‘September was a thirty-days long goodbye to summer, to the season that left everybody both happy and weary of the warm, humid weather and the exhausting but thrilling adventures.’
~Lea Malot~
My colleagues and I started the month by attending the biennial CIG conference at the Swansea University’s Bay Campus, about metadata innovation and discovery. NW and I got the train from Coventry and met WFP in Birmingham. From here, we took the train to Bristol Parkway and 20 minutes later, we were on the train to Swansea. To pass the time, I took photographs of all the stations that we stopped. We also played the game ‘spotting the librarian’ and I won
In Swansea, we dragged our luggage through the city-centre to find a place to eat. This was because lunch wasn’t provided on the first day and WFP refused to eat in a fast-food restaurant. Swansea looked a bit run-down at this part of town. Finally, we found a cafe and I chose the all-day vegetarian breakfast. After that, we dragged our luggage back to the train station to get a taxi to the University.
When we arrived, it was WOW. The campus had the distinction of being one of the few global universities with direct access onto a beach and its own seafront promenade. The magnificent views across Swansea Bay towards Gower and Baglan Bay was amazing. The campus was an eclectic mix of building styles of red stone, brick, glass and metal. We registered at the impressive Great Hall where the conference was held. We collected our keys and dumped our luggage in our rooms. After a quick fresh-up, we headed straight to the Hall for our first paper.
The 3-days conference demonstrated how libraries, archives and museums were all striving to improve the quality of their metadata in order to enhance a resource-discovery for their users. Papers and presentations covered a range of interesting and innovative metadata enrichment and quality-improvement projects, including collaborations between libraries, archives and special collections.
Throughout the conference, there were examples of the fundamental work that cataloguers and metadata librarians were doing on a daily basis in order to ensure that collections were made discoverable and accessible. Many libraries were investing time and staff resources in upgrading their legacy metadata records from old standards, and were steadily FRBRising their library catalogue in order to make them more discoverable to users.
Many of the papers expressed the view, whilst the work of the metadata team was often hidden away from public view, cataloguing and metadata practices and workflows, together with systems and discovery layers, ultimately determine the user experience and, the user’s impression of a library’s quality. Without good quality, standardised bibliographic metadata it was impossible for a library-user to know what resources were in a library’s collections, whether they were relevant to their research, how they relate to materials they’d already accessed, or how to gain a physical or electronic access to those resources. In essence, without bibliographic metadata, there will be NO library.
I’d a nice time with ‘Getting to grips with bibliographic model’ interactive sessions. We were all given cards with different entities relating to a book (author, publisher, different editions, different printings, editors, versions (film, stage)) and we’d to find those relating most closely to us and finally, we put our cards on the table (literally) to see how everything related to each other in FRBR WEMI (Work, Expression, Manifestation, Item) and BIBFRAME terms. Who says cataloguing wasn’t fun!!!
It was a shame that I couldn’t take advantage of the beaches. The conference programme was very compact and full-on but a few of us managed to get up early and went for a quick stroll along the beach. The sea was out and a huge flock of Oyster-catchers were feeding on the mudflats with their loud ‘peeping ‘ calls echoing around us. Of how I wish, I could stay just a bit longer.
I’d a wonderful time at the conference, sharpening my skills and forming new networking opportunities while strengthening existing ones. It really helped with my continued personal and professional development. After 3 days, it was time to say good-bye to this amazing place. We didn’t attend any of the library visits because WFP wanted to leave immediately after lunch. He wanted to be home before midnight. To compensate, we made our own private visit to the university library. Immediately after lunch, we called a taxi and caught the 2 pm train to Bristol Parkway. Thankfully, we reserved our seats because the train was full. In Birmingham, NW and I took the train to Coventry while WFP had to wait for an hour for his train to Leicester. It was good to be back home.
A week later, I was at the RBSG conference in Liverpool. I must be mad but conferences, were like buses. I am thankful to my manager for allowing me to take time off to attend all these conferences. One thing I felt after a conference was that I always returned brimming with new fresh ideas and approaches that I wanted to implement at work. Apart from networking opportunities, I enjoyed attending conferences because they invigorated and motivated me.
I took the early train to Birmingham for Liverpool. It stopped at nearly all the stations along the route. Sometimes, the carriage was full and at least twice, I was the only one there. To pass the time, I took photographs of all the stations that stopped for passengers and the stunning countryside. I realised the disadvantaged of being on my own was that I couldn’t leave my luggage when I wanted to use the ladies. Argh…what an inconvenience.
