Liverpool’s World Museum houses the Ancient Egypt gallery, the second largest gallery of ancient Egyptian antiquities and artefacts in the UK after the British Museum.

The collection of objects from ancient Egypt and Nubia covers a timespan of over 5,000 years of human life in the Nile Valley, with highlights including one of Egyptology’s rarest discoveries – the Ramesses Girdle – a wonderfully well-preserved item of royal clothing originally worn by Pharaoh Ramesses III (1186 – 1155 BC).

The evolution of the collection began in 1852, when goldsmith Joseph Mayer opened his Egyptian Museum in Liverpool. Many of Mayer’s objects came from the same sources as those now in the British Museum and the Louvre, and there is no doubt that Liverpool’s status as a port city, supplying cotton from Egypt to Lancashire’s cotton mills, helped him build such a substantial and diverse collection.

In 1867, Mayer donated the collection to The Liverpool Free Library and Museum (now World Museum), establishing it as the most important public collection of Egyptian antiquities outside London. 3,000 objects were destroyed when the museum was bombed in 1941, but the collection subsequently increased in number by 10,000 over the next 40 years, and currently stands at around 20,000 objects – 1,2000 of which are showcased in the current ancient Egypt gallery.

Apart from the world famous Ramesses Girdle, the collection includes a gold ring that belonged to King Amenhotep II, a four-metre long Book of the Dead illustrated papyrus, and ‘Papyrus Mayer B’ – a unique account of a tomb robbery in the Valley of the Kings. The exhibition tells the story of how the collection came into being, and Liverpool’s connections with archaeological digs in both Egypt and Sudan.

As we regularly highlight, our friends and partners at National Museums Liverpool are the custodians of some of not just the UK’s, but the world’s most famous art and antiquities. Following the reopening of NML’s museums and galleries on 17th May, we encourage both locals and visitors to explore these free venues, including taking a ‘journey through time’ at World Museum’s magnificent Ancient Egypt gallery.

While the Walker Art Gallery is renowned for its beautiful collection of paintings and sculptures, it also houses a unique collection of British and European decorative art including pieces dating back to 1300. There are around 100,000 items in the Gallery’s collection, including ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewellery, furniture and musical instruments.

Apart from works by major UK and international makers and designers, the collection also features objects commissioned by local patrons, commemorative pieces, and other items designed, made or decorated in and around Liverpool.

Highlights include a collection of 10,000 British and European ceramics, featuring medieval pieces and a comprehensive collection of Liverpool-made ceramics from the period 1700-1850. 18th century wine glasses and stained glass windows dating from the medieval period are represented in the vessel glass collection, while the metalwork collection comprises around 1,300 precious metal, silver and gold objects, including a collection of silver items crafted by Liverpool silversmiths.

The jewellery collection features a large number of finger rings, some dating back 700 years, as well as a growing assortment of modern jewellery dating from the 1980s to the present. Items of furniture by acclaimed Liverpool-based designers and makers such as George Bullock and Herbert Macnair are among the roughly 300 pieces displayed in the Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House. The textile collection, meanwhile, numbers around 10,000 items, including embroideries, lace, woolwork, quilts and household furnishings.

This brief overview gives an idea of the vast range of unique, quirky and special objects on display in the Walker Art Gallery’s decorative art collection. Beauty and functionality are the essence of decorative art, and the Walker’s stunning collection, now open to the public once again, offers an excellent introduction to this important and historical art form.

Excitement is building ahead of next Tuesday 18th May, when most of National Museums Liverpool’s venues will reopen in line with the government’s easing of lockdown restrictions.

The Walker Art Gallery, World Museum, Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House will all be open from next Tuesday, while the Planetarium is due to reopen in June, and the Aquarium is expected to reopen in time for the summer holidays.

Opening hours for NML’s museums and galleries are Tuesday to Sunday from 10am – 6pm (all venues will be closed on Mondays, except bank holidays).

Visitors to the Walker Art Gallery will be able to view the 67 artworks shortlisted for the John Moores Painting Prize 2020, including the first-prize winner, Kathryn Maple’s stunning large-scale work The Common.

While Kathryn was the jurors’ winning choice, we can all still place our votes for the Visitor’s Choice Prize, sponsored by Rathbones. Voting has now been extended until 13th June, allowing people to vote after seeing the exhibition in person.

We are all looking forward to the reopening of the Walker Art Gallery and all of NML’s other venues, and wish these great national institutions and their wonderful staff all the very best for the weeks and months ahead!

Liverpool Cathedral has been open for worship services and private prayer and reflection since April 12th (Monday to Sunday from 11am – 3pm), and expects to open fully to visitors on or around May 17th, in line with the Government’s roadmap to lifting lockdown restrictions.

While the wait to visit one of the city’s most popular landmarks in person goes on, the Cathedral has recorded a virtual tour consisting of a series of videos that encompass all the building’s most important points of interest. These include the magnificent latest art installation in the Derby Transept, “The Outraged Christ” by Charles Lutyens, the iconic Lady Chapel, the Children’s Chapel, the High Altar, the Corona Gallery, the Memorial Chapel and the great Benedictine Window.

