'Tinned Up' Anfield

I recently visited a few of the Victorian terraced streets near to Liverpool's football stadium which are scheduled to be demolished as part of the Anfield and Breckfield Regeneration scheme ('creating neighbourhoods for the future'). Once levelled they will disappear beneath the large housing estate that is currently being constructed over the graves of recently demolished neighbouring streets.

This is no.154 Hartnup Streer. Six months ago the bay windows of Hartnup Street were given a makeover with scenes of Liverpool captured by students from Alsop High School. The idea was to make the street look more pleasing for the April 2012 Sea Odyssey spectacular. It was hoped that the large crowds following the the Little Girl Giant, her Uncle, and faithful companion Xolo as they pass through Anfield wouldn't be offended by the shabby dereliction that is Hartnup Street. The photos are still there (Oct 2012) but I was told by one local that the street only has a couple of weeks left before the bulldozers appear!

Hartnup Street becomes a photo gallery to welcome the giant puppets.

Granton Road, bathed in autumn sun, looks too good to demolish (was refurbishment never a viable option for these houses?). 

I've wandered through several 'regeneration' areas of Liverpool where whole streets have been emptied and 'tinned up'. One familiar sound breaks the silence in all of these places. It's the hopeless 'cheep' of a smoke alarm - calling to a long departed occupier to replace the battery. Somehow that seems so sad!

A REMINDER OF SOPHIATOWN IN TOXTETH

Learning often comes unexpectedly. Recently I was wandering through the ‘Welsh Streets’ in Liverpool’s Toxteth district. Because of my interest in social documentary and heritage I have spent many hours with my camera walking around the silent streets of ‘tinned up’ houses in Liverpool 8. This is one of several areas in the city where a whole community has been cleared of residents, their properties having been compulsory purchased in preparation for demolition – all part of the council’s grand regeneration plan.

Madryn Street as a poetry and songbook!

One of the ‘Welsh Streets’ is Madryn Street where Ringo Starr was born. (There is still some debate about whether no.9 should be preserved as a national treasure!) I noticed that most of the small terraced houses along Ringo’s side of Madryn Street have had sheets of song lyrics / poetry pasted onto their sealed up doors and windows. Most of the lyrics are entirely appropriate (Ghost Town, Anthem for Doomed Houses, We Shall Not Be Moved etc.) resulting in the whole street becoming a cultural installation. I photographed several of them before the sun, wind and rain hides their messages.

 One of the poems was called ‘The Day They Came for Our House’. The prose included “Armed with bulldozers / they came to do a job / nothing more / than hired killers”. The poem was credited to Dan Mattera – that’s all I knew from the photocopied sheet of lyrics - so I educated myself later in the day. It  was written about the clearance and obliteration of Sophiatown in the 50s and early 60s in South Africa. Sophiatown was a vibrant, urban, multi-cultural community – one of the oldest black suburbs of Johannesburg. Under apartheid, it was cleared, demolished and rebuilt as a white suburb (renamed as Triomf). The township had been famed for its culture of writing, art and music – notably jazz and blues. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu were both Sophiatown residents. 

Don Mattera ('Dan' is a misprint) was an activist in the struggle against apartheid but he subsequently became a poet, writer and journalist. ‘The Day They Came for Our House’ was published in Mattera’s book ‘Azanian Love Song’ in 1983. To my shame I didn’t know the history of Sophiatown and hadn’t read any of Mattera’s books or poetry until I researched these things when I returned home. I’m glad I did – the shameful story of racial clearances in South Africa is something that we should all know about. Sometimes learning comes from unexpected sources – in this case my walk down Ringo’s old street resulted in my learning about 50yr old events from 6000 miles away!

Wilfred Owen's 1917 poem - 'Anthem For Doomed Youth' reworked for condemned housing

Finishing Touches

The new black glass constructions at Liverpool's Mann Island redevelopment were almost complete in March 2011. Love them or loathe them (if you have read previous entries to this blog you'll know my views) they can provide interesting photo opportunities with their angular construction, dramatic outlines and reflective properties. Here, I was poking around in the entrance when I saw these men working on the glass roof which connects two of the buildings. I had to be quick - sometimes the best photos come that way!

Disconnected

In both Edge Hill and Toxteth, where entire streets have been evacuated, essential services have to be disconnected. All houses that are awaiting demolition have 'E/Off' and 'Gas off' painted on the front.

A glance at the telegraph poles in the Welsh Streets shows that the lines of communication have all been cut.

The Welsh Streets - Voelas

I love the short Voelas Street. Tree-lined with large grassed area at the South Street end that the children must have used for playing when the houses were occupied. That red end-terrace looks so appealing in the sunshine (I know that my romantic view doesn't reflect the conditions in these properties). I was told by a local that when the houses are demolished (possibly this month) the trees will be kept in all these streets. We'll see what happens. Whilst looking for shots in the morning sun, these two community policemen came past and were happy to be photographed before stopping for a short chat.

