We lived at no. 7 and then at no. 9 Seacome Street on Great Homer Street and in the early 60s we along with most of our neighbours at the bottom of the street moved to Harwood Tower on the corner of Boundary Street East. I attended St James The Less (little Jimmy's) School in Athol Street next to the Bridewell and then I went on to Lambeth Road Secondary Modern.
I moved out of the area in 1973 when I married but my parents and sister still lived down there. My dad died 20 yrs ago and sadly my mother passed away last December.
I have always enjoyed painting and still have great memories of life and friends from down Greaty and Scotty, so I decided to paint some of the old scenes and memories from mine and my parents past.
I am hoping to paint more scenes in the future, but at the moment I am busy studying Spanish and I've got exams coming up soon.
The painting is on hold for now, because it demands a great deal of time and concentration because I like to include a lot of detail into each painting.
My mother was my inspiration behind the paintings and I'm also trying to create in art a social history of the lives of the working classes and the conditions in which they lived.
The theme is "Memories of Liverpool Life" A description of the paintings is as follows:
PICTURE 1 "OUR STREET"
Seacome Street like most of the streets on Greaty was typical of the area, full of working class families with just enough money coming in each week to get by, every household included a few kids and the street where our playground. We were very safe because people then had a great sense of community spirit and were very protective of their areas. Everyone looked out for each other then because were "all in the same boat" so to speak.
PICTURE 2 "DAGGY'S" (the pawnshop)
Daglish's pawn shop stood on the corner of Ellison Street and Great Homer Street the shop was split into two, the front shop sold Jewellery, watches bedding, linen, rugs, pumps (shoes and all kinds of household goods).
The back shop was dark and dingy and very Dickinson, This was the pawnshop and every Monday morning Bedding, linen, shoes, suits, crombi overcoats and all manner of items were pawned by less futurnate to help each out the family budget to feed them through the week ahead and then when Friday afternoon or Saturday morning came around they would be redeemed for the weekend.
Some people used walk by deliberately looking the other way as though it was a shameful place, but those same people were the ones that hid in the entry behind the shop before opening time and then they'd sneak in unseen. It was the first place that I ever worked, at the age of ten my mum said that Billy Cotterall wanted to see me, that was the name of the pawnshop manager.
I went to see him and he said, "well then Hirsty, come tomorrow after school you've got a Job. I was called Hirsty because it was my mum's maiden name and it was common practice to be called by your mum's maiden name, I worked there after school and on a Saturday for about 2 1/2 years. The place was like and Alladins cave with rooms upstairs crammed to the ceiling with all kinds of stuff. There was a rope and pulley and trap doors in the floors from the top of the building to the bottom and this was how all pawned items were transported to the storerooms. Billy Cotterall was smashing bloke and had the same mannerisms as Awkright in "Open All Hours" he had a heart as big as a house and he'd always allow and extra shilling or one and six if he thought that it was needed by whoever was pawning stuff if they were regular clients.
PICTURE 3 NETHERFIELD RD. LANDING HOUSES
This is a scene from the 1920's and the shop in question was often visited by my mum, my gran and my wife's aunty to buy sweets and general groceries. It was the block of shops facing the top of Luther Street. To the right of this block was Havelock Street and then the John Bagot hospital. Before this hospital became an E.N.T. hospital it was a disease hospital. My mother remembers people buying sweets and then going up the staircase to the landing, they would then go to the end by Havelock Street and throw the sweets across the wall into the grounds of the hospital to the patients, because they were isolated and not allowed visitors although they were allowed to walk in the grounds of the hospital.
PICTURE 4 EVERTON BROW (Village Street)
This is a scene from the top of Village Street looking down Everton Brow. Village Street bent sharply down to Netherfield Road it was a very steep and dangerous for Traffic. To the right of the picture you can see the old lock up which is still there high and on a clear day you had a marvellous view of the river, The dock and Wales. It was also a very windy spot. For Village Street also there were lots of large sandstone steps leading down to Netherfield Road directly to the left of the lock up.
PICTURE 5 LITTLE ITALY COURTYARD HUNTER STREET
This scene was painted from an old photograph of Hunter Street from about 1930. The photo showed a lot of dereliction and rot so I've improved the condition of the dwellings to give and earlier impression with regard to the date. As you can see in these courtyards there was only 1 drinking tap that stood in the centre and there was normally 1 or 2 toilets in the corner for all the tenants to use. Conditions were that cramped with overcrowding in these courtyard dwelling that if ever there was and outbreak of illness it spread like wildfire affecting everyone.
PICTURE 6 "SHADOWS OF DOUBT" (Silent Witness)
This painting took over 3 years to paint because of it's nature and is dedicated to the memory of the 96 victims of Hillsborough it is also dedicated to the courage and compassion of the countless Liverpool Fans who, when face with a unfolding disaster ripped down hoardings, to ferry the injured and dying fans across the pitch to receive medical help, when all them in authority and in charge of the policing completely lost there way, or where in a state of panic. Without the intervention and determination of these fans it frightening to think of how many numbers of other fans would have joined the names of those who we lost. The painting reflects my own personal views and thoughts about the Hillsborough Inquiry and its outcome. Then the next paintings were done in relation to an A level art course that I completed last year. I studied Michelanglo and his work on the Sistine chapel along with other religious artist to a lesser degree.
PICTURES 7 & 8
These pictures are reworkings in a slightly different way of scenes from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo?
PICTURE 9
Is a study of the famous crucifixion that was painted by Salvador Dali, this was done mainly as a focal point and as preparation for the Hillsborough Painting.
PICTURE 10
Is a reworking of a painting by Granfronco Grannaci a fellow student and friend of Michelanglo the original hangs in the Dublin Art Gallery and is entitled "Flight From Egypt".
PICTURE 11
This was my exam piece for my A level. It combines the
crucifixion by Salvador Dali and the Pieta as carved in marble by Michelanglo
when he was very young. Hopefully the marriage of their works succeeds in
creating a nice piece of art with dramatic effect.
If anyone is
interested in copies of any of these paintings then I will be trying to organise
this in the near future. If there is an n interest and positive response I will
have a contact address in next months issue when details have been sorted
out.
Contributions and feedback to - ronformby@scottiepress.org