I’ve been on holiday from work this week, and you know something? I like not going to work. Not going to work definitely suits me more than going to work. Yes.
Yesterday morning I went to the Merseyside Maritime Museum and saw the Magical History Tour exhibition, which promises to tell the story of Liverpool from ancient times to today. I’m ashamed to say that I’m ignorant of much of Liverpool’s history before the 19th century, but I’m glad I made the attempt to rectify that.
After dodging several school parties, I settled in to watch a film showcasing Liverpool’s highs and lows. From pictures of sailing ships, the slave trade and 19th century slums we quickly moved on to the two World Wars. Soon we were in the Cavern Club watching the Beatles perform, but the sense of optimism was rapidly dispelled by footage of the Toxteth riots, photos of a derelict Albert Dock and newspaper reports of strikes and the antics of Militant Labour. We then continued on through the 1980s and 90s as redevelopment slowly started to happen, leading up to, of course, the Capital of Culture announcement in 2003.
I left the exhibition feeling inspired. The recurring theme was that Liverpool has suffered from some terrible low points, but always bounces back, and is doing so again. There is still much to be done, but Liverpool is definitely on the up. Ignore the jokes and the lazy stereotyping — it really is a great place to be at.
“Liverpool is one of the wonders of Britain … What it may grow to in time, I know not.”
— Daniel Defoe, writing in 1727