When I arrived in Liverpool, it was a rush to use the facilities. Unfortunately, the coin machine was out of order. Double argh…. Fortunately, one of the cleaners walked past and I told him of my predicament. He told me that I was in luck because it was his birthday (jokingly, I guess) and he was letting me in for FREE!!! Woo…hoo. Thank you so much. What a nice introduction to Liverpool.
Then, I queued for the taxi to the Liverpool University reception office. After dropping my luggage and refreshing up, I joined a group of fellow librarians who were walking to the Foresight conference centre. Since all of us were new to Liverpool, we walked in circles before we found it. My colleague, JG, was already there. After registering, we’d lunch in the stunning Grade II listed building which was formally the Liverpool Infirmary.
The 70-odd attendees were mostly from universities libraries and representatives of independent and special libraries, archives and museums. Over the 3 days, the conference addressed the challenges and rewards of developing diverse collections and audiences within the rare books, special collections and archive sector, and of creating an inclusive profession equipped with the resources to make such development possible.
In addition to these sessions, there were visits to special collections in institutions around the city. Unfortunately, I was late in registering and I wasn’t the only one. NGi and I tagged along with JG to the Merseyside Maritime Museum in the heart of Albert Dock. While the rest of the group checked out the library, NG and I submerged ourselves in Liverpool’s historic seafaring past. Boats, paintings, ship models, ship wrecked objects, uniforms and more brought the city’s nautical history to life.
We spent quite a lot of time checking out the compelling exhibition ‘Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story’ which explored the city’s central role in the Titanic history. The ship, then the largest ship in the world, was registered in Liverpool, and so carried the city’s name on her stem. Although she never visited the city, Titanic had strong links with her home port. Her managing company, the White Star Line, had its head office in James Street, Liverpool.
At least 90 members of her crew (1 in 10) were from Merseyside or had close links with the area. We checked out the 20 foot model of the Olympic/Titanic which was built in 1910 and displayed in a magnificently ornate display case. We also got unique insights told from perspectives of key personalities in the drama which was quite harrowing. The exhibition really gave a unique insight into the events surrounding the launch, voyage, the sinking and its aftermath. It was quite upsetting to sit and listen to the chain of events.
We then browsed the World Heritage waterfront, Albert Dock, featuring the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country with their lofty colonnades and statuesque columns. The Dock was the first enclosed, non-combustible dock warehouse system in the world. It was the first structure in Britain to be built entirely of cast iron, brick and stone. The Dock went on to gain another ‘first’ when the world’s first hydraulic warehouse hoists were installed on its site.
Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it opened in 1846 and remained a fully working dock until closing in 1972. It later underwent a huge restoration programme and was reopened as a visitor attraction in 1988. We spotted Tate Liverpool, which was the largest gallery of modern and contemporary art outside London until 2003. We didn’t visit it because there was a long queue outside it and headed to the Pier Masters House.
The 1940s wartime house was originally built in 1852 for the piermaster and his family. The piermaster was responsible for ensuring the safe passage of ships entering and leaving the dock at high tide. There were 4 built on this site and this was the only one left standing following the heavy bombings in WW2. Today, it was dressed with original period furniture and everyday objects like dolly tub, wash board, gas-masks and ration books, reflecting the days of shortage and rationing.
We also noticed hundreds of sentimental love locks on the chain fencing on the promenade. These tokens of affection were designed to symbolise an unbreakable bond and were attached to the chain with names or initials inscribed on them and the keys thrown away. They were put in place by people remembering a loved one, a birth, a promise. Liverpool was one of the many cities in the world where people had placed these ‘love locks.’ There was an uproar last year when the Canal and River Trust removed them from the waterfront because they were causing maintenance problems.
We would have stayed here longer but we need to get back to our accommodation and get ready for the annual dinner which was going to be held at the Maritime Museum, which meant we will be back again. We walked on the way down but took a taxi back. A bus was provided to take us to the Docks and it was parked quite close to the famous Royal Liver Building, overlooking the River Mersey and dominating the waterfront skylines.
This iconic symbol of Liverpool was built in 1911 and at that time was the tallest building in Europe with the enviable status of a Grade 1 listed landmark building. It was home to two fabled Liver Birds that watched over the city and the sea. Legend had it that were these two birds to fly away, then the city would ceased to exist. Designed by Carl Bernard Bartels, they were named Bella and Bertie, looking to the sea and inland.
