Ed Farrell Profile picture
Jul 25 15 tweets 6 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
1/15
I am very pleased to be taking part in the 2023 Festival of Archeology. For 12 years, I have created paintings of historic Liverpool (now c.30), using multiple sources, at various points throughout a c. 300 year period to try to bring the City’s past to life #ArchMol23  A watercolour landscape showing an aerial view of Liverpool as it would have looked in 1675 showing the castle, undeveloped fields, many old streets and the river Mersey with shipping
2/15
For later dates, (e.g. L’pool Pier Head and surround 1907), greater accuracy is possible (100s of photos, mapping improves, more landscape art, and some buildings or fragments survive (though few). A new view, predating 3 graces & unseen since - emerges
#ArchMoL23 Image
3/15 Choosing a landscape to recreate combines historical/social importance, how obliterated unknown the past is, or as with ’s quarter shown here, just ‘what did it look like before?’
Multiple sources and artistic creativity combine to begin #ArchMol23 https://t.co/8zWAexhlz0St.George
A slide showing Liverpool’s St. George’s Hall, together with the research sources (map, photo, engravings) used in the construction of a watercolour landscape that predated the building
4/15 The surprising result of ‘what came before St. George’s Hall’.
1823 Liverpool. A mature Georgian township with mills, infirmary, seaman’s hospital and asylum. Sources allow good accuracy in a view not seen since then (only two years after Napoleon’s death).
#ArchMoL23  A watercolour landscape showing an aerial view of part of Liverpool as it would have looked in 1823 showing the area around Lime Street, the old Infirmary, Asylum, old streets and mills
5/15
The broad process from 4 different paintings; a) Research notes/sketches; multiple sources/consultation (Nova Scotia 1890) b) Pencil research rough (pre Central Station 1860s) c) pen and ink ‘axonometric’ drawing of L’pool Uni d) final watercolour (Dale St. 1863)
#ArchMoL23 A slide image showing how the watercolour reconstructions of old Liverpool are developed. From research, to rough pencil drawing, to pen and ink drawing, to the finished painting
6/15
Where possible, research includes use of surviving buildings, groundworks and structures to solve ‘archeological’ problems, to recreate lost landscapes and to reverse engineer social and industrial functions. learning results and is imported into larger views
#ArchMoL23 A collection of images showing how evidence is gathered, including how surviving buildings and infrastructure are used to determine what existed before, to be included in larger landscape reconstructions
7/15
Materials (including legends as in this 1769 view) are shared on twitter. Comments, images and corrections result, from organisations, photographic collectors e,g, @angiesliverpool & local historians e.g. @Liverpool1207 and
#ArchMoL23 https://t.co/CgaKH06RpJbuild2understand.silvrback.com
A watercolour landscape showing a view of Liverpool as in 1769 showing confluence of Church street and Hanover street, with the Ropewalks. It is annotated with notes showing key features
8/15
A watercolour showing an aerial view of the Custom House & Jacobean sailor’s home etc. Canning Street 1915. Bombing and subsequent demolition virtually obliterated this grand area. Today, it is the home of Liverpool One, the Hilton Hotel, Chavasse Park etc #ArchMoL23 Image
Slide 9/15
Liverpool and Manchester railway views (1830 to 1875). Top left Edge Hill cutting (now a monument) and 3 stages of Lime Street builds in sequence. Ordnance Survey maps are always key. With the help of the L’pool & Manchester Railway Trust @LMRailway.
#ArchMoL23 A set of four watercolours showing aerial views of the way in which terminus stations of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway would have looked 1830 to 1875
@LMRailway 10/15
I have developed support materials to complement the reconstructions, forming a chronological historical narrative (e.g. left; context chart for the dreadful slave trade) and more detailed, human level ‘zoom ins’ (right - Dale Street/Stanley Street 1860)
#ArchMoL23  Two examples of complementary materials developed to add to the landscapes. One a chart analysing the evil slave trade and a painting  ‘zooming in’ to show greater detail of Dale Street
@LMRailway 11/15
Intrigued by vast areas of ‘court housing’ shown in an OS map of the mid 18thcentury, I painted this landscape (Vauxhall/Marybone 1865) a tiny part of that dreadful place where working people suffered immeasurably, up to a century later. Nothing remains now
#ArchMoL23 A painting of an area of Liverpool known as Vauxhall in 1865. Showing the incredibly dense housing in which working people suffered, up to a century later
@LMRailway 12/15
One of a series of watercolours reconstructing sections of the 7 mile docks built in the mid 19th century; in this case, the North Docks along Regent Road, from Salisbury to Sandon Dock (1860s) and some sources/source sketches including residual buildings
#ArchMoL23
Image
Image
13/15
The latest.
I hope this ‘open book’ creative process (art/history combined) adds something to Liverpool’s historic resources and civic memory. I think community memory reinforces identity and contributes importantly to the meaning of our lives.
#ArchMoL23 Image
14/15
What gives this process its interest, is the degree to which places have changed over time and what, therefore, makes the rediscovery of old landscapes more surprising, historically valuable and interesting.
#FestivalofArcheology
#ArchMoL23 Image
15/16
.
Many thanks to @VanessaAOakden of @MuseumLiverpool for the privilege of presenting a paper for the 2023 Festival of Archeology.

@edwardrolf

#ArchMoL23 https://t.co/9zixaknE0opulse.ly/iy1yrubjda
 A photograph of the presenter Ed Farrell

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