Another Place at Crosby Beach

Our stay in Liverpool came to an end, but after picking up our granddaughter so that she could spend some time at home over the Easter holiday period, we drove a few miles up the coast to Crosby and took a walk on the beach.  

The weather had changed and it was a lot colder and windier, but there were still some families sitting on the beach or taking a walk along the long stretch of sand.

It was reassuring to see the RNLI (the Royal National Lifeboat Institution) truck go by.  I expect many visitors walk out towards the sea to look at the Antony Gormley sculptures that are dotted along the beach and further out that make up the installation The Other Place.

I was impressed by Antony Gormley's famous art work installation The Angel of the North and was equally pleased that we had the opportunity to see The Other Place installation and to get close up to some of the sculptures. You can see my visit to The Angel of the North in 2013 here.

Before we left the area we had lunch of fish and chips and a mug of tea or milk shake at a café in the town. We met some friendly people and had a chat with a lovely man who said that he's a member of a group of singers that entertain the elderly in the local care homes. He was quite a character. He reminded me of my late father who had a good tenor voice and used to do the same thing as well as participating in other musical concerts.

The fish and chips were delicious!

Around the Albert Dock, Liverpool

The River Mersey Waterfront

  

You can see the Anglican Cathedral in the distance between the warehouses

whose arcades have been converted into shops and restaurants.

Old transport vehicles have been converted into

refreshment venues selling ice cream, food and drink.

The Piermaster's House, Albert Parade was originally built in 1852 for the piermaster and his family.  The piermaster was responsible for the safe passage of ships entering or leaving the dock.  The house was one of four built on the site, the only one left standing following heavy bombings during WWII.  The rooms are now dressed in the period of the 1940s with original period furniture and everyday objects to represent life in wartime Liverpool.  It would be interesting to see inside - perhaps next time?

 I'd like to go back and see the art exhibitions

in Tate Liverpool Art Gallery.....

Instead there were several art installations and statues around the dock that you couldn't help noticing. The above sculpture next to the Piermaster's House in Mermaid Courtyard is called Liverpool Mountain.  The artist, Ugo Rondinone, is known for his large-scale sculptures displayed around the world. It is made up of five enormous colourful rocks, stacked vertically, and is the first sculpture of its kind in Europe. It is inspired by naturally occurring hoodoos (spires or pyramids of rock) or the art of meditative rock balancing.  It marks the 10th anniversary of Liverpool European Capital of Culture as well as the 30th anniversary of Tate Liverpool.

evening and daytime photos of the statue

This statue is of Billy Fury who was a rock-and-roll star in Liverpool and well known before the time of the Beatles became famous. Billy and the other early UK rock stars of the time I do remember well!

Another art installation - I didn't make a note of

the artist or what this piece of art represented.

I found this sculpture on the waterfront next to the Piermaster's House very touching.

Whilst the others in our family group sat and had a welcome drink in the old Pump House/converted pub and eatery I took a walk back to the main road called The Strand as I wanted to take a closer look at some of the famous buildings along it that are opposite Albert Dock.

Our Easter

Today has been a quiet one with time to reflect on all the comings and goings as family members came to visit and we also went visiting to see our son and family in Derbyshire. The weather has been

wonderfully sunny.  Above mosaic includes sunrise on Easter Day, Easter decorations, yellow roses and an orange lily plant given as gifts by our two daughters, blossom in the garden.

Our grandson no 2 and his girlfriend came up from Berkshire and we took them out into the countryside to see some of our favourite  local villages before going to our local daughter's house for a belated birthday party with her cousins and sister (who came to stay with us so that we could all go on holiday to Liverpool).

On Easter Sunday, our grandson no 3 and his girlfriend came for Sunday lunch after visiting the other grandparents in York and joined cousins and our daughters for afternoon refreshments in the garden. We enjoyed a special Italian cake in the form of a dove.

As we love our gardening one day we took our Berkshire daughter to Wentworth Woodhouse Garden Centre in Wentworth village.