One of my favourite things about our new pad, in our new city, is its proximity to the river. Just 10 minutes from my front door is the most incredible, far-reaching vista across the Mersey, stretching across to the Wirral. Approaching the Irish Sea down towards the docks, the river is wide, undulating and tidal. One day, not long after we moved, I took a morning wander to that river. And what I saw was quite a picture.
Back in time to an October morning
Looking across the brimming Mersey to Ellesmere Port, it’s like studying a Turner painting. Blue and grey all smudged together with the slightly stroked silhouettes of towers and chimneys in the distance. A little buoy, the only thing with any clarity or crispness.
The river is full and fast, but silent. Undulating and putting danger in plain sight, it lulls you with its calm rolls. There’s something about those chimneys in the haze though. Thin and sprawling. Industrial. Maybe that’s it - it’s like looking into the past.
The industry on the wide riverbank. Smog and noise, but far away. It’s a Victorian scene in the 21st century. The river’s the same; the colours and the sky.
It’s so still but you can sense the activity, the noise, the energy expending. The sweat and brawn. The money, the hands, the dirt. You can see it in the stillness. Its existence screams it so. Little clouds. Puffing blows of industry. It’s still a marvel in scale and achievement, advancement and labour - providing energy and output. It’s a picture.
A view through time
That moment on the river felt like the story of the city we had moved to. It’s history everywhere, running through its big wide roads and lapping against its merchant buildings. Working now to be a modern scene of shops and restaurants, tech and startups, but all housed in a scene stolen from history and undulating with that same sweat and brawn that built it.
I’m still a newbie when it comes to this great city, but I know it’s had some hard knocks. It’s struggled to escape industrial decline and the neglect from corners elsewhere. But it’s grown such a heart across time. An island of red in a sea of blue; faith in people and fairness; and a beauty comparable to one of the greatest artists Britannia has ever born.
Hello Liverpool - it really is quite a joy to meet you.