history - Uncover Liverpool

Skylight Thursdays – Sweet: The ...

Did you have a favourite sweet? Did you ever work in a factory? Storytelling, memories and lived experience are at the heart of social history.

As part of the Sweet: The Taveners Story display in the Skylight Gallery, they would love you to share your stories, memories, and shared experiences of sweets or of factory life.

Come along to their Skylight Thursday session and share your stories with their team and to find out more about the Taveners factory on Beech Street, Liverpool by Edge Lane.

About Sweet: The Taveners Story

Mojos, Traffic Light lollipops, the Candy Queen contest and annual picnics were all part of everyday life at the Liverpool confectionary company Taveners.

Discover the history of this beloved local company in our display. Founded in 1885 Taveners originally produced pickles and sauces but quickly became famous for its boiled sweets sold in glass jars.

By 1931 they had created the original chocolate Eclair and other classics like Bovril Caramels and Fruit Drops. Even Mickey Mouse and Liverpool Football Club legends Emlyn Hughes and John Toshack visited the factory to promote the brand!

The annual staff picnic, with seaside trips and the Candy Queen contest, was a highlight for employees. This display at the Museum of Liverpool showcases Taveners’ remarkable legacy.

An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane ...

Following her sold-out Agatha Christie tour, acclaimed historian Lucy Worsley leads us into the life of one of English literature’s most cherished figures.

For these live, beautifully-illustrated talks, Lucy invites audiences to step into the world of Jane Austen, the beloved author of timeless classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.

Through the houses, places and possessions which mattered to her, Lucy takes a fascinating look at what home meant to Jane and to the women like her who populate her novels. Austen famously lived a ‘life without incident’, but with new research and insights Lucy reveals a passionate woman who fought for her freedom. A woman who, far from being a lonely spinster, in fact had at least five marriage prospects, but in the end refused to settle for anything less than Mr Darcy.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged” that this is an event not to be missed!

Spotlight Day: Cleopatra’s Egypt

In this spotlight day the museum will be looking at what we can really know about Cleopatra, exploring the woman behind the myth.

The spotlight day will last 11am-4pm with a break for lunch. Tickets cost £25 and they recommend purchasing in advance.

The day will be broken down into three sessions, each exploring a different period of Cleopatra’s life.

Egypt before Cleopatra
In this session they will explore how her family took the throne of Egypt as Alexander the Great’s Empire disintegrated. We will meet the first Ptolemaic kings and see how they built a shining metropolis on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. They will uncover the fascinating and gruesome stories of Cleopatra’s ancestors including stories of incest, war, betrayal, and murder greater than any Hollywood epic.

Cleopatra and Julius Ceasar
Starting with her mysterious birth to Ptolemy XII they will explore how Cleopatra’s tumultuous family life led to her first incestuous marriage and civil war within the royal family. They will look at her affair with Julius Caesar, the birth of a Romano-Egyptian heir and Cleopatra’s disastrous trip to Rome which ended in bloody tragedy.

Cleopatra and Anthony
Picking up from her trip to Rome and the end of her second incestuous marriage they will look at how Cleopatra allied with another Roman to maintain her rule and Egyptian independence. They will see how her relationship with Anthony scandalised Rome, forced Egypt to war, and ultimately ended Ptolemaic rule.

Feedback of Ancient Egypt Spotlight days from previous attendees:

“Just to thank you for an excellent study day on Saturday. It was my first one with the Museum and I had such a good experience that I have told friends and family all about it! I particularly enjoyed how you made the young boy king relatable to us as someone traumatised by the turbulent times in which he lived. I have booked for the December study day so I am now looking forward to that with great anticipation.”

Spotlight Day: Dinosaurs and the Bone ...

Scandal! Treachery! Fortunes! Foul Play! Dinosaurs!

During this study day they will not only look at what makes a fossil a dinosaur and how to recognise them but also the lives and shenanigans of Professors Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope as they dig, publish and decry each other over several decades in what became known as the Bone Wars!

There have been many scientists that have brought the dinosaurs to life within those two centuries but two rise above the rest from the beginning during the gilded age of science: both desperate to outdo each other to gain the prize of becoming Americas leading academic in the new subject of Vertebrate Palaeontology.

What started out as friendship then turned to rivalry before an all-consuming personal war of dirty tricks and scandalous newspaper headlines that damaged the reputations not only of the scientists involved but the entire scientific community of the young United States.

Itinerary:
11am-12pm What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? (Short slide show & object handling)
12pm-1pm Bone Wars lecture
1-2pm Break for lunch
2pm-3pm Meet on Gallery for a short tour and any questions.

For the Continuing – A dramatic pres...

Join the celebrations of Liverpool Cathedral’s centenary with For the Continuing, a powerful and immersive dramatic presentation that brings to life the story of the Cathedral’s construction and the vibrant community that blossomed within its walls.

Presented by CATCH, the expressive arts company jointly run by Liverpool Cathedral and Liverpool Hope University, this unique event will take you on a journey through key moments in the Cathedral’s history. Experience the vision, dedication, and spirit of the people who shaped the Cathedral and witness how this magnificent building grew to dominate Liverpool’s skyline.

Featuring:

Talented drama students from Liverpool Hope University
Children and young people from Liverpool Cathedral
The renowned Liverpool Cathedral Choir, directed by Stephen Mannings
Sub-Organist, Alexander Fishburn

This is a free event and a rare opportunity to witness history come alive in the very heart of the Cathedral. Don’t miss this special celebration of heritage, music, and drama.

Head along and be part of the continuing story of Liverpool Cathedral!

Donations are welcome towards our Youth Drama Project

Short Course: Introduction to Egyptian...