Voelas Street from the other end (High Park Street)

For the last time, Voelas Street comes alive. It's a street party (for the Royal Wedding on 29th April). There was a barbecue and a disco. A community policeman asked me if I had permission to take photographs (he knew that I was a stranger in this area). I explained that party organiser Adam (who owns the corner newsagents / general store) had invited me to attend and that I was keen to record the street with people - something that won't be seen again.

Wynnstay Street

The tree-lined Wynnstay Street looks inviting in the afternoon sun but look closely. There are no people and no cars. The houses are empty - windows blocked up and doors sealed with steel security panels. This is one of Toxteth's 'Welsh Streets' - quietly awaiting demolition. Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral can be seen through the trees, beyond the end of the street.

Back Home

Mark spent 40 years living in Wynnstay Street. Compulsary purchase of his house, prior to demolition (Toxteth regeneration) means he has had to leave. I met him exercising his dog Monster and asked if he would return to his old house for this photo. Not all former residents are happy with the council plans for demolishing the Welsh Streets. Mark, now staying with relatives, would like to have remained where he was. I hope that he soon finds suitable accommodation of his own.

The Welsh Streets

A group of Toxteth streets near Princes Park known as The Welsh Streets are shortly to be demolished. The Victorian terraced housing was originally built in the 1880s for the dockers (many of them Welsh) and the streets were given Welsh names. Wandering around these streets (April 2011) was a very strange experience - there were no people and no cars - it felt like an abandoned film set. The houses are now waiting for the demolition team. Like Edge Hill, this area is being 'regenerated'. This view of Voelas Street looks friendly and inviting but, in reality, it is deserted and silent - many of the houses in a poor state of repair. The loss of these terraces will remove much of the character of the area and, perhaps more importantly a part of Liverpool's social history will be lost forever. Ringo Starr was born in The Welsh Streets and his house (in Madryn St) will be bulldozed too. Should it be saved? A future blog post will discuss this further.

Edge Lane - April 2011

With the houses now demolished, and the ground cleared and flattened, the Edge Lane widening now begins. This photo, taken from the existing pavement on Edge Lane, shows how much extra width is being achieved. (The street in the background is Toft St. - the houses on one side have already been demolished, those facing the camera are safe!)

Charlie

After 49 yrs in Edge Hill's Cicely Street (see below), Charlie has now been relocated nearby - his former home now boarded up and waiting to be flattened. He is delighted with his newly built house ("it's warm and dry, has three toilets and a garden"). Charlie explained how the old terraces were cold and damp in winter despite having central heating.

It has surprised me that the people who I have met seem to be happy to move. Although, from the outside, the terraces look cosy in the sunshine, it seems that they weren't all ideal accommodation for the residents. The clearances - via CPO (Compulsary Purchase Orders) - are part of the Kensington Regeneration Scheme - not the Edge Lane widening which is taking place just a few hundred yards away.

Obscured by clouds

In the autumn sunshine the Mann Island redevelopment (see earlier posts) reflects, and begins to blend into, the backdrop cloudscape.

21c Gateway

this view of the Edge Lane demolition (taken from inside a phone box) resembles Ground Zero. This isn't terrorism though - it's the Edge Lane Project ('Creating a 21st Century Gateway to the City').

97 Royston Street

No. 97 remains the last house standing in the eastern half of Royston Street. A couple of the demolition crew told me that the properties were in a poor state structurally and that one of the hazards of their job was watching out for the discarded syringes. I was told that one house had a thousand used needles in one room (I assume that was an estimate). Contrast this photo with the entry for 13th June.

they all fall down

This looks like a scene from the WWII blitz. These houses survived the German bombing but couldn't escape the city planners' vision for an improved traffic flow into Liverpool centre 65 years later. This is Edge Lane. The church is St Cyprian's (which I'm told will not be knocked down). I believe a flyover is going to be built where the grand houses of Edge Lane once stood - I will continue to photograph the changes.

Mann Island from Canning Dock

a romantic return?

This is one of the three new buildings that form Liverpool's 'Mann Island development'. From this Canning Dock viewpoint it looks like a giant liner is being built again on Merseyside! Sadly, this is no romantic return to a glorious industrial past - it is modern angular architecture in menacing black glass. Perhaps it has its place, but this isn't it!

Sixty One - Sixty Three

Royston Street is in two halves (split by the intersection with Dorothy Street). The houses in the western half (the Marmaduke Street end) must have been vacated a lot earlier than those in the eastern half (the Dunning Road end) judging from the shrubbery which has taken hold in bedrooms and roofs.

Royston Street - waiting for demolition

This is Royston Street which is being demolished as part of Liverpool's Edge Lane re-development scheme. Notice that all ground floor windows have been bricked up and doors replaced by metal security panels. The top floor windows have all been securely boarded. No one is getting in here before the bulldozers arrive! It seems so sad that these houses (which were among several hundred compulsory purchased properties) have to be replaced by new residential and business facilities. This is how communities die - I wonder if Liverpool will be a better place to live when the planners' vision is realised!

"the buildings look so sad yet so colourful like they have some fight left in them yet" (Ali)