Student flats to be built on ghost-myth site

 Haunted?: The Church of St. Andrew.
Image ©2011 Adam Wareing

A CHURCH RUIN in Liverpool City Centre — believed to be haunted — is set to be turned into 100 student flats, but a developer says: “There is no ‘presence‘.”

The Church of St. Andrew, on Rodney Street, sits adjacent to the Mackenzie Monument.

Local folklore claims that William Mackenzie lost his soul to the devil at poker, and that his body sits upright, at a card table inside the pyramid —  to cheat Lucifer by not being buried in the ground.  

However, Tracy Russell, of Penlake Ltd, the company that will provide the accommodation, said: “There is no fact in the myth.”

She claimed that although Mackenzie was a very wealthy man, he was not a gambler.

Tracy also revealed that she had consulted a paranormal enthusiast to help dispel the ghost story and claimed: “There is no ‘presence’ at the site at all.”

She added: “The myth is something that has been generated over the years...for entertainment.”

The sandstone exterior of the church is set to be fully restored, and the flats will be built inside the existing structure. 

Part of a monumental myth?: Mackenzie’s tomb. 
Image ©2011 Adam Wareing

The protected area around the tomb will be cleaned up, landscaped and separated from the accommodation.

Liverpool author, Tom Slemen, wrote in Haunted Liverpool 1 about the “Rodney Street Spectre“. 

He stated: “I do think that many of the sightings and encounters are with Mr Mackenzie.”

In the book, he tells the story of 68-year-old Dr Lionel Harland, from 1871.

He wrote: “Mackenzie’s face looked as if it was lit up by a red flame, and his eyes were ink-black and lifeless. As the doctor shivered, the figure in black walked straight through the wall of the cemetery.”  

Rachael Sumner, 27, a student at Liverpool John Moores University, said: “Personally, I don’t know if I would live there, but I can see why it would appeal to some people.

“I imagine it would be a lot of fun for a group of friends to live there, knowing about the supposed ghost. People like to be scared.”  

The project is being undertaken by Middle England Developments, who are managed by Penlake, and it is expected that the renovation will be completed “on or before 1st September, 2012”, according to a document available online from propertyfrontiers.com.

Howard Skempton joins a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra in bringing the crypt to life

Tales from the crypt: Howard Skempton conducts the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra.
Image ©2011 Adam Wareing

THE UNIQUE a.P.A.t.T Orchestra infused life into the Lutyens’ Crypt Concert Room, at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral last week, with help from renowned Chester-born composer Howard Skempton.

Mr. Skempton, who formed the Scratch Orchestra in the 1960s, won the prize for ‘best chamber-scale composition’ by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2005 for his string quartet piece Tendrils.

He said: “Working with the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra was inspiring and heart-warming. Everyone was friendly in a special Liverpudlian way.”

The ‘open-ended’ ensemble, who comprised around 40 members on the night, are an extension of avant-garde Liverpool band a.P.A.t.T.

The concert, Beneath the Ground, included the world premier of Hope Street Melodies, an intoxicating work, written by Mr. Skempton especially for the evening.

Two of his shorter pieces, Lament and Air Melody, were also performed. 

The orchestra also gave a rendition of the swirling In C by Terry Riley, and debuted The Spiral Staircase, a melancholic, and at times fittingly doom-laden work, composed by a.P.A.t.T.’s Jonathan Hering.

Jonathan revealed that the piece took inspiration from ideas in Mark Z. Danielewski's book House of Leaves.

He said: “I wanted to musically represent the concept of 'descent'.” 

He added: “It was an absolute joy working with Howard.”

Another a.P.A.t.T. founding member, Stephen Cole, a.k.a General Midi, spoke about the orchestra’s ever-changing roster.

“It’s such a drop-in kind of centre. People can come and go…so its always interesting to see what the orchestra’s going to be and sound like.”

He also said that the group are always seeking challenges, both as writers and musicians.

The aim, according to the group’s blog, was to utilise the crypt’s acoustics and imposing physical space to “consider concepts of depth, resonance and claustrophobia”.

General Midi said: “Being in a pub and playing is not always the best way to get a lot of music across, particularly this style, so we find interesting venues that may inform or command the piece. This is an amazing sounding building — it’s been designed for things like this.”

About writing Hope Street Melodies, Howard Skempton said: “I was aware that the crypt would be the venue and was certainly influenced by images I found on a website.”

He also said: “I'm inspired by the seriousness and commitment of Jon Hering.”

This concert was the third of the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra’s four-part Lottery-funded series called Musical Settings.

Previous performances have been at Liverpool’s World Museum and Sefton Park’s bandstand.  

The final part of the series, Beyond the Physical, takes place on February 29th at FACT.