We walked along the waterfront past the Museum and these Superlambanana sculptures. In 2008, as part of Liverpool’s year long position as European Capital of Culture celebrations, 125 two metre high replicas were commissioned and located throughout the city and the surrounding areas. Each was sponsored by local institutions and businesses and designed by local community organisations. An ironic comment on the dangers of genetic engineering, the original was designed by Japanese artist, Taro Chiezo, based on the banana and lamb which were once a common cargo in the bustling docks.
Before we had our meals, we’d drinks on the balcony of the Museum overlooking the stunning views of the waterfront. Then, we adjourned for dinner at the Michelin recommended Maritime Dining Room on the top floor with more breath-taking dual-aspect views. I had the vegetarian options which was quite uninspiring and I’d forgotten what they were. Thankfully, the after dinner speech by the Liverpool University Press and lots of laughter with newly-found friends made up the night. The wine was flowing freely and I’d to help a few tipsy friends back to the bus. Unfortunately, the bus broke down and we all bundled into taxis back to our accommodation.
We compared the night’s dinner to the reception dinner at the Victoria Gallery and Museum which was held on the first night. The Grade 2 listed building was located in the ‘redbrick’ 1892 Victoria Building, designed by the Victorian architect, Alfred Waterhouse. It housed the University of Liverpool’s art and museum collections, donated to and created by the university.
We’d our buffet-style dinner in the Waterhouse Cafe and the vegetarian options were more varied and interesting. There were pasta, couscous and rice salads, quiche, vegetable kebabs, vegetarian chilli, hummus and dips. We’d a wonderful time polishing the meal and went for seconds and thirds
I felt we walked for miles before we arrived at one of the oldest pubs in the city, Ye Cracke located on Rice Street. Unchanged for years, tourists came from all over the world to see the pub where Lennon came with Cynthia whilst studying at the Liverpool arts College. All of us piled into the War Room, which was the oldest part of the pub. We were still in the pub as it neared closing time and waited for the ‘last orders’ to be shout and the bell to be rang. We were gutted that we didn’t see any of the Beatles memorabilia and historical drawings of Liverpool. Then it was a slow walk back.
The next morning after a full vegetarian breakfast at The Courtyard in the Student Guild, JG, NG and I checked out the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd in 1962 and completed in 1967.To distinguish it from the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral, locals called it the Catholic Cathedral. Nicknames for the building included ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’ and ‘Mersey Funnel’.
From the top of a wide flight of steps, we saw the peak which was a crown of pinnacles, a modern take on Jesus’s crown of thorns. The Cathedral was built in concrete with a Portland stone cladding and an aluminium covering to the roof. The shape was conical, and it was surmounted by a tower in the shape of a truncated cone.
We’d problems trying to find the entrance and as soon as we entered we were drawn to the altar, made of white marble from Skopje, Macedonia. We’d to adjust our eyes as there was plenty of interplay of light and colour. Above us were large areas of stained glass in three colours, yellow, blue and red, representing the Trinity. I found the interiors too futuristic and the clash of colours and light didn’t produce that calming effect that you get in a church.
After 3 days, it was time to say goodbye to Liverpool and newly-found friends. JG and I shared a taxi to the train station where I deposited my luggage at the Excess Baggage Co. for £6. It was worth not having to drag my luggage around town. JG took me to the nearby The Walker Art Gallery which housed one of the largest collections in England outside London. The gallery was located on William Brown Street, the only street in the UK that consisted of museums, galleries and libraries. It was a culture paradise.
The art gallery was housed in a neo-classical building and was promoted as ‘the National Gallery of the North’, opened in 1877. There was a stunning collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts spanning over 600 years. We drooled over outstanding works by Rubens. Rembrandt, Pousin and Gainsboroughn . WF Yearnes ‘And when did you last see your father? and Rossetti’s ‘Dante Dreams’ stood out for me.
After about 2 hours of getting lost in these spectacular collection, we were famished and checked out the cafe. Located in the central atrium of the museum, we’d a traditional afternoon tea of scones with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam, washed down with a pot of steaming tea. We’d a good laugh when we looked up to see Felix the cat looking down on us. This was an art installation by Turner prize-winning artist, Mark Leckey.
