Secret Liverpool

“You’ll just have to buy this remarkable book, a wonderful guide to the secrets of Liverpool.”

I was born just a few miles from Liverpool and it was a city I visited regularly as I grew up. I’ve subsequently written about it as a travel writer, and done many of the things that visitors do – like seeing the International Slavery Museum, had a drink in the amazing Philharmonic Dining Rooms pub, taken a ferry ‘cross the Mersey, and enjoyed a Magical Mystery Tour to visit the homes where the Beatles grew up (Paul McCartney’s home at 20 Forthlin Road looks exactly like the council house I grew up in) and the places that inspired them, like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.

Liverpool, then, is a city I know fairly well, so I was really keen to read this new title in the excellent series from the French publisher, Jonglez, promising to show me Secret Liverpool.

Secret Liverpool Author

The book is written by Mike Keating, who was not only born in Liverpool, he still lives in the city centre. He’s a retired university lecturer with a keen interest in local history, and at various times has been an actor, a stage director, and a cartoonist. I have to say that this sounds very Liverpool to me. The city produces people with all those creative talents, and they all tend to rub off on each other.

The Bluecoat

Even the second entry in the book had me walking down memory lane, and was revealing a secret. The Bluecoat is an arts centre, and not only that, it was the first arts centre in the UK. I remember it, though, as Bluecoat Chambers, the place where, when I was a teenager, I sat my first exams to qualify as a Chartered Accountant.

Secret Liverpool makes me want to go back and visit it again to appreciate its historical significance. The author highlights that The Bluecoat has the oldest graffiti in Liverpool, has hosted the UK’s oldest film society, was the venue, interestingly, for Yoko Ono’s first ever paid performance, has been visited by Bartok, Holst and Stravinsky, and is where Simon Rattle attended music classes as a kid. All this and I’m still only on page15!

Behind Bars

A few pages further on and we’re at the Bridewell pub, which was built in 1861 as a police station. The police stationed here had the thankless task of policing the toughest part of what was then Britain’s most crime-ridden city, armed only with a truncheon. You can still go into one of the cells, behind the original steel doors and with barred windows. Cheers!

Secret Beatles

You can’t miss the bronze statue of the Beatles at the Pier Head in their home city, but next time I go I’ll be looking for some special features – one for each Beatle – that aren’t so obvious. Paul McCartney, for example, is carrying a camera case over his shoulder as a memory of his marriage to Linda Eastman, who was a photographer when she met Paul. To discover the other three you’ll just have to buy the book.

Liverpool’s Oldest

The book is filled with Liverpool’s oldest this and oldest that, like the city’s first fountain, its oldest pub, its oldest Catholic church (now a cocktail bar), and the oldest passenger railway station, not just in Liverpool but in the world. All you can now see of this is a ventilation shaft, but at Edge Hill Liverpool still has the world’s oldest operational railway station.

One other world record that Liverpool can claim, which is pointed out by the book and which I’d no idea existed, is that it has the only church in the world that is inside a football stadium. But is it at Anfield or Goodison Park? Buy the book to find out.

In My Life

If you’re a Beatles fan like me, there’s lots of great stuff in Secret Liverpool. One of the most fascinating entries is about one of my favourite John Lennon songs, In My Life. Despite being a Beatles devotee and having read dozens of books about them, I’d no idea that the original version of In My Life included several specific mentions of places in Liverpool that Lennon remembered and which were significant to him. The lyrics were rewritten so that the released version was a more general nostalgic song about ‘places I remember’. Secret Liverpool lists some of the places that were in the original lyrics but got cut.

Beyond Liverpool

The book goes a little beyond the city boundaries to include a few more things of special interest. One is the unique British Lawnmower Museum in Southport, and another is the beautiful statue Dream by Spanish artist Juame Plensa, which graces my own home town of St Helens.

Liverpool’s Best Secret

I could go on listing entry after fascinating entry of things you won’t want to miss if you’re visiting Liverpool… or even if you live there, as I guarantee you’ll learn something new about your own city. The author does reveal what he thinks is the city’s absolute best secret… but it would be unfair to reveal it. You’ll just have to buy this remarkable book, a wonderful guide to the secrets of Liverpool.