Sing a Song of Seaforth

Tony Murphy, who composed the script of the concert which the Seaforth children performed at the Linacre Mission in November and which was so well received has taken up his pen again in a lively ballad about Seaforth:

Sing a song of Seaforth,where the Mersey meets the sea;

Ships and docks and sailormen have made its history.

But so have many others as our verse shall surely tell

To help us all to know it and to love it really well.

 

It starts with rich John Gladstone: one hundred acres, 1813;

Who built his fine new house there; a new and splendid scene.

His famous family raised there, great P.M. William, too

Formed on those sandy acres,with all the world their view.

 

Society came after them, to share sun, breeze and sands:

James Muspratt built the Hall here; the army came with bands,

The soldiers and their horses, their guns to guard the port.

So by the 1850s, Seaforth was a grand resort.

 

A fine hotel was built there: it was Mr Fernie's boast

That his "Seafield" was the centre of 'The' healthy holiday coast!

But visitors, they stayed away; it seemed he was a fool,

Until the house achieved great fame as a bright young ladies' school!

 

The massive growth continued, the pressure was so strong,

then came a local 'hero', whose reign was very long:

Keeping order, feeding people, guiding traffic,always boss,

That 'People's Friend' and policeman, the remarkable John Cross.

 

Others made a wider mark, although they did not stay.

Charles Dickens loved to visit, as he would often say;

Lord Baden-Powell was here as well, a soldier on the shore

And conceived his great idea - the Scouts, from all he saw

 

So Seaforth stands for gallantry; those barracks served us well.

In time, they held a training school, for wirelessmen to tell

The world of storms at sea, of trouble and of panic;

It taught the men who signalled 'Danger' on R.M.S. Titanic.

 

For a new world was arriving,all the latest from the west;

An Americam Overhead Railway, which was always Britain's best.

It took the lads along so fast, on the line of all the docks,

But fine ladies weren't so happy, when escalators ripped their frocks!

 

And in time a great new vision transformed the local scene:

Many pictures, 'talkies', stories,Seaforth had the 'Silver Screen'

Yet 'Palladium' and 'Stella' could not hide hard days and change:

Poor Seaforth bombed and battered, found it difficult and strange...

 

The 'Seventies'. A great new dock emerged from out the sand.

Mighty new roads to service it left their mark upon the land.

The costs of all kinds, they were great; this change was dearly bought

But it brought fresh life to Liverpool: the new Seaforth Free Port.

 

Quite soon it will be fifty years since Seaforth Dock was new.

Huge ships will line the river bank. New trades are coming too.

'Liverpool Waters' will fill the sky. A 'New World' will be HERE,

And Seaforth will be ready; of that there's never fear.

 

For ever since John Gladstone came it's been a world of change.

It's time for generations new to search and find their range.

Then raise your glass and join us, for the toast both near and far is

To Seaforth, Royal Seaforth - the world's best, 'Stella Maris' !

The Final Cut

Click HERE for a video of the hugely successful event on 23rd February in Seaforth.

Countdown to the Gladstone Unveiling

With less than a week to go now until the unveiling of the Gladstone Memorial in Seaforth on Saturday 23rd February last minute preparations are being made for this historic event.  The statue of Gladstone, seen here, by Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy, will be unveiled in a ceremony by Frank Field MP.

Tom Murphy (seen below with Brenda Murray and stone mason Thomas Smith) said this week: "Gladstone and Brenda Murray have a lot in common; determination, fortitude and tireless energy dedicated to the task in hand. Mrs Murray has the gift of bringing local history to life. Like her hero, Gladstone, she is one of Seaforth's greatest doers and advocates for the town.  I have enjoyed working with Brenda to create the most  accurate likeness we could so that this great man can be seen at his zenith."

Gladstone Memorial To Be Unveiled 23rd February

Star of the Sea Church, Seaforth

The Gladstone Memorial, which is the culmination of the work of the Seaglam Project, will be unveiled on Saturday 23rd February at noon by Rt. Hon. Frank Field MP in the grounds of the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Crescent Road, Seaforth, Liverpool L21.

All are invited and a buffet lunch will be served.  Further information will appear in the local press.

Click on this link to read an excellent article on the project in The Guardian written by Martin Wainwright.

Seaglam Concert, 20th November: Tickets Now Available

Deadline Approaches to Enter the Gladstone Competition

A memorial to William Gladstone will be erected in the grounds of Star of the Sea Church, Seaforth, at the end of October.  SEAGLAM have launched a spectacular competition for 9 to 16 year olds, offering 2 prizes of £20 each.

To enter either
(1) write a history of Seaforth or
(2) make a painting or drawing or model of W.E. Gladstone
or of a special Seaforth scene.

Entries should be sent, between 5 and 7 September, to: 
Mr Lawrence Crilly, 
Rimrose Hope Primary School 
Sandy Road, Seaforth
Merseyside
L21 1AD


For further information contact
Brenda Murray at: brendamurray300@gmail.com

Some Portraits of The Gladstone Family

The Brothers and Sisters of Gladstone
Top: Anne Mackenzie (1802-29)
and Thomas (1804-89)
Bottom: William Ewart with his sister
Helen Jane (1814-80)

The Parents of William Ewart Gladstone
John Gladstone (1764-1851) and
Anne Robertson Gladstone (1772-1835)