Then it was a leisure stroll along the cobbled street, checking out the stunning buildings around the area known as the ‘Cultural Quarter’ which were an integral part of Liverpool’s World Heritage Status. Dominating them all was the neo-classical grandeur of St. George’s Hall, a neo-Grecian building, with a tunnel-vaulted roof above an an original Minton tiled floor. I also made a pit stop at the World Museum, which included the Natural History Centre and a planetarium.
Then it was time to go our separate ways. I collected my luggage and bought a vegetarian burger from Burger King to eat in the train. The train was quite full as it departed this beautiful city which I will definitely visit again. I’d to change train in Crewe and stood all the way to Wolverhampton. Although, I had a seat reserved but the train was so crowded and I don’t fancy pushing through the crowded bodies. It was only half an hour standing before I boarded the next train to Coventry. It was good to be home.
But there was no rest for the wicked. The next day, I’d a date with 3 of my ex-colleagues, RC, SA and CC in the city centre. SA was here for a book signing and reading session at the Fargo Village. It was lovely to see all of them again. We adjourned for lunch at the Las Iguanas restaurant. We were so glad to see each other and busy chatting away that the waitress had to come 3 times to ask if we were ready to order. Oops
Since Las Iguanas specialised in Latin American food with Spanish, Portuguese and African influences, I chose the smoked chipotle chicken burritos which was wheat tortilla stuffed with chipotle rice, refried beans, crunchy slaw and cheese. It was served with salad, soured cream and garlicky chipotle sauce on the side. The chicken was halal which was why I chose it. It was yummy but oh, so very spicy mouth-watering hot.
I should have guessed how hot it was when you see the number of times Chipotle was mentioned in the menu. It was smoke-dried jalapeno, from the Nahuatl word meaning smoked chilli. Aargh, I was sweating trying to finish it, keeping cool with sips of ginger and lemon-grass mojo-less. I would definitely come again but burritos was a no-no. After about 3 hours, whaat!!!, it was time to go our separate ways. It was lovely seeing them again and we might make it an annual event.
Then it was a slow walk to the bus stop which was near the Old Grammar School. It was the Heritage Open Day and the stunning 12th century building was open to the public. I’d always wanted to see the interiors of this Grade 1 listed building, the former Hospital of St John, since it was restored by the Coventry Transport Museum into an exhibit, education and event space.
The old sandstone building with its 49 15th century oak choir stalls with finely carved arm-rests used as desks were arranged around three sides of the old chancel. They carried the names of many generations of school boys and grooves and troughs in the desktops for an early form of pinball. It was also amazing to see the centuries-old graffiti carved by bored schoolboys of yesteryear.
A bell had been installed in the bell tower for the first time in 14 years. The original bell casted in 1736 by William Brooke will go on display within the building. For a donation of £5, visitors queued to ring the bell where the sound travelled up to half a mile. There was a visitor book where I suggested putting a medieval performance in the main hall in the next open day. I think this will provide a stunning addition to this magnificent building. Then it was time to catch the bus.
The next day, Babe and I headed to a Living History weekend at Bradgate Park. As usual, we were greeted by a herd of Fallow Deer bachelors chilling out under the shady trees ruminating and chewing cud. They looked relax, checking out the visitors who were checking them out. But this tolerant behaviour with each other won’t last long. Next month, there will be a change in their behaviour with the thickening of their necks and setting up of rutting stands. We will definitely come often when the rutting season start.
‘Everything pales in comparison to deer.’
‘Bill Vaughan~
We headed straight to Bradgate House and checked out the resident herd of fallow deer at end of the compound. They were quite restless, venturing further and deeper into the bracken. We walked along the perimeters of the lake and spotted a Common Darter resting on a stone. A summer and autumn species, it was usually one of the last dragon-fly on the wing.
Further down, a pair of Common Blue Damselfly was in tandem. They then formed a ‘mating wheel’ in which the male clasp the female by the neck and she bent her body around to his reproductive organ. The pair then flew together over the water and the eggs were laid within a suitable reed, just below the surface. These small damselflies lived only for a couple of weeks as free-flying adults.
I went into the recently restored chapel to see a performance by Fabula Musica with the renowned lutenist/luthier, Din Ghani performing the music from the time of Lady Jane Grey They took the audience back to the royal courts from King Edward VI to Queen Elizabeth 1. For a moment, we were under their spell with tragedies, comedies, love, longing, suffering and rejoicing. I wasn’t able to take any photographs because I don’t have the correct lens. Babe took this photograph when they were on their break.
