Tag: The Beatles

Liverpool’s Musical Statues

Liverpool is a city blessed with a fine variety of statues, non more so than those that celebrate the musical icons associated with the city. For this post I will concentrate on those easily located in and around the city centre but those that arrive via the airport may well encounter a rather famous figure in the terminal building.

Ken Dodd – Lime Street Station Concourse

The statue is part of an installation entitled “Chance Meeting” by  Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy which also features Bessie Braddock who was a Liverpool Labour MP for over 30 years. The installation is usually to be found on the concourse of Lime Street station but was removed in autumn 2017 to allow for redevelopment of the station. Following the death of Ken Dodd his statue was replaced on temporary basis until the full installation is reinstalled at the end of building work. Although perhaps better known as a comedian he had 18 chart hits, mainly in the 1960s, his version of Tears selling well over a million copies.

Eleanor Rigby – Stanley Street

Eleanor Rigby was a song on The Beatles album Revolver as well as a number one single in 1966. The sculpture was made by Tommy Steele in 1982 in recognition of the work of The Beatles and their place in the city. His fee for the work was a reported three pence. Tommy Steele himself was a singer and actor in musical theatre before becoming a sculptor.

In the work she is sitting alone with her shopping at her side and her head turned towards a small bird that is on an old newspaper. There is room on the bench for you to join her. The ‘real’ Eleanor Rigby is buried in the churchyard of St Peters Parish Church, Woolton in the city.

Cilla Black – Mathew Street

Commissioned by her sons following her death in 2015, it was unveiled in January 2017 which coincided with the 60th anniversary of The Cavern Club where she worked before embarking on her singing and television career. Made by Andy Edwards and Emma Rodgers the dress has been sculpted with square panels which contain song titles etc. Cilla Black released nineteen top forty singles, mainly in the 1960s, including number one singles Anyone Who Had a Heart and You’re my World in 1964.

John Lennon – Mathew Street

Made by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley the statue of John Lennon is one of the oldest musical statues in the city. Lennon stands against a wall opposite The Cavern, the bricks are engraved with the names of all the artists and bands that have played there.  A Tom Murphy statue of Lennon is to be found at Liverpool airport to commemorate its renaming as the John Lennon Airport in 2002.

The Beatles – Pier Head

Andy Edwards statue of the Fab Four was donated to the city by the Cavern Club in 2015 to commemorate 50 years since their last appearance in the city, which was at The Empire Theatre on Lime Street. Arthur Dooleys “Four Lads Who Shook the World” installation on Mathew Street celebrated Beatle Street and their importance. This gives us the group as slightly larger than life characters looking as if they are casually walking to catch the nearby Birkenhead ferry and gives you a much greater sense of them as individuals.

Edwards has given each Beatle a personal touch; Paul McCartney carries a camera, George Harrison wears a belt with Sanskrit writing, Ringo Starr has L8 on his shoe and John Lennon holds two acorns in his hand.

Billy Fury – Albert Dock

The Tom Murphy statue of Billy Fury was moved to its current location opposite the Piermasters House at the Albert Dock in 2007. Billy Fury achieved most of his success in the rock and roll boom in the early sixties. He is much loved in the city and by his fan club who commissioned the statue in 2003. The flowers around the statue were to commemorate his birthday which was on the 17th of April.

A Stroll Down Mathew Street Liverpool

Along with Penny Lane, Mathew Street is one of the most well known of  Liverpool streets. Mathew Street is really a narrow, now pedestrianised, lane that runs between North John Street and Stanley Street. Its history lies in the fruit and vegetable trade though much evidence of that has long since gone.

Mathew Street is now principally known for The Cavern Club (number 10 Mathew Street) and The Beatles and much of what goes on in the street today reflects this. The club itself first opened its doors as a jazz club  in 1957 but will always be remembered for the nearly 300 appearances The Beatles made in the early sixties. Tourists from all over the world travel to Liverpool to experience Mathew Street and The Cavern.

The original club closed in 1973 following the sale of the building and its proposed demolition to make way for a ventilation shaft for the new Merseyrail underground railway. The shaft was never built and the site became a car park for a short while. One can only wonder what was in the mind of the city council when agreeing to the demolition of such a city treasure.

The Cavern was rebuilt in 1984. Plans to redevelop the original site were shelved when it was discovered that the demolition of the building had caused damage to the underground cellars in which h The Cavern were housed. As a result fifteen hundred bricks from the original Cavern were used to recreate the new Cavern. It is today one of Liverpools top tourist attractions.

Opposite The Cavern is the statue of John Lennon and The Cavern Wall of Fame.

For a statue of the Fab Four themselves you will have to visit the nearby Pier Head. The wall of fame represents all the bands and artists that have played at The Cavern Club.

The statue of Cilla Black is a relatively recent addition to the street being unveiled in January 2017. It stands outside what would have been the original entrance to The Cavern. There is also a photograph to commemorate this fact on the wall behind.

On the opposite side of the street (number 9) is the site of Eric’s club. Opened in the autumn of 1976 it ran for only four short years but its influence is immeasurable. In its short life it was a stage to some of the most important bands of the punk era. In its own way its was to the punk generation of the 70s what the Cavern was to the Beat Generation of the 60s.

Eric’s Live can now be found in the same location as the original club.

At number 18 Mathew Street stands the bar Flanagans Apple. In the early 1980s it was the home of The Armadillo Tea Rooms. Along with Erics and the nearby Probe Records, which was then located on Button Street, it was an integral part of the alternative Liverpool scene. Much missed, it was the place for good food with a great atmosphere and a rocking horse in the corner. It is the one part of the Liverpool scene it the time that has sadly not been recreated. On the wall of number 18 is the statue of the renowned psychologist C.G. Jung.

Much debated as to whether he ever visited the city at all, it remains an integral part of the street. The statue there now is a replacement of the original which was vandalised.

Every street needs a pub and Mathew Street is no exception. At number 25 is The Grapes. Probably frequented by many of the local musicians that have played at the local venues.

So much of the musical history of Liverpool and the UK is to be be found in this short unassuming street. Get there early and avoid the crowds or conversely get there late and join in the well renown night life.