Local History Speakers
The Dusty Teapot
Talks & Walking Tours
All of my talks are accompanied by PowerPoint slides to illustrate them and are delivered in a way that makes them interesting and, when appropriate, amusing.
I have my own projector and screen and with a number of the talks I bring examples or artifacts that help illustrate the talks.
The Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest and most complicated campaign of the Second World War and if it had been lost so too would have been the war. Liverpool was pivotal to victory in the battle as were the civilian merchant seamen who suffered terribly. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
The First Mersey Road Tunnel When it was built in the 1930s the Queensway Tunnel from Liverpool to Birkenhead was a masterpiece of engineering hailed as the 8th Wonder of the World – hear of this great venture from inception to the royal opening.
Liverpool’s Links with America The links between Liverpool and America are many and varied – they go back to a time before American was independent and continue to the present day. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool and Slavery Liverpool was involved in slavery on a number of levels from the trans-Atlantic slave trade, through the trade in goods cultivated by enslaved people, to plantations owned by Liverpool people and the involvement of Liverpool in the American Civil War. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Jesse Hartley – Liverpool Dock Engineer Liverpool was the first town or city in the world to have a full-time salaried dock engineer and for almost 40 years that person was Jesse Hartley who was responsible for increasing the size of the Liverpool dock complex almost 5 fold and making many improvements to the system. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool and the American Civil War Liverpool was involved in the American Civil War on a number of levels from the first shot being fired up to the surrender of the last Confederate unit some 6 months after the formal end of the war. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool’s Wonderful Memorials Liverpool has the highest number of memorials of any UK city outside London – they vary from the grand to the almost unnoticed. I will introduce you to some memorials that may never have even noticed and, hopefully, encourage you to look at some more familiar memorials in a different light. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool’s Palaces of Finance There were many banks in Liverpool and the stories behind them and the magnificent buildings they occupied is a fascinating one. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool Lives Some people from Liverpool who deserve much more recognition than they get.
Liverpool’s Fab Five Nothing to do with the Beatles! This talk is about 5 (or more) Liverpool architects who made dramatic and lasting additions to the city’s stock of buildings. Many of these buildings remain as a dramatic testimony of the importance of Liverpool yet the architects remained modest with at least two of the five turning down Knighthoods. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
The Liverpool Overhead Railway From its original inception to its closure and subsequent demolition the story of “The Dockers Umbrella” is a fascinating one. This talk includes two pieces of film that will give you an idea of what travel on the railway was like. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool’s Railway Heritage Liverpool was at the centre of the railway “revolution|” of the 1820s/30s as well as other railway innovations and yet the stories are not as well-known as they ought to be.
Sir William Brown An Irish/American merchant and banker who gave his name to a famous street in the city and yet remains relatively unknown. Hear about his amazing life and “learn” his dark secret. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Liverpool shipping Lines Over many years Liverpool has been the home port of many shipping lines which covered the globe. Some of the lines may be familiar but others have disappeared into the past almost unknown yet all have interesting stories.
Defences of the Mersey The commercial importance of Liverpool over the centuries has meant that the port has needed to be protected from possible attack – land based batteries, sea forts and other defences formed a defensive barrier yet, in the early years at least, who were the likely attackers?
Great Cartoons and the artists behind them Cartoons have been used to amuse some people and “attack” others for a couple of hundred years. This talk looks at some well-known cartoons and the talented artists behind them.
Liverpool – a Maritime Mercantile City Although Liverpool has lost its UNESCO World Heritage Site status there are very many buildings in the city that bear witness to the fact that Liverpool was, indeed, a Maritime Mercantile city. Examples of Neptune, the King of the Sea, and Mercury the God of commerce and merchants, can still be seen all over the city. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Do you remember the 60s A light hearted look at the politics, cars, fashion, films, advertisements of the 1960s. A trip down memory lane and a reminder that during the 1960s EVERYTHING changed! This talk very much encourages audience participation.
Do you remember the 50s Very similar to my “Do you remember the 60s” talk but about the 1950s.
Women’s Memorials – why so few? Comparatively few of Britain’s memorials are of women. This talk looks at some memorials to women and invites comments and participation from the audience.
175 Years of Cunard From its formation in 1840 the Cunard Line has been through many triumphs and disasters and is a story that will fascinate on different levels.
The Cheshire Yeomanry – 225 years Originally formed as part of the response to Revolutionary France and the rise of Napoleon the Cheshire Yeomanry has had a continuous history (sometimes only just) of 225 years. From acting “In aid of the civil power”, through the Boer War and two World Wars the regiment has an interesting record and the accolade of being the last British regiment to fight on horses. This presentation includes some images which have not been seen for over 100 years.
Christmas Traditions in Britain and around the world From benevolent witches to roller skating to church on Christmas Eve and wearing red underwear in Spain this talk includes both the familiar and the unusual traditions from Britain and around the world and explains why you are unlikely to enjoy Christmas lunch in Greenland.
