Fur Seals, Whales, Candles and Soap
The ’occurrence of seals and whales’ in the South Atlantic was reported by Captain Cook in 1775, as he took possession of South Georgia for Great Britain. Sealing commenced there in 1786/87, and in the first 50 years 1,200,000 fur seals had been killed for their fur. Antarctic whaling began in 1904/05 at South Georgia. Between 1905 and 1912, whale oil became an important commercial commodity, competing with other oils in the market place. It was a basic ingredient in the production of soap, candles, margarine, and glycerin for explosives. It was during Brian Anderson’s visit to the Grytviken Museum in South Georgia, whilst examining old shipping cargo logs, that he discovered the entire Antarctic catch of 258,000 barrels of whale oil in 1917/18 was destined for Birkenhead’s West Float Docks, then on to Bromborough Docks and Port Sunlight. This set Brian on a journey to find out more about this incredible local link and the Wirral industries that used this oil in their products, which were then sold worldwide. With stunning images from Brian’s visits to South Georgia and Antarctica, you will learn about the growth and decline of the C20th whaling industry, the Wirral links, and see how 50 years of international protection has resulted in the increase in seal and whale numbers in the South Atlantic. The challenge now is to protect the wildlife and its pristine environment from new man-made threats of pollution and global warming.
The Mersey
From the C18th to the C20th the River Mersey was the UK’s ‘Gateway to the West’ - the point of departure for explorers and tens of millions of people venturing into the ‘new world’ and the access point for goods and supplies from across the British Empire and beyond. The river has brought wealth and recession, stimulated art & culture, attracted migrants and made the region a unique World City. This illustrated talk looks at the Mersey’s mercantile past, its strong global identity; the river’s influence on Liverpool as a trend setter, a brash, self confident, outward looking and international city. Brian Anderson, local architect, photographer and educator, combines the culture and identity of this iconic river with his stunning images, personal thoughts and entertaining recollections of the river and city where he moved to live 40 years ago.
Liverpool 'City of Sculpture'
Liverpool possesses an abundance of public monuments and sculptures, unsurpassed by any other English city, with the exception of London. This talk begins with the earliest surviving freestanding sculpture in the city, dating from 1799. Brian's images will reveal the confidence, wealth and pre-eminence of Victorian and Edwardian Liverpool as reflected in her public monuments. He will also come up to date, looking at Liverpool in 2008 as Capital of Culture, with the magnificent Superlambananas and other stunning modern works around this vibrant, global city.
‘The Sculpture of Port Sunlight’
This beautifully illustrated talk looks at Lever’s C19th Model Village for the workers at his Port Sunlight works in the Wirral, Merseyside. The history of this famous village and Lord Leverhulme’s legacy is described through some outstanding C19th and C20th sculptures that are situated within this listed architectural masterpiece. This is a sequel to the popular ‘Liverpool - City of Sculpture’ talk, described earlier.
For full details of charges and many other illustrated talks,
including ranges specifically for schools or for adult groups
visit Brian Anderson's website - click here
Talks brochures are downloadable from that website
07720 571932
brian@andersonimages.co.uk
