Our thanks go to members of the Ventre family who have traced their family tree back to the 1700s and managed to get a lot of this information from the parish church in Picinisco, when they visited Italy. The photo shows Joseph Ventre (their Great, Great Grandfather) with his son Anthony (born in Picinisco 1868) his three daughters, Mary, Esther and Maria Laura (born in Picinisco 1870).
Joseph who was born in Picinisco in 1836 lived with his family in 80 Gerard Street. He was a lodging housekeeper and musician. Joseph's first wife, Rosalia, died and Joseph married a Caroline Synagoga in1883. They had three more children. However, Joseph died in 1895 and left Caroline to bring up the family alone.
There is more than a distinct possibility that former residents of the Little Italy area of Liverpool and members of the Italian community who lived in the Bull Ring area of Liverpool will have either shopped at or have been very familiar with the existence of P Galkoff Family Butcher in Pembroke Place.
Pictured is an Italian marble counter that also acted as a way of keeping the food cool. The base was a large wooden structure that had to be removed because of its condition.
The Scottie Press is adding its support to the efforts of Rob Ainsworth who has been trying for over 16 years to repair property in Pembroke Place once occupied by
P Galkoffs Family Butcher. Rob is very concerned about the delay and that that Georgian property next door (dating back to 1820) has been demolished and has caused damage to the shop.
Efforts to protect the building's history have seen Rob raise the repairs needed with quite a number of organisations the latest of which is English Heritage who visited the property on Wed 29th March 2006. The Conservation Officer has explained that English Heritage should take around 4 to 8 weeks to decide whether or not the building can be listed.
We will be updating news about the plight of the shop and encourage readers to visit the websites listed below on which there is a lot more information about P Galkoff Family Butcher is supplied.
http://www.geocities.com/galky1/pages/pembrokeplace.html
If you would like to support Rob Ainsworth email galkoff@btopenworld.com
Dear Scottie Press, I'm wondering whether you can help, I have Italian ancestors that came to Liverpool in the latter part of the 19th century. I have read the Little Italy publication (fitting commemoration to a Liverpool community) and found no mention of them in it, which does not surprise me because they came over around 1870 as mariners and married English girls but I was wondering whether there are any references to them in the initial research of Little Italy They resided at varying addresses from Scarlet Street to Soho Street, Brisbane Street and Rockingham Street. Their names were Angelo Palombella and Sevario Palombella. Sevario Palombella stayed in the north end of Liverpool and produced many children, who throughout the generations have become a large family spread out across the whole of Liverpool. Angelo did move on over to Bolton but I suppose my main interest would be Saverio as he would be my Great, Great grandfather. By the way great website. Regards Mark Hart
Dear Scottie Press, I have just found the section on Little Italy on your website. I am descended from Francesco Riozzi who together with his wife Maria (nee Ferriti) came to Liverpool about 1888. They were in "Little Italy" Birmingham before settling in Liverpool and like most of the Italians in Liverpool they came from Picinsico north of Cassino. Francesco and Maria's children were Pasquale (married Angelina) Maria Antonia (married Cece), Matteo, Biagio (also called William), Seraphina, Guiseppe, Domenico and Domenica.
Francesco ran a lodging house in Wilton Street and also a street organ business. The family married into the Silvano and Ventre families. My great grandfather Biagio, but was always called William, ran 2 ice cream shops in Bolton at the turn of the century.
Pasquale and Angelina Riozzi are the couple that are referred to by Madeline (Riozzi) Wilson. Pasquel is shown on the extreme left of the group photo and Biagio Riozzi, his brother is in the second photo. TONY KEHOE - Kehoeaj@aol.com
|
|
We took an opportunity to photograph a fine mosaic, which is located in the front entrance door of the Vines Pub (Lime Street) Liverpool. Albert B. Vines opened the pub in 1867. In 1907, Walkers took over and rebuilt it in this exuberant baroque style. The architect was a very interesting character; Walter Thomas.
MARBLE HALL MOSAIC
|
|
The Marble Hall Hotel is situated on the corner of Naylor Street and Vauxhall Road, Liverpool 3. This popular (Threlfall's) local pub closed several years ago and reopened as an equally popular Café. The necessary conversion changes made to the interior design of the Café did not remove the entrance door mosaic. We are pleased to add this example of mosaic work to this web page and welcome hearing from readers who can advise the Scottie Press where other such mosaics can be located and photographed. We also welcome receiving pictures of mosaics - terrazzo and marble work for this web page.
IMPERIAL CHAMBERS MOSAIC
A fine example of mosaic work can be seen at the entrance to Imperial Chambers (64 Dale Street, Liverpool 2). As can be seen in the photo such works often go unnoticed. Hopefully as greater awareness of these works of art is raised the more they will be recognised. And equally hopefully the more examples will be highlighted etc.
It is a belief of the Scottie Press that so much of the mosaic - terrazzo - marble work history, heritage of Liverpool has been lost over the years to redevelopment and no more so than in Liverpool's city-centre. We recently called into the Lion Tavern at the junction of Moorfields and Tithebarn Street to photograph what was at one time a very familiar sight in the bars of Liverpool. Mosaic designs inside doorways and on sections of flooring. We welcome hearing from readers who may be able to advise the Scottie Press where other such works can be located and photographed. Email ronformby@scottiepress.org
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 it was decided to build a Monument to the late monarch. The structure, which is sited in Derby Square was designed by F. M. Simpson, the first Professor of Architecture at Liverpool University. The Sculptor was Charles Allen, the Vice-Principal of the Municipal School of Art. The Queen's statue was unveiled in 1906 by Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter. It has been well documented that the monument, which withstood the blitz bombing of the Second World War has in more recent years suffered from graffiti vandalism and there have been a number of clean-ups with greater a lesser success.
