AnglOrony

Strawberry Field famous red gate in the pre-Christmas period. The Beatles recorded the song, Strawberry Fields Forever , in 1967 and when they became popular again in the late 1990's it became one of the must-see Beatles’ sites in Liverpool.   It relates to John Lennon childhood memories when he used to sneak into the Strawberry Field old parkland over the fence behind his childhood home, to play with the boys who resided in the old house.   Strawberry Field's original Victorian house was a gift in the 1930s to the Salvation Army which owns it to this day.  For nearly 70 years it served as home for destitute and troubled children.  The old house is no more. The cost of renovating the old mansion would have been too expensive. It had been better to obliterate its existence, and built a modern pavilion with well-maintained pathways and flower-beds. On these grounds, young John came to play regularly, much to his aunt, Mimi, annoyance, who had thought that...

Tom Bilyeu started his channel, Impact Theory , in 2018. His interviews have a good Sunday morning feeling and - he wears really cool Tshirts for each programme. They correspond with the guest main field of expertise and the topic of conversation. The host invites, what he calls, self-experimentals , people who are keen to ask questions about life, how to manage it, and what is more important, they find life-changing answers.  But who is Tom Bilyeu? A co-founder of Quest Nutrition , a startup company, now valued at over one billion dollars . He is a man on a mission, to promote a mission-based business , not only for a profit. Improving the world and people in it is a praiseworthy intent, indeed. His business, as well as personal interest, is to address 'the dual pandemics of physical and mental malnourishment'. The channel goes under the motivational category . The loose talk is set to inspire the audience, listening to successful entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists,...

It is a misconception that small little towns, like Chorley, have nothing to offer for a tourist visit. There are treasures scattered around the country waiting to be discovered. We believe in it and we believed that  Chorley would reveal one for us as well.  Squeezed between M61 and M6, one of the little towns of the North-West , with populations of around 35,000, Chorley can be walked through the main street and its area pretty much in half an hour.  Up until the 1970s, the skyline here was dominated by many  factory chimneys,  now demolished.  There are some remnants of the industrial past but we could not spot a single one. It is a shame that towns like this lose their unique character.  Instead, we found some peculiar figures near Chorley bus station . They won't be here for long, as well, hopefully, in this case. Located on the edge of the  Lancashire Coalfield , Chorley had been immersed in coal mining for decades. There had been a nu...

An early November walk (just before the second lockdown, and with Liverpool in Tier 3) got us into the  Sailors Church , the iconic St Nick's as it is fondly named by the Liverpooldians. It is one of the oldest sites in the city, marking its seafaring history and heritage. We have taken a quick peek inside. The interior is solemn but modest, bearing in mind this is the main parish church of Liverpool. The coping is truly impressive and it looks like an upside-down boat. The church had served the sailors arriving and leaving the port, for decades, if not centuries. Maritime themes continue in the sideway vaults.  Going through the church's scenic garden, passing the Tower entrance to  Ma Boyle's  alehouse and eatery, now serving only takeaways, it was not hard to notice some serious construction work on  Water Street . The massive refurbishment of the historic India Buildings takes some time now, and certainly, it will look splendid in all its original glory. P...

Towering steep into the sky, narrowly built, gloomy, powerful, dangerous, emanating some dark energy.  They had started to be erected some 20 years ago, symbols of exponential power of money. Murky businesses are going on behind those glassy walls. Some led to the global financial crisis in 2008, dealing with - what Warren Buffet called - 'weapons of mass destruction' - derivatives and futures - tools in stock trading.  Through the power of money they forced technology to serve money grabbing purpose, using algorithms, Artificial Intelligence and 5G are able to run stock market transaction. Milliseconds are vital for their activities. Transferring money that the ordinary people cannot even and ever imagine. In truth, they run not only the economy but politics too. It was all down to them to give the go ahead with Brexit as presented in the excellent the Spider Web documentary . As clearly suggested, British Empire still operates under cover of those glass and steel towers. I...

Continuing our walk just check where you are on the map...  We are passing  St John Gardens , landscaped from a former cemetery with  grand  memorial statues. You may want to peep towards  Queensway Tunnel , regarded as one of the great engineering feats. At the time of its opening in 1934, it was the  longest underwater tunnel in the world.  Just notice two statues overlooking the tunnel entrance, one is to Queen Mary and the other is to King George V . There were massive crowds at the opening, you me see the photos in many Liverpool pubs and other places.  A scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 was filmed in the tunnel, with Hagrid and Harry on a flying motorbike or something.  Also the chase scene for Fast & Furious 6   was shot here. Locals say it is haunted - many have seen a woman's ghost on a motorbike, or an old fashioned 1960's police car has been seen driving in the tunnel. Perhaps it a...

This walk takes around one hour. So if you have only a wee hour, this is what we would recommend - for the city centre essential tour and a very quick walk. Starting and finishing point - Liverpool Lime Street Station . Lime Street Station  is the place where the greatest revolution in transport took place, and it is the oldest railway station still in use in the world. Opened in 1836, a year before Queen Victoria started her long rule, it served first railway passengers ever. The line linked Liverpool and Manchester, the first industrial city in the world. First post mail in the world was sent by train from Lime Street. Its vast iron and glass arched roof and massive red columns are the characteristics of the station and mark the unique construction methods developed at the start of the Industrial Revolution . One of the first locomotives to be used at that time, the Lion , is on display in the Museum of Liverpool . Next to the station is the grand building...