Posted by gaggle on 12/1/2006, 2:37 pm, in reply to "Re: Historic Docks of Liverpool" --Previous Message--
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: --Previous Message--
: The Docks are one of the most important
: parts
: that have made Liverpool what is was, before
: any of this city of culture thing. As I have
: read many of the other letters, writers have
: had their families on the Liverpool docks
: for so long it is part of their lives, even
: today.
:
: My father spent 47 years working for PSNC,
: and has ranked as one of the famous
: characters of the Liverpool docks, as a dock
: labourer and a quey foreman.
:
: Yes as a child I saw these dockers herded
: into cattle pens, where the foremans would
: first shout "tally men", and up
: would go those hands that held that sacred
: Tally. Not all tally men where picked. After
: that the foreman asked for Labourers.
:
: These docks where fought for by the dockers,
: they worked hard and played hard when they
: could find the time.
:
: These DOCKS must be there for generations to
: come. They are the hertiage left to this
: city by these men.
:
: If you aim is to bring matter to the
: attention of all Liverpool people, where
: ever they are. Then all I do know is that
: you wont stand alone on this issue.
:
: am i right in thinking that if protests
: about docks being filled in had happened in
: the past and were upheld we would not now
: have the three graces.
: is it right they were built on infilled
: docks.
:
: It is right they were built on Georges Dock.
: And what they created was a disaster of a
: public space in front of them - despite many
: efforts to make the Pier Head vibrant all
: have failed. Also the Strand behind is
: windswept and forlorn - an urban motorway.
: The Three Graces created a lot of deadwood
: too.
:
: It would have been better if the dock was
: kept and the Three Graces built along the
: line of the Strand behind.
:
: Are you thinking another Three Graces might
: emerge from in-filling of more docks? Well
: so far what has been built on or around them
: has been tat. Herculaneum Dock has tat
: flats. A multi-floor car park and a naff
: looking stadium at Kings Dock. Toxteth and
: Harrington Docks are car parks. Bidston
: Dock has a naff looking shopping mall
: proposed. A very poor record indeed
:
: Being realistic in life, I'm afraid I do not
: share your optimism.
:
:i can remember that in the early sixties the pier head was full of life.
a man in a sack,chained and manacled writhing about on the floor to disentangle himself and escape.
a speakers corner where people would stand and shout out whatever it was they thought the crowd should hear,auguments breaking out between some of them and the crowd.
old woman in shawls selling fruit or sticks of rock to the thousands of people who used the ferries for their travel and school children drawn like moths to a light playing around the landing stage.
it was once a lively bustling centre of activity.
infilled docks and what was built on the reclaimed land has provided us with the magnificent waterfront known worldwide.
the point i was making was we would not have that at all if flat dwellers and stop this stop that campaigns had been around at the time.
the surrounding buildings are far from ideal but what we had in the recent past,total dereliction has been improved upon.
these were put in place during the aftermath of the riots and thatcher, we had to take what was on offer, times have changed and bigger better money will see the less desirable demolished.
i do agree that the way it is now must change,and it will.
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