Sherlockian Sojourns #38: ‘Wasting Our Energies in Liverpool’

“I would not have you waste your energies in East Ham or Liverpool. I am sure that we can find some shorter cut to a result” – Sherlock Holmes  [VALL]

 

An unusual sojourn in that I was accompanied by a Sherlockian friend. Having spent the morning at a ‘Doctor Who’ exhibition at the World Museum in Liverpool, our plan was to spend the afternoon visiting filming sites and canonical locations in central Liverpool, which has featured extensively in the Granada dramatisations and in the recent Netflix drama ‘The Irregulars’.

First stop was two minutes up William Brown Street to the Liverpool Central Library, which appeared as ‘The Hippodrome Theatre’ in Episode 2 of ‘The Irregulars’.

A little further up was the Walker Art Gallery, which appeared as ‘The Lyceum Theatre’ in the Granada dramatisation of ‘The Sign of Four’, being where Holmes and Watson waited with Watson’s future wife, Mary Morstan, at the ‘third pillar from the left’.

 

Continuing up to the crossroads and turning right, we reached St. George’s Hall which features as the Palace Steps in ‘The Irregulars’ and as a Court in the Granada ‘Thor Bridge’.  (It also features as itself in ‘Doctor Who: Survivors of the Flux’, the fifth episode of the thirteenth series).

   

 

Retracing our steps, we passed the World Museum, crossing the main road, and making for the Waterfront. Three-quarters of the way there, we turned up a side street, made a few more turns, until we reached Ormond Street which was used as a Victorian street in ‘The Irregulars’.

 

Following this road through, and after a few more turns, we reached Liverpool Town Hall, whose impressive Staircase Hall appears as the interior of the Palace in ‘The Irregulars’. Unfortunately, due to it being a Sunday there was no admittance, so we had to take photos from outside.

 

     

Returning to the main street, we continued to the Waterfront, with two buildings initially being of interest. The first was the Cunard Building which the Police visit in ‘The Cardboard Box’ in search of Jim Browner, and the second was the Port of Liverpool Building, whose impressive atrium appears in Granada’s ‘The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax’. Unfortunately, they were both also closed, but I managed to get an ineffectual photo through the doors at the latter.

 

  

“It had been ascertained at the shipping offices that Browner had left aboard of the May Day, and I calculate that she is due in the Thames tomorrow night” – Sherlock Holmes  [CARD]

We then briefly visited the Museum of Liverpool (for the second time that day, having gone there in error earlier for the DW exhibition) as it appears repeatedly in Series 13 of ‘Doctor Who’, even getting selfies with the Fab Four statues as a Sontaran had in one episode.

Continuing along the Waterfront we reached the Albert Dock, once famous for being where the daytime TV programme ‘This Morning’ was transmitted (with a floating weather map). Holmes visited this dock in ‘The Five Orange Pips’, with Lestrade doing so in ‘The Cardboard Box’.

    

“The Lone Star had arrived here last week. I went down to the Albert Dock and found that she had been taken down the river by the early tide this morning, homeward bound to Savannah” – Sherlock Holmes [FIVE]

“I went down to the Albert Dock yesterday at 6 p.m., and boarded the S.S. May Day, belonging to the Liverpool, Dublin, and London Steam Packet Company. On enquiry, I found that there was a steward on board of the name of James Browner” - Inspector G. Lestrade  [CARD]

 

Having visited a nearby shopping centre (which also featured in DW Series 13) and the Liverpool branch of Forbidden Planet, we found ourselves at a bombed out church which appeared in ‘Doctor Who: Once, Upon Time’ (which guest-starred Thaddea Graham, star of ‘The Irregulars’). It was at this point that my colleague decided to bow out, due to suffering from pain in his hip from all the walking, related to an underlying health issue. I therefore went on alone for my final stops of the day.

A ten minute walk (past a sign to Williamson’s Tunnels which played an important part in DW: Series 13) brought me to Falkner Street, which appeared as ‘Baker Street’ in ‘The Irregulars’. I was aware that ‘221b’ was opposite a particular side-road, which helped as the row of houses had three with identical blue doors. I even managed to grab a quick selfie in front of the correct door.

   

Walking to the end of Falkner Street, I turned right, and after around five minutes found myself at Canning Street, which appeared as another street in ‘The Irregulars’.

I could then not find the next local street that I wanted, but finally found myself on Hope Street, for my final ‘The Irregulars’ street of the day.

At the end of this road was Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, which appeared in ‘Doctor Who: Once, Upon Time’.

 

A possible jaunt to Sefton Park and the Palm House that features as the aviary in the cinematic ending of the first episode of ‘The Irregulars’ was cancelled due to time constraints. I therefore slowly made my way back to the car park behind the World Museum, rejoining my friend, to drive back to his home in Nottinghamshire.