Yesterday Liverpool celebrated its 800th birthday with street parties, parades, shows, and an unforgettable firework display to round off the celebrations.
The firework display was quite simply the most amazing firework display I’ve ever seen, beating that 4th of July firework display in Boston (USA) back in 2000. Fireworks were fired from the top of the Liver (pronounced Ly’ver) building, the catholic cathedral and the church of England cathedral, as well as a barge on the river Mersey.
The £250,000 ($501,950) 18 minute display was timed to perfection and set to music that was broadcast around the city and on a local radio station. I was proud to have a personal connection as one of my friends, James, was on the team responsible for the fireworks on the catholic cathedral.
I took up a position on the riverside at Birkenhead just before 10pm. I had my camera at the ready but only the discovered that I had forgotten to take a memory card with me, so none of these pictures were taken by me, but in truth I doubt that my shots would have been anywhere near as good.
What these photographs fail to give you a sense of was the enormity of the display that stretched across the entire city in perfect time. It truly was a beautiful awesome spectacle. I might have missed it had it not been for a text message that James sent me in the morning reminding me that the display was happening.
It’s hard to think of Liverpool in terms of being 800 years old but King John founded the port of Liverpool in 1207 after England had conquered Ireland and was in need of another port to send men and supplies across the Irish Sea.
The city is currently undergoing extensive redevelopment and regeneration hoping to further establish itself as one of Britain’s premier cities. If developers have their way the Liverpool riverside skyline will look more like Honk Kong and New York in the future. A series of ambitious plans have proposed a number of skyscrapers for the riverside that will dwarf the current ‘three graces’ that stand on the banks of the river Mersey.
I don’t feel as connected to Liverpool as I once used to when I used to get the ferry across the Mersey to work every day. I am after all a ‘southerner’ hailing from the South East of England not the North West where I now live. But nonetheless it’s been my closest city for years now, just 6 miles away, and as such a part of me feels connected to Liverpool and that part was proud to see the fireworks light up the sky on it’s 800th birthday.
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City skies dazzle with the best fireworks, ever
Liverpool (Where is it?)
Fantastic Fireworks company
Wrote the following comment on Aug 30, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Glad you enjoyed it – it was a lot of hard work to set up but it is always worthwhile when the audience reacts the way they did in Liverpool on Tuesday night. Thanks to Steve Boothman at Fantastic Fireworks for organisising yet another memorable show.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 30, 2007 at 1:47 pm
So, are the locals succumbing to NIMBYism over the proposed construction the way Portlanders have over condo development and the South Waterfront?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 30, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Does the spiral thingy in the center of the one building and the two fan-looking deals atop two of the others turn in the breeze in the new Liverpool?
Wrote the following comment on Aug 30, 2007 at 3:58 pm
About NIMBYism, I think everywhere is succumbing to that. I personally would love to see Liverpool develop into something like the artists impressions, though in reality I doubt it will happen on anywhere near that scale due in no small part to the fact that Liverpool seems to always be governed by fools.
To answer Matt’s question. I know the huge turbines are a representation of the desire to use clean renewable energy. I hope that becomes a reality.
Wrote the following comment on Sep 3, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Can’t comprehend 800 years! Thanks for sharing, you always write posts that shows what’s in your head and on your heart.
Wrote the following comment on Sep 5, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Hi Simon, great photos… just as well you forgot your memory card!!
Wrote the following comment on Sep 9, 2007 at 8:15 am
Those fireworks look absolutely amazing.