A Grand Day out in New Brighton A walk down Memory Lane looking at the growth, decline and re-birth of New Brighton with many images that will reawaken memories of a grand day out!
A History of New Brighton A more formal history of New Brighton from the days before it was even called New Brighton through its “ups and downs” to the present day. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
The Many Maritime Memorials of Merseyside Given the close involvement of Liverpool and Merseyside to the sea over hundreds of years it will not be a surprise to learn that there are many memorials with maritime links. What might be more surprising is that most of these memorials have been funded by groups or individuals rather than national bodies. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Slave Streets of Liverpool Many streets in Liverpool carry the names of people who were involved in the dark history of Liverpool’s involvement in slavery. The talk includes the stories behind some streets that you may know and others you may not but they all have a fascinating story that will make you look at the city in a different light. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
The Wirral – a rather special place to live Often over-shadowed by Liverpool and Chester and dismissed as a “dormitory” the Wirral has a fascinating past that is sometimes over-looked.
The Unsung Heroes of the First World War Soldiers and civilians from Africa, the West Indies and India as well as women both on the home front and with the forces around the world have been poorly reported in the past. The often untold role and sacrifice of animals in the war is also told. In this talk I attempt to tell the stories of some of these Unsung Heroes.
Images of World War I Not photographs of mud covered Tommies but recruiting posters, post cards and war loan posters from both sides in the Great War.
The Beautiful Buildings of Birkenhead Although often over-shadowed by its neighbour across the Mersey, Birkenhead has more than its fair share of beautiful buildings which deserve to be better known.
Always look up in Liverpool – Liver Birds It is often said that if you look higher than the ground floor facades in Liverpool you will see some architectural masterpieces. This is certainly true of the Liver Birds which flock around the city in great numbers. See if you know where the Liver Birds in this talk are. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Always look up in Liverpool – a Liverpool Safari It is often said that if you look higher than the ground floor facades in Liverpool you will see some architectural masterpieces. From a camel to a gorilla putting on make-up via an octopus or eight together with an animal that nobody is quite sure what it is Liverpool is full of animals … if you know where to look! [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Always look up in Liverpool – dragons and other beasties It is often said that if you look higher than the ground floor facades in Liverpool you will see some architectural masterpieces. Dragons, griffins, wyverns and unicorns can be found in all sorts of unusual places around Liverpool. Join in the search for the unexpected. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Always look up in Liverpool – we are being watched! It is often said that if you look higher than the ground floor facades in Liverpool you will see some architectural masterpieces. I am not talking about the ever present CCTV cameras which scour our streets now but if you look up in Liverpool you will often see a face looking back at you. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
The Public Art of Liverpool – Liverpool is full of public art … some of it is very obvious but some of it is less well known. Follow me on a tour of Liverpool public art – there are many examples … as long as you know where to look! [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Lost Liverpool It is sometimes joked that Liverpool’s post war planners did more damage to the city than the Luftwaffe had during the Blitz. See some of the “lost treasures” of Liverpool and what has replaced them. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Great photographs and the stories behind them Photography is a comparatively new art form but many photographs are as well-known as the painted “old masters” – see some photographs that you are sure to recognise and learn the sometime surprising stories behind them.
Well that’s not what it used to be! There are many buildings in Liverpool that are no longer used for the purpose for which they were designed and built – hear about the previous and current uses of some well-known Liverpool buildings. [Walking tour available – please contact me for details.]
Toy soldiers through the ages Toy or model soldiers go back thousands of years yet they remain as popular as ever with “children” of all ages. Did you have Britain’s “Swoppets” or “Timpo” soldiers or do you have Bolt Action war game models now?
Cotton – Liverpool & Lancashire At one time over one million people in Britain were directly involved in the cotton business and most of these were in Lancashire which, of course, included Liverpool. The story of cotton through the eyes of Liverpool, Manchester and the rest of Lancashire is as fascinating as it is disturbing on several levels.
Soldiers on the streets and warships in the Mersey – Strikes in Liverpool in 1911, 1919 and 1926 saw the Army on the streets of Liverpool and warships in the River Mersey. A revolution was feared and the government reacted with a huge show of strength which saw cavalry and even tanks on the streets and cruisers in the river.
The Battle of Waterloo In June 1918 an Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington met and defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at one of the most important battles in history. Wellington called it a “Near Run Thing” – who was responsible for winning (or losing) the battle of Waterloo?
Walking Tours – A number of these talks have walking tours that will allow us to visit places mentioned in the talks and discuss the topics further – please contact me for full details.
If a speaker has been forced to cancel it is always worth contacting me for a “last minute talk” – if I am free and I can get to you I will. The shortest notice that I have done a talk is 15 minutes!
CONTACT DETAILS:
David Hearn, Ivy Cottage, Grove Road, Wallasey, CH45 3HF
Home: 0151 639 2826
Mobile: 07739 38 63 67
email: davidp.hearn@talktalk.net