As this year is the 100th Anniversary of the 1906 unveiling of the Queen Victoria Statue it is felt that a serious restoration of monument is needed if it is to be a sizeable feature of visitor attraction in Capital of Culture year 2008. The restoration should include the mosaic map of the world returned above the head of the statue. The original map is believed to have been made by former Italian residents of Liverpool's Little Italy Area.
On Thursday 9th February 2006 the Scottie Press visited The Merseyside Forum (For Sculture, Painting and Allied Arts) where we spoke to Executive Manager, Terence McGunigle. Terence is on the right of the centre photograph above which, with the photograph above right, shows a small amount of a much larger quantity of the pieces of mosaic that originally made up the atlas map. The Scottie Press will be seeking ways by which these mosaic pieces can be used in the restoration process and thank Terence for his support for, and encouragement with this project. We also look forward to featuring more news and information about The Merseyside Forum on this web page. If you would like to find out more about The Merseyside Forum and the work it does, etc. then please email terry.mcgunigle@ukonline.co.uk or telephone Terry on 07904 748 725.
Our thanks go to Francesca Carrotta for providing this web page with a photo of Vincent Pinto Ruggero who lived in Philadelphia (USA) and is pictured with his uncle, James Carrotta. The photograph was taken in Liverpool (1917) when America entered into the First World War (1914-1918).
Francesca told the Scottie Press that James Carrotta was her Great Grandfather and his family settled in Liverpool's Little Italy and then some members of the family went on to America and settled in New York and Philadelphia. They ended up with a Blue Berry Farm and Trucking Company.
James Carrotta worked in a Sugar Refinery in Liverpool as a manager and this would tend to suggest he worked for Tate & Lyle.
Francesca has been able to trace her family back to Sicily and when they took the ship from Naples in the late 19th Century to come to Liverpool and then onto America.
Our thanks go to Philip Toborne for providing this webpage with three photos which picture his Grandfather, Philip Joseph Toborne, his Grandfather's sister Madeline and his Grandfather's I.D. Card. Philip is unsure as to who the two other ladies are on the photo with his Grandfather's sister. We welcome hearing from readers who can identify the faces.
Philip told the Scottie Press that his Great-Grandfather (Giovanni Joseph Toborne) lived at 35 Marybone in 1901 and some 100 years later Philip (who now works in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire) lived in Cheapside, which is just around the corner. Philip's Grandfather, Philip Toborne Snr, was a cooper on the Docks for 50 years and one of his brothers did Terrazzo work for Diespeker and also for a company called Talbex Northern Ltd.
Philip has advised the Scottie Press that he will try to collate as much information as he knows about the Toborne family and forward details on to us. We thank Philip for his support of the 'Scouse Italians - Little Italy Project' and welcome hearing from readers who may have Italian family photos and information they'd like to feature on this webpage. Email ronformby@scottiepress.org
The Scottie Press recently visited the Grade 2 Listed India Buildings as part of our eforts to acknowledge the mosaic - terrazzo and marbel men of Liverpool. This immense Water Street office block was built (1924-31) for the Blue Funnel Line at a cost of £1,250,000 and designed by Herbert J Rowse with Briggs, Wostenholme and Thorneley. Rowse won the commission in competition, and it launched his career. Occupying a whole block between Water Street and Brunswick Street, it has stripped classical facades of great dignity and refinement, typical of North American architecture of the 1920s, with which Rowse was familiar.
Italian Renaissance detail is restricted to the top and bottom storeys. A barrel-vaulted arcade flanked by shops runs through the centre of the ground floor, another American feature. The building was badly damaged in the war, and restored under Rowse's supervision.
Dieseker Ltd (of Rumford Place, Liverpool 3) were responsible for installation of Terrazzo work and this work was done by former residents of Liverpool's Little Italy.
In the year 1900 a Father Alfred Jeanrenaud, popularly known as Father John, became the Parish Priest of the then St Philip Neri parish. It was during his tenure that a new church was built in Catherine Street, Liverpool 8.
Father John wanted this new church to be something a bit different. During a visit to Italy he fell in love with St Mark's in Venice and decided to put a little bit of Venice into Catherine Street. The building of the present church commenced just before the First World War, and after a long suspension was finished in 1920. The architect was Francis Xavier Velarde. Before his death in 1929, Father John had the satisfaction of seeing the marble and mosaic decoration in place.
St Philip Neri Church is now the Catholic Chaplaincy to the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University. In September 2003, Father Ian McParland was appointed chaplain. Grateful thanks, is given to Father Ian for allowing the Scottie Press to photograph the interior of the church and we picture below the very fine examples of the marble and mosaic decoration.
It is recorded that no fewer than 134 mosaic and terrazzo craftsmen were living in the Islington, Gerard Street, Hunter Street area in 1901. As the tiling was laid during Father John's tenure at St Philip Neri Church, and in particular during the years 1914 to 1920 it is quite probable rather than possible that these craftsmen were used. We welcome hearing from readers who may be able to confirm this and provide this website with additional information.
On Friday 3rd March (2006) English Heritage awarded a grant of £72,000 to St Philip Neri Church in order that the mosaic tiling in the Grade 2 Listed building can be repaired and protected. Henry-Owen John, the English Heritage regional director for the North West said: "Places of worship are close to the heartbeat of our communities. That is why so many people rally round to save them".