Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and National Museums Liverpool have received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support a collaborative project looking at two important heritage sites on LSTM’s campus.
Galkoff’s and the Secret Life of Pembroke Place is a project that will, over the coming months, investigate the history of Court Housing and the former Galkoff’s butchers shop, situated opposite LSTM’s original 1914 building. Development funding of £52,400 has been awarded to help LSTM and National Museums Liverpool carry out exploratory work with local people and organisations to progress plans and apply for a full grant next year.
Assistant Mayor and City Centre Councillor Nick Small said, "I'm really pleased the grant has been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This will allow all the partners involved to develop an excellent project and involve members of the public, as well as building a strong case for further support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.”
If successful in attracting further funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project will undertake extensive research into both sites on Pembroke Place, revealing stories of life in this area from the late 19th century to present day. Archaeological investigations will unearth evidence of how people lived in the Court Housing, the only example left in Liverpool and one of the few examples of this housing type that remains in the UK.
The proposed project would see the removal of Galkoff’s historic tiles from a rapidly deteriorating building, conduct essential conservation works and remount the tiles in a new installation, alongside a Secret Life of Pembroke Place display within The People’s Republic gallery at the Museum of Liverpool.
Galkoff’s butchers shop opened in 1907 and was a supplier of kosher foods to the passenger ships that sailed to and from Liverpool including Titanic. The 1930s green faience tiles are a distinctive feature on Pembroke Place, but have been falling off the derelict building over the past 20 years. There is now an opportunity to give this historically important local business a prominent place in the city’s award-winning Museum of Liverpool, which receives about 750,000 visitors each year.Education activities, including workshops and talks will also allow the public and local schools to learn more about this unique history and become involved with the project.
Janet Dugdale, Director of the Museum of Liverpool, said: “We're very pleased to have been granted a first round pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund for this important project. Exploration of both the beautiful frontage of Galkoff's and the remains of court housing at the rear, will unlock fascinating information about the people who lived in and around the area.
"Our curators and dedicated project team will be working closely with LSTM and the local community on this next stage to build a deeper understanding of the work required to create a meaningful interpretation and legacy of both Galkoff’s and Pembroke Place."
All work will be supported by a team of volunteers. Janet continues: “We are particularly interested in working with people from Liverpool's Jewish community and local historians who are familiar with the area and may have knowledge of the secret life of Pembroke Place. We have a public consultation event taking place at the Museum of Liverpool on Sunday 18 September 2016 at 2pm, so please do also contact us if you would like to attend to discover more about the project, provide feedback or register as a volunteer.”
Email enquiries about the project and becoming a volunteer can be sent to: museumofliverpool@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk