Hope Street is one of the few Liverpool streets that has improved considerably in the last forty years. Buildings have been cleaned up, the completed Cathedral makes a dramatic ‘ending’ to the streetscape, the Georgian buildings have found new uses and even newcomers, like the Hope Street Hotel, fit is seamlessly. Last weekends Hope Street Festival saw the area come alive, with dozens of food and craft stalls, live entertainment and open buildings, including the Masonic Hall. Having watched the Queen Mary depart last Thursday to fireworks and the cheers of thousands, it really does feel as if Liverpool is reclaiming its crown as England’s most exciting city.
What we need is more of these events, not paid out of the public purse but by self-interested businesses and organisations who all benefit. Liverpool has never been short of imagination, what these festivals and activities prove is that there is a willing audience prepared to give a good idea a chance.
A magnificent photo Colin. Right up my street. A vista I knew well from school days (Lpool Institute).
Don’t know why, but I just love the old traffic lights. I’d completely forgotten what they looked like.
But what were the yellow boxes on red posts? I recall seeing them around, but don’t think I ever enquired about their purpose ( the naivety of youth).
Was the premises next to the Phil pub a car dealers?
And a good selection of now classic cars, an MG Midget, Moggy 1000 Traveller, Hilman Minx ( I think) and what looks like an Austin 7. And is the cream saloon a Ford Consul?
John
YES GREAT PHOTO …forgotten how dirty the buildings were,the yellow boxes on red posts were to summon the fire brigade ,you broke the small pane of glass in the yellow box and pulled a lever inside ,they all disappeared in the late sixties.
Hi John,
The building next to the Phil was Blake’s car dealership. As for the yellow boxes – I was wondering what they were as well.
Great photo and to the left of the Phil pub going down Hardman St was Parry’s Bookshop and Rumblin Tum Cafe.Yellow boxes look like mini post boxes Royal Mail red/black but they could also be something to do with the workings of the traffic lights. Further down the street was the Masonic Hall and next to that Notre Dame Training college are they still there?and of course facing Notre Dame was Hope Hall later to become Everyman Theatre
I remember that area well. Colin is correct with the Blakes Car premises! and the houses just past Blakes, were part of the Radium Institute, Ward 1, a hostel for patients under treatment and also the Heamatology Lab. just past them was a small street that led down to Rodney Street.
Colin I think those yellow boxes on red post are street fire alarms ,a lot of people had no phones around that time,maybe the fire stations might know if that`s true ,Peggy
I believe the yellow boxes were emergency fire alarms.
Peter
yellow box had a pull switch and i think it was tobe used to contact the fire service in an emergency. great photo.
I don’t know when in 1965 the photo was taken,but the infant school in Maryland St (‘the Dem’)was nearing the end of its days. Maryland St was on the left of Hope St near where the white car is parked.The site of the school then became part of the teacher training complex.
Does anyone remember ‘the Dem’? I was there from 1961-1965.
I think the building to the right of the car park was the Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital.
You can really see from the photo why the cathedral was nicknamed Paddy’s Wigwam!
I think the area was fine forty years ago. I don’t know why people mess about with things.
Colin I love the photo but to describe Hope St as one of the “few” streets to be improved in the city is an injustice to the fantastic regeneration that has gone on these past years.
Sorry Jazz – what I meant was that it was one of the few streets that have remained substantially unaltered but where the improvements have been largely sympathetic and the street ‘atmosphere’ enhanced. Castle Street is getting there – but then it has had no new building since the early 1960s. The new pedestrian friendly layout is certainly better. Victoria Street needs money spending on it – it has fine buildings but lacks cohesion and has too much decay around the Fruit Exchange.
I used to live in 2B Maryland Street from 1948 to 1954, and my Aunty Kitty lived at no 20 (now the students union).
My Mum worked as a pastrycook in the Notre Dame college, and my brother and I used to play in the grounds at the back.
I remember the “Dem”, but we went to Saint Nick’s. The only person I knew there was a friend, Sean Murphy (who lived in Clarence Street).
Similar view in Google Street View:
http://maps.google.com/maps?layer=c&cbp=12,19,0,1,0&cbll=53.4010923,-2.9706699