Department of Anglophone Studies organises excursions to Liverpool (European Capital of Culture 2008) in the summer of 2008 Two groups of 8 students from the Department of Anglophone Studies undertook two 4-day excursions to this year s European Capital of Culture in July and August this year. There were also 8 unofficial travellers from the department who decided to join the excursion despite the fact that they were not receiving the generous help of the University. Member of staff, Neil Deane, a native of Liverpool, was anxious to show students what his home town had to offer and, armed with financial and moral support from both the department and faculty, he put together a programme to appeal to the different tastes, needs and wants of the students who had signed up for this journey into the relative unknown. (Everyone knows London, but who knows Liverpool?) The problem of accommodation was solved at a stroke by students sharing rooms at the down-to-earth, but homely Wellington pub, a stone s throw away from the excursion leader s parental home in the Old Swan area 1
of Liverpool, approximately 2 and a half miles east of the town centre. Once the students became sufficiently acquainted with the local Scouse dialect and very un-oxford English pronunciation of the in-house patrons of the pub and surrounding area, they all agreed that the quarters offered an excellent starting (and finishing point) for the varied and strenuous programme laying ahead. Strengthened by a Full Monty English breakfast, served by the landlord Gerry and his charming wife Liz, and greeted by typically un- English sunny weather, the group bravely followed the Deane to the No 10 bus stop and hit the town for the first time. Four days later they would return home with a plethora of vivid memories of the monumental historical scope of a city which was for hundreds of years the second Port of the Empire, boasting bombastic Victorian architecture which for many years contrasted grotesquely with abject poverty. The town centre itself spreads out from the famous River Mersey and the site of the former Liverpool castle, runs across a compact, busy town centre and ends at the top of the hill (Mount Pleasant) where two magnificent Cathedrals (one Catholic and one Anglican) watch over the comings and goings of 500,000 Scousers (natives of Liverpool). It is common knowledge that it s people that make a town and the mix of people who passed through Liverpool have left an indelible and vibrant impact on the soul of the city. Every nationality is to be found here - descendents of the deplorable Slave Trade or of the poor souls who stepped off ships escaping the Irish Potato Famine in the mid 19 th century (half the names in the Liverpool phone book are Irish). Many found themselves here by chance as the trials and tribulations of Empire and war and the hopes and dreams of economic prosperity swept them in from all over Britain and the rest of the world during Queen Victoria s reign and beyond and stretching well into the 20 th century. In an attempt to grasp the enormity of the history which moulded this city, we visited and enjoyed the usual Liverpool suspects: Ferrying across the Mersey while enjoying the magnificent, turn of the 20 th century, worldfamous waterfront; walks through selected museums (in particular the 2
impressive Tate Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum and Walker Art Gallery); guided tours of the two cathedrals, St George s Hall, the oldest (and last remaining) Liverpool brewery and a trip to and through the Albert Dock, the high-tech dock of its day in the latter half of the 19 th century and opened by Queen Victoria s husband (and named after him) in 1846. All very impressive stuff indeed. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that such strenuous bouts of serious marching and reflection during the stay regularly brought on a serious thirst which real Scousers know only a decent pint can quench. Our bubbly guide at the Robert Cain s brewery, Lou, had told us that during Dickens heyday every fifth building in Liverpool housed a pub. A few have disappeared since then but there is still a staggering number to choose from, many of them originating out of Liverpool s long maritime past. We therefore went about solving the aforementioned thirst problem in such magnificent hostelries as The Philarmonic, The Baltic Fleet, The White Star and the Grapes (the 3
latter two being particular favourites of four lads who became rather famous in a sixties music combo I believe they played guitars and sang popular songs). The Grapes, is in fact in the famous Mathew St where that particular combo first made their name in the Cavern Club. At weekends the whole area surrenders its streets, clubs, bars and pubs to tens of thousands of thirst problem solving Scousers and the scenes witnessed have to be seen to be believed as they throw caution to the wind and try and forget the cares of another working week. One should not assume, however, that our students were only involved in revelling and raucous living during their time in Liverpool. They also attended an impressive performance of Shakespeare s The Winter s Tale in the Anglican Cathedral, visited and viewed one of the North West s best kept Tudor houses, Speke Hall on the Southern outskirts of the city. They attempted to grasp why their parents (and in some cases their grandparents) were so turned on by the mystique of the Hippy movement and the peaceloving nature of late-sixties pop rock by taking in the mock festival atmosphere which formed the backdrop to the clever musical Eight miles high at the Royal Court theatre. The really brave students put their powers of listening comprehension to the ultimate test by watching local comedians holding forth with lewd and eccentric monologues and dialogues in the cellar of the same theatre. Well, the students always seemed to laugh in the right places - who said Germans don t have a sense of humour? Football aficionados were able to pay a visit to that Mecca of football at Anfield Road and are now seen wandering around the Essen campus with all sorts of Liverpool FC memorabilia, their eyes clouding over whenever they hear You ll never walk alone. Other high points include pie-eating competitions, ascending to the roof of the Anglican Cathedral (for the best view in Liverpool), surviving greasy fish and chips and hot (very hot!) Indian food, a trip through one of the Mersey road tunnels and the excursion leader s nostalgic ramblings about what Liverpool was like when he was younger. (Or was that last one a low point?) Hats off and many compliments to the students they dived in head first with an open heart and mind into so many of the things Liverpool has to 4
offer: a fascinating history, a staggering variety of places to see and things to do, an infectious energy and vibrancy and people with wit, warmth and a touch of the surreal. This was British Cultural Studies for adults and the memory of those four days will remain with everybody who was there long after they have graduated and left the University of Duisburg-Essen. Which is why such excursions are a vital part of the student experience. Same again next year? Wouldn t say no Neil Deane 5