» Day 2—Part 3: So Many Layers Continued: A Visit and Dinner at the Athenaeum Liverpool
This is the fourth blog post in a series written by Georgette Mayo, Avery Research Center’s Processing Archivist, reflecting on her trip to London and Liverpool in October 2024.
After a break that allowed the delegation to explore the city briefly, we reunited at The Athenaeum, a private club that hosts a Newsroom, library, and dining room.
The general manager, Roy Boardman, greeted our delegation and briefly explained the institution’s history. The original Athenaeum, located on Church Street, was founded in 1797 to provide a meeting place for members to learn and exchange ideas in a congenial setting. They remained in that building for 150 years. By 1866, the City Council sought to expand the area surrounding Church Street and requested that the Athenaeum’s relocate. After lengthy negotiations and constructing a new building in 1928, the Athenaeum resides at its present site in Church Alley.
The librarian displayed various maps of Liverpool dating back to the 1700s. The maps indicate the city’s growth and the establishment of historic landmarks.
Afterward, we toured their library. I became so engrossed in their rare books that I lost track of time (and the delegation) and was briefly locked inside the stacks!
When Boardman mentioned there was an American Confederate outpost in Liverpool during the Civil War, the information surprised the delegation. It piqued my curiosity to research further upon my return to Charleston. My findings will be mentioned in a future blog entry.
We were then introduced to Linda Iley, an Athenaeum Proprietor (note: women could not serve as Proprietors until 1996). During her welcome and brief presentation, Iley disclosed that a fellow Proprietor, Ann Hughes, and she were traveling to the States in November to speak at the Charleston Library Society. This information drew my interest, and I requested to sit next to her during dinner.
Iley regaled us with stories about attending the Liverpool Institute, the same school Paul McCartney and George Harrison attended (aka one-half of the Beatles whose hometown is Liverpool). She also shared her love of music, history, and travel. There will be more about Iley in an upcoming blog entry when she visits Charleston.
Not discussed during our visit but of interest on the Liverpool Athenaeum website is their “Liverpool Black History Research Group.” This group investigates the business dealings of the first 250 shareholders and their possible involvement in the slave trade economy.
Image Credits
- Georgette Mayo, “The Athenaeum Liverpool plaque,” personal photograph.
- Ibid., “Map: ‘A Plan of Liverpool 1725,'” personal photograph.
- Ibid., “Map: “A Plan of the Town of Liverpool with Late Improvements 1796,” personal photograph.
- Ibid., “Lost in the Stacks,” personal photograph.
- Ibid., “Linda Iley, Athenaeum Proprietor, with Glenis Redmond, Poet Laureate of Greenville, South Carolina,” personal photograph.