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Since the back gate of the House was opened, we walked through it and checked out the the 17th century life in the Living History encampment. It provided an insight into the life of these characters of yesteryear who lived and fought during the Civil Wars. There were opportunities to try on their uniforms and holding their authentic weaponry, alongside traditional crafts and cooking.
Then everyone adjourned to the main field to watch Lord Thomas Grey's Regiment of Foote returning to its ancestral home to protect the park from the Kings ruffians! Bradgate House was home of the Regiment’s original Commanding officer, Thomas Lord Grey of Groby, who was an ardent Parliamentarian and the only aristocrat to sit in judgement at the trial of King Charles 1 in 1649. Sealed Knot had recreated how the Earl of Stamford and his son, Lord Grey, both senior figures in the Parliamentarian Arm, played their roles in the English Civil Wars.
Lord Thomas Grey's Regiment of Foote was a parliamentarian regiment of the Sealed Knot society. Nowadays people groan at the mere mention of parliament. However, back in the 1640s during the English Civil War, parliament stood up for the rights of the common man against a King who would hold absolute power over them all - a King that would declare war on his own people, his own land! Parliament, and the men who fought for it, would be branded traitors and rebels for their defiance. To these men defeat was not an option: they had taken up arms against their King and to lose or back down would guarantee them a spot on the executioner’s chopping block for making a stand. Lord Thomas Grey was one of these men, and it was his regiment that was being portrayed in battle and memorial.
There were two main combat arms within the regiment, the Pike and the Musket. During the Civil wars a unit of Pikemen was made up of the biggest and strongest men. A pike was a pole arm usually made of ash between 16 and 20 feet long! A pikeman wore a helmet known as a morion and in the early years of the war also wore back and breast armour. The main role of a pike unit was to protect the vulnerable musketeers from cavalry during their long reloading procedure and also be used as heavy shock troops to seize and hold ground, where they often encountered enemy pike blocks and engaged them to try and push them from the field.
For many years the longbow was the predominant weapon of England. However to use such a weapon effectively took a lifetime of training due to the immense draw weight of the bow. With the advent of black powder weapons the longbow fell out of favour as a musket had greater armour penetration and a raw recruit could be trained in a muskets basic use within a couple of days. However the musket was incredibly inaccurate and sometimes just as lethal to the firer as his intended target. This lead to musketeers fighting together in large blocks with the idea that "If we fire enough guns in the same direction, we're bound to hit something!"!!!!
Battles of the English Civil Wars were extremely chaotic and noisy, with roaring cannon, volleys of muskets and the thundering hooves of charging cavalry mixed in with the screams of the wounded and dying. In this cacophony of sound, soldiers struggled to hear their orders, so officers used banks of drummers to relay their orders to the men. Every order has it's own beat on the drum and the soldiers would recognise the beat above the sounds of battle and perform that order.
Although not actually a historical battlefield unit in themselves the water carriers of the baggage trayne were an indispensable and crucial part of any Sealed Knot regiment. Without any of these men and women no pike block could take to the field. They provided water to the pike in between their exhausting pushes especially as most re-enactments took place in the heat of the summer! They kept an eye on the soldiers for any signs of fatigue and looking after anyone who might have picked up an injury or needed something as simple as a chinstrap or armour adjusting.
Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind
That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
To warlike arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I serve
The first foe in the field
And with a sterner faith embrace
The sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such
As thou too shalt adore.
I could not love thee, dear, so much
Loved I not honour more
~Richard Lovelace (1618-1657) ‘Off to the English Civil War’~
After all the excitement, it was time to head home. I wondered what the natives thought of all the noises. There was none on the field and we saw a few herd on the hills. It must be a shock to them but it was only once a year thing. We’d a very nice surprise when we came across this Sycamore caterpillar trying to cross the road. To avoid any fatalities for the wee thing, I picked it up in a tissue and put it back into the bushes.
A few days later, I was ill again. I was on sick leave for 2 days with high temperatures, a raging headache and runny nose. I think I caught it from NG who was sick on the last day of the conference in Liverpool and had to return home. I was gutted because it was also the Festival of Haj and we were invited to a friend’s house to celebrate the festive day which I’d to cancel
‘I love September, especially when we’re in it.’
~Willie Stargell~
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