On most days, thousands of drivers and pedestrians go past a striking brown wall in the heart of Liverpool without giving it a second thought. That changed slightly this week when the top of Old Hall Street was partially closed because of the wall, which has been deemed “unsafe” as it is leaning at a “concerning angle”.
Emergency services were called to Old Hall Street on Monday morning after receiving a report from the building managers of Beetham Tower, the tallest building in the city, about the structure, which is officially called Connections – Face of Liverpool.
The monument consists of a brown metal wall with diagonal lines and a circle on one side, with a small garden area and low concrete walls surrounding it. It is next to the Radisson Blu hotel and faces both Old Hall Street and the junction of Leeds Street and The Strand.
READ MORE: Men accused of murder of prison officer shot in ‘revenge attack’ pictured at Glastonbury Festival
READ MORE: Hooters signs come down as long-running saga comes to an end
Berkeley Shaw, the building manager for Beetham Tower, told the ECHO that the structure is within its estate and work has begun today to fix the issue. It is not physically connected to the building and therefore does not pose a risk to its integrity.
It was the first time that many office workers on Old Hall Street had fully taken notice of the monument. One man at the scene yesterday told the ECHO: “I don’t even know what it is. I tried searching but couldn’t find anything about it.”
Others had long-held curiosities about it. Another man said: “I remember when it was put up years ago, all shiny and new. Even then I thought it was leaning. But it does look like it’s bevelled a bit. Maybe it’s due to the wind.”
The structure sits in the shadow of Beetham Tower, Liverpool’s tallest building -Credit:Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo
The structure was commissioned by Beetham Organisation and was completed in 2006 at the same time as the tower. According to Broadbent Studio’s website, a design studio led by artist Stephen Broadbent, the aim was to “create an integrated art and architecture solution, on a site at the threshold of historic, national and international trade connections.”
Broadbent worked on the project along with artists and designers from BCA and Smiling Wolf to mark the structure’s unique position in the city between the waterfront and the business district. It also aims to showcase Liverpool’s history of trade and migration.
The structure gets its name due to a series of glass portholes on the floor of the garden, which contain 32 faces of people who have made Liverpool their adopted home.
Broadbent said: “Throughout the whole scheme subtle intersecting lines, etched, cast, blasted, and illuminated, within walls and floor scape, link glass discs that identify the Liverpool around the world, and portray Liverpool faces of the world.
“Set within the floor and walls are illuminated glass portholes. Contemporary faces of people that reflect the diversity of Liverpool’s culture, are etched into 32 of these glass portholes.
“The 32 faces represent, in some part, Liverpool’s diverse gene pool, pioneers, traders, travellers, migrant people, throughout history from all over the world, that have made Liverpool their home.
“These faces were sought out with the help of Leapfrog PR company and their story of immigration recorded. Their portraits were photographed by Guy Woodland and their image screen-printed onto the blue glass discs, with a short sentence engraved into the stainless steel edge identifying their name and place of origin.
“A curved wall with the inscription, in morse code, ‘ Permission to Come Alongside’, greets travellers along King Edward Street, and helps to frame another unique space ‘The Tower Plaza’. Sheltered from the heavy traffic this becomes another livable space with unique sculptural seating and feature lighting.”
Morse code on the Connections – Face of Liverpool structure -Credit:Liverpool Echo
A quote on the side of the wall facing the main road says: “Liverpool – threshold to the ends of the earth.” This was said by writer Michael O’Mahoney in 1931 and fits with the theme of Liverpool as a global melting pot.
As part of the project, separate panels brown panels with blue rectangles were added outside the entrance of Radisson Blu to illustrate the history of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.
Commenting on its work in the project, Smiling Wolf said: “Part urban landscape, part public artwork, the £1.4m project includes ‘Face of Liverpool’ – a wonderful installation that gave Liverpool residents the chance to have their portrait set into the scheme’s structure and help celebrate the city’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity.”
BCA added: “Building on the site’s international links the team encouraged input from people whose family had travelled from other parts of the world and made Liverpool their home – pioneers, traders, travellers and migrant people that continue to help define Liverpool’s diverse gene pool.
“Their faces and details have been etched in coloured glass within the walls of the finished scheme and their full fascinating stories told in a hardback book – ‘Connections’.”
Although the structure needs repairing, it is hoped that the work will restore the structure to its former glory. Peter Whalley, the head of block management at Berkeley Shaw, told the ECHO yesterday: “It’s a great piece of sculpture with a famous old quote about Liverpool and the public will want to see it back at its best.”