Plea to bring sailors home gates back to Liverpool

Dec 28 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

AN ORNATE set of gates celebrating Liverpool’s maritime tradition which were lost to the Midlands more than 50 years ago could be back on their way to the city during the Capital of Culture celebrations.

Known as the Sailor’s Gates, the Henry Pooley Gates were originally installed in the city’s old Sailors Home. in 1850.

However, after the Sailors Home was badly damaged in World War II, they were given to the Avery Historical Museum, Birmingham, in 1951.

Veteran campaigner Gabriel Muies has been lobbying the city council and developers Grosvenor to include the Henry Pooley Gates in a memorial garden in the new Liverpool One development.

Council leader Warren Bradley has written to Sandwell Council, which covers that area, to start discussions to secure the return of the gates.

It is now hoped that the gates could be back in Liverpool during the 08 celebrations.

The gates were originally cast in Liverpool by a local firm Henry Pooley and Sons in 1840, and installed in the home 10 years later.

They had to be removed in the late1940s in order to repair war damage following the Blitz.

The building itself, which sat on a pocket of land now being developed into Liverpool One, was demolished in the 1970s in the face of increasing repair costs.

Henry Pooley and Sons merged with W and T Avery in 1931 and as a consequence the gates were offered to W and T Avery and relocated to the museum.

Rod Holmes, project director for Grosvenor, said: “We have given an undertaking that if we can get hold of them we will install the gates in a memorial garden.

“I really hope we can get the gates back. It would have been great this year in the city’s 800th birthday, but hopefully we can do so in the Capital of Culture year.”

Cllr Bradley wrote: “There is now a considerable body of opinion locally that efforts should be made to secure the return of the gates to the city, if possible, in time for its year as European Capital of Culture, as a memorial to the merchant seaman who lost their lives during both World Wars.

“Preliminary discussions have consequently taken place with Grosvenor Limited regarding the possibility of erecting the gates within a memorial garden to be laid out within the Liverpool One development, close to the site of the original Sailors Home.”

“I am advised that the consent of your council as a local planning authority will also be required for the removal of the gates from their current location given that they are now listed as part of the Soho Foundry site, and I would like to be in a position to ask my officers to liaise with your own officers in relation to the procedural aspects of securing all necessary consents.

“There are obviously costs associated for which sources of funding have yet to be identified, and so, before proceeding further, I would welcome your own thoughts on the general principle of restoring the gates to their original location.”

Sandwell Council’s regeneration leader, Cllr Bob Badham, said: “We can confirm we have had this request from Liverpool City Council and obviously it will need to be discussed in detail with all parties concerned.”

davidbartlett