Hieroglyphs were used for well over 3000 years to write the Egyptian language in monumental settings and was the script some of the most important texts were written in.

In this course they will look at the basics of how to read real hieroglyph inscriptions, using real texts from monumental settings in Egypt as well as texts from the collections at World Museum Liverpool. No prior knowledge of hieroglyphs is needed and although no knowledge of Ancient Egypt is required, a basic understanding of the culture and history will be beneficial to participants.

The fee for this course is £80 per participant. This includes four facilitator-led sessions at World Museum Liverpool. The course will run across 4 Sunday afternoons, 1-3pm on –

5th, 12th, 19th & 26th January 2025

Week One

This week you will learn the basics including which direction to read hieroglyphs, how each of the individual signs work and more. By the end of the session you will be reading basic royal names and titles from real ancient inscriptions.

Week Two

In the second week they will build on our knowledge as we become more familiar with hieroglyphs. They will focus on how to write the plural, identify familial relationships and work out who is related to who in real 4000-year-old texts.

Week Three

This week they will learn more about the Egyptians belief in the magical power of texts and begin reading offering formulae, designed to magically sustain the dead in the next life. These common inscriptions follow a regular pattern, allowing you to read literally hundreds of museum objects.

Week Four

In their final week together they are going to put everything we have learned to the test and start on gallery reading a real Ancient Egyptian stela from nearly 4000 years ago. By now you will have the skills available to read the spell, names, and familial relationships of those it is dedicated to.

They aim to make courses as accessible as possible and if there is anything they can put into place to help you attend please get in contact with the course facilitator, Matt Exley, on Matt.Exley@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.

The Old Dock Tour

When built, the Old Dock was a huge risk but it paid off handsomely, paving the way to many decades of dock expansion on both sides of the river. It was one of Liverpool’s greatest contributions to progress in world trade and commerce.

The impact of this radical structure was immense and London, Bristol and Chester lost significant amounts of trade throughout the 18th century as a result.

The Old Dock was constructed in 1715 at the mouth of the Pool which had been at the heart of the town’s successes but, with increasing numbers of ships using the port, it was struggling to cope.

In 1708 the merchants who controlled Liverpool Corporation employed Thomas Steers, one of Britain’s leading canal engineers, to find a solution.

He converted the mouth of the Pool into a dock with quaysides and a river gate. It was now possible for ships to load and unload whatever the state of the tide – a revolutionary facility.

The dock was technically very difficult to build and cost £12,000, double its original estimate. The Corporation was nearly bankrupted but its success encouraged further rapid increases in overseas trade through Liverpool.

Littlewoods Heritage Project Exhibitio...

Littlewoods is being remembered through the eyes of its’ legions of workers in a unique showing organised by Liverpool John Moores University, at the Museum of Liverpool.

World-famous for its football gambling and retail business, the Liverpool company employed 30,000 at its peak, known as ‘Littlewoodies’, the majority women.

The displays, which run for three months, include vintage photographs, letters, coupons, promotional materials and memorabilia and has a strong focus on the social life of the factory and its legacy in the wider community.

Former employees will gather at the launch event on Thursday, 1 February 5.30-7.30pm and are happy to speak to the media.

“The stories of sisterhood and camaraderie created friendships which last to this very day,” said LJMU Littlewoods Project Director Dr Ruth Doughty, head of film studies at Liverpool John Moores University.

“The display has been inspired by interviews with scores of former employees and their own personal journeys with Littlewoods. It was a truly unique workplace which was more like an extended family, a huge asset for the city and a model for other companies.”

The showcase is being staged at the Museum of Liverpool at the Pier Head from February 1 to April 28.

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/museum-of-liverpool/exhibition/littlewoods-heritage-project-display

https://www.littlewoodsheritageproject.co.uk

Spotlight Day: Egyptian and Nubian Pyr...

The pyramids are probably the most iconic structure to be built by the Ancient Egyptians and today they are still instantly recognisable and visited by thousands of people every year. Despite their popularity they are still seen as mysterious and enigmatic structures with a tremendous mythology attached to them. Were they built by aliens? Were the workers enslaved by a tyrannical megalomaniac? In this study day we’ll find out together.

During this study day they will look at the development of pyramid building in Egypt, looking at the successes but also some of the learning curves that caused other pyramids to bend, bow, and even collapse. They will also explore some of the ancient beliefs about the nature of pyramids, what they represented and why they were built. Where possible they will look at the lives of those responsible for the pyramids including architects, overseers, and the ‘Drunkards of Menkaure’. Finally, they will look into how pyramid building continued in one form or another long after the famous three at Giza were built.

This day is perfect for those wanting to find out more about these amazing structures. No prior knowledge is expected, and the day will serve as a perfect introduction.

Tickets are £25, with every purchase helping to support their work at National Museums Liverpool.

Tickets available soon
1 June
11am – 3.30pm
World Museum Treasure House Theatre

Spotlight Day: Egyptian Mummification

Mummification developed in Egypt over thousands of years, preservation of the physical body being a core part in the belief in a successful resurrection. The mummy room in the World Museum is still one of the most popular spots in the museum, a place where you can come face to face with a real Ancient Egyptian.

During this spotlight day we will focus on the development of mummification, learning about the beliefs behind mummification as well as the various techniques used to preserve the dead. They will consider how mummies were treated in Europe as medicine, paint, and even fertiliser before spending some time in their Mummy Room, finding out more about the people whose mummies are now in World Museum.

No prior knowledge is expected, and the day will serve as a perfect introduction. Please be warned that we will be discussing the treatment of the dead and will be looking at images of human remains and real mummies.