JMS and the Liver Birds of Liverpool

The liver bird is the symbol of Livirpool and has been since the city was given its Royal Charter by Henry III in 1207. 

The term 'Liver Birds'  has for years reflected the antics of 'Liverpudlian lasses', encapsulated on the small screen in the 70's BBC series of that name. Click the image (right) for a clip.

The young factory workers at the Binns Road Maccano / Hornby works might well have stepped out in lively Liverpudlian fashion at the end of their shift. 

The latest and arguably the most splendid Liver Bird was unveiled this month on the site of the old Meccano factory.

The bird was designed by celebrated artist Emma Rodgers (above), then constructed from 'Meccano pieces' fabricated by Art Fabrication. Andy Langly of Art Fabrication in turn introduced JMS Midlands to engineer the steelwork fabrication and its stylish foundations.

The project was to celebrate the inventor of Meccano and Hornby - Frank Hornby who was born in Liverpool and whose factory dominated the site now transformed into the new Liverpool Shopping Park where Emma's 11 meter tall Liver Bird stands proud.

The model Emma is holding above has been sitting proudly in the JMS Nuneaton office. Andy Kenyon did try to get hold of its big sister, but failed ... thank goodness.

Click on Andy's image right (as he attempts to switch off the CCTV) for a link to a time lapse video of the installation. 

This glorious construction dominates the entrance to the park seemingly singing 'Step inside luv', the words of another famous liver bird - Cilla Black. 

The sculpture was a joint commission by The Derwent Group, which owns the shopping centre, Spin Master, which makes Meccano, and Liverpool City Council.

Emma, who has already designed a number of Liver Birds for the city of Liverpool, as well as a statue of Cilla Black (left luv), which stands evoking every part of Cilla's character outside Liverpool's famous Cavern Club.

Emma said: ‘I played with Meccano as a child and it’s been wonderful to work with it again, only this time with a much larger end-product in mind.

“Andy and the team at Art Fab have been amazing to work with.

“They have brilliantly captured the intricacies of the design and translated my artistic vision by retaining the character of the bird perfectly on a monumental scale.

“It’s fantastic to see the two birds together which clearly shows the finished piece as a seamless replica of my original maquette"

The Liver Bird took more than a year to design and manufacture, used seven tonnes of steel and involved more than 1,000 hours of metalworking to JMS design.

 Emma with Andy of Art Fabrication (above & AF link)

David Lyons, chief executive of The Derwent Group which transformed the former Edge Lane Retail Park into Liverpool Shopping Park, said: “There’s hundreds of Liver Birds across the city but it’s a real privilege to say that we have one of our own, and the world’s largest, here at Liverpool Shopping Park.

 Well done to all involved.

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