and became part of the North and South Wales Bank in 1901 which in turn was absorbed by the Midland Bank, later to become part of HSBC.

The old offices of the Leyland and Bullin Bank.

Across the street is another building designed by Grayson and Ould. Built between 1888 and 1890 to house the offices of the British & Foreign Marine Insurance Company it is a fine Victorian piece of architecture and looks very imposing with its red sandstone and terracotta facade. The building incorporates some fine mosaic work by Frank Murray.

Queen Avenue on the eastern side of the street looks, at first glance, like the entrance to a Victorian shopping arcade. However looks can be deceiving and you find yourself here looking down one of the most picturesque streets in the whole of the city and one so often missed by visitors. It is home to a small gallery and a rather fine wine shop.

As you look up Castle Street from Derby Square the centrepiece of the street appears to be the rather grand Town Hall. If you think it looks slightly left of centre you would be correct as it was never designed for what today is a rather iconic view, being initially obscured by other developments. Built between 1749 and 1754 it actually is on Dale Street but no stroll down Castle Street would be complete without it.

Shoreditch Street Art

Shoreditch and neighbouring Hoxton in the east of London are parts of the city I very much like. Home to a thriving community of independent retailers, cafés, restaurants and bars it is a welcome break from the mass appeal commercial enterprises that blight many high streets. Every visit is an opportunity for exploration, to see what’s new and worth checking out. This visit it was Mikkeller (2-4 Hackney Road), a great addition too the London craft beer scene which actually opened late last year. It’s too easy and a bit of a cliche to say that Shoreditch is the home of the hipster, to me it’s the home of people that like something just a little bit different, whatever that may be, and long may it continue.

There is a massive art scene in Shoreditch and this is no better illustrated than by the street art that abounds in the area. I took the Northern Line to Old Street to begin my exploration but you could just as easily use Liverpool Street or Shoreditch High Street as your jumping off point. Leave Old Street station onto the very busy Old Street and head in the direction of Shoreditch. There is an opportunity to pick up a craft beer or doughnut if you are in need of refreshment. When the road forks take the right branch onto Great Eastern Street and your street art experience begins.

Underneath is this piece by misterthoms.

Mind the Gap! Between Kings and Toys – El Rughi

The artist Eine is well known for large, circus style typography and there is a good example along Rivington Street.

At the end of Rivington Street turn right onto Curtain Road. New Inn Yard is the third road on the left just before you reach Great Eastern Street.

Some of the art here becomes more impressive because of its sheer scale. In 2018 a project began to create a set of murals on the Graffoto Building themed around the idea of connectivity. Each mural was created by a pair of artists and it is simply stunning in its sheer scale and complexity. This thematic piece has elevated street art to a new level in Shoreditch simply by its size. It begins on New Inn Yard with is piece by Lovepusher and Mr Cenz.

Next to this a mural by Nomad Clad from Manchester depicting the pigeon post and letters as a form of communication.

North Seal and Best Ever have created a mural depicting had shakes set within a lattice framework.

At the corner with King John Court Busk and Mr Oliver Switch have created this piece with has now sadly been tagged.

Ed Hicks and Zadik show how a fungal mycelium has many connections in the biological world.

Captain Chris and Tizer illustrate connectivity between the real and imaginary worlds.

Finally, or firstly if you approved from the opposite direction, we have this piece by Hunto and Mr Thoms.

On Holywell Lane there are some interesting pieces on the hoardings including this by JimVision entitled The Umbrella Academy.

From the end of Holywell Lane turn right and then left into Bethnal Green Road. Ebor Street is then the first on the left. Here you will find Ben Eines mural Peace is Possible.

On nearby Whitby Street is another mural by Jim Vision.

At the end of the street there are two superb murals by James Cochran, also known as Jimmy C.

There is much more to see in the area including some fine works on nearby Sclater Street but the Sunday marked prevented me from taking any photographs on this visit.

The Ria Formosa

The Ria Formosa is a coastal lagoon in the Algarve, southern Portugal and covers an area of 18,000 hectares, stretching from Tavira, in the eastern Algarve to just west of Faro. It was made a National Park in 1987 and is of ecological importance, particularly for its bird life.

A series of barrier islands gives protection from the Atlantic Ocean and as a result the waters are usually flat calm and are relatively shallow.

A number of companies offer tours of the Rio Formosa from the quayside in Faro. A popular option is a 5 hour tour which includes visits to four of the islands and a lunch stop on Culatra Island for which you cover your own costs. Our trip was in a very comfortable catamaran, seating up to 12 people, with guide who is able to give a commentary in a number of different languages.

Ilha Deserta (the deserted island) is a popular island for visitors, especially in the summer, with its beautiful beach facing the Atlantic Ocean You can reach it by Ferry from Faro which runs all year round. It’s deserted in the sense that nobody lives there but there is a cafe/restaurant and toilet facilities. Visiting in early March was fantastic as the number of fellow tourists was very small indeed and you could appreciate the peace and tranquility of the place.

A short boat ride then takes you on to Farol Island complete with is lighthouse built in 1851. There are also some lovely little cottages here, many of which are now holiday homes and rentals. A busier island but still peaceful and quiet at this time of year.

Armona Island is opposite the town of Olhão from where you can pick up a water taxi to the island. Armona is busier with more of a resident population, a small convenience store and a number of cafes.There are still no cars or roads here as on previous islands and its is a nice place to wander aimlessly through the narrow, twisting streets.

The final stop was Culatra Island, also known as Fishermans Island. Here there is a harbour for the fishing boats that service the lslands main economy.

Here you can have lunch if you so desire and what else would you eat but fish. I am a huge fan of simply grilled fish and nowhere does it as well as its done in Portugal. Washed down with a zingy, fresh glass of Vinho Verde its a perfect end to an excellent tour.

It is then a 20/30 minute boat ride back to Faro where you get excellent views of the old town as you approach.