Many will be unaware that the Cathedral also hosts a collection of paintings and sculpture by some most distinguished artists of the 20th and 21 centuries, including five Royal Academicians: Tracey Emin, Craigie Aitchison, Elisabeth Frink, Christopher Le Brun and Adrian Wiszniewski.

Cathedrals and churches have always been important patrons of visual art which during earlier times, with mostly illiterate congregations, was a powerful means of communication, education, and spiritual inspiration and reflection. While modern audiences may draw different messages, the tradition has persisted to this day, with Liverpool Cathedral continuing to commission artworks from some of the most eminent contemporary artists, which are displayed throughout the building.

We would like to wish our friends at Liverpool Cathedral the very best for the impending full reopening in a little over two weeks, and hope and pray that the door’s of one of Liverpool’s greatest institutions will now permanently remain open for both the faithful and the curious.

Established by the well known philanthropist Sir John Moores in 1957, and described by the Guardian as ‘the prize at the forefront of modern art’, the John Moores Painting Prize is awarded every two years to the best contemporary painting by a UK-based artist, with the short-listed artworks exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walker Art Gallery has been closed for most of the past year, opening briefly once more in December, before being forced to close again on the 30th of that month when the latest national lockdown was put in place. The Walker Art Gallery is now set to reopen on 17th May, in line with the Government’s four-step ‘roadmap’ to lifting lockdown restrictions.

For the John Moores Painting Prize 2020 candidates, the gallery’s closure has meant that their work has so far been inaccessible to the general public. Fortunately, however, the Walker Art Gallery and National Museums Liverpool have put together a virtual tour of the 67 short-listed artworks for the prize. This exciting collection of paintings can be viewed on the National Museums Liverpool website.

Kathryn Maple’s acrylic on canvas work The Common was announced as the winner of John Moores Painting Prize 2020, and her painting will now permanently feature in the Walker Art Gallery’s world famous collection. As friends and partners of the gallery, we offer our congratulations to Ms Maple, and wish the Walker team all the very best for a successful (and hopefully permanent) reopening in a little under a month from now.

Jennifer from Liverpool has won £50 as the latest 10th respondent, and the 50th respondent in total, to our detailed 20 question survey of potential Bartletts clients.

We look forward to our 100th respondent in due course!

Being involved in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault is a traumatic experience – and one that is made more stressful when the responsible driver is uninsured or untraceable.

If you suffered personal injuries and your vehicle is damaged in an accident that was the other driver’s fault, you are entitled to claim for compensation. However, when you’re hit by an uninsured driver or by a driver who can’t be traced because they didn’t stop at the scene of the accident, it can cause concerns about how you can make a claim.

The good news is there are steps you can take to secure the compensation you deserve, even if the person responsible for the accident is uninsured or untraceable.

Will Your Insurance Provider Pay Your Compensation?

This depends on the type of insurance cover you have. As a guide, with comprehensive vehicle cover you will likely be able to claim for vehicle damage through your insurance company but your provider is unlikely to provide any cover for your personal injury costs.

It really does depend on your policy so it’s important you check the terms carefully. For example, certain insurers offer a so-called uninsured driver promise that means you won’t lose your excess and no-claims discount for making a claim for an accident that wasn’t your fault involving an uninsured driver – but not all do.

How Else Can You Claim For Compensation?

Most compensation claims for road traffic accidents involving an uninsured or untraceable driver are made through the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB), a not-for-profit organisation created to provide compensation for victims of accidents caused by uninsured drivers.

Regardless of the type of insurance cover you have, the MIB can provide compensation when the responsible driver was uninsured, for:

• Vehicle damage
• Property damage
• Personal injury

For accidents involving untraceable drivers, the MIB will only provide compensation for personal injury claims.

How Much Compensation Can You Claim For?

This depends on a number of factors, including your individual circumstances, vehicle damage, the nature of your personal injuries, and the type of insurance cover you had at the time of the accident.

How Long Do You Have To Make A Claim?

A compensation claim must be made to the MIB within 3 years of the date of the accident.

The only exception to the time-limit rule is if the case involves a personal injury to a child – when that happens, you have 3 years to make a claim from the date of their 18th birthday.

How We Can Help You Claim Compensation

Our specialist solicitors can help you with your claim to the MIB, including assisting with filling out the claim form and how best to make your case in order to give you the best possible chance of securing the level of compensation you deserve.

To speak to one of our solicitors about making a compensation claim for a road traffic accident caused by an uninsured or untraceable driver, contact us on freephone 0800 988 3674 or Chester Tel: 01244 405 399 or email advice@bartletts.co.uk

 

 

As a couple in a relationship, it’s only natural to want to protect each other’s interests both today and in the future – but whether your interest in the property you both own will pass to your partner if you die depends on the type of property ownership and if you have a Will.

If you’re not married and own property together, make sure you understand the possible consequences of what happens to your share should you both die at the same time.

Types Of Property Ownership

Joint Tenants

With property owned by unmarried couples as Joint Tenants, if you die then the property you both own automatically passes to your surviving partner.

However, if you and your partner die at the same time and in circumstances that make it uncertain who died first, you would be deemed to have died in order of age seniority. The property then becomes part of the younger partner’s estate and passes to the beneficiaries named in their Will or to those entitled to inherit under the rules of intestacy if there is no Will.

As a guide, owning a property as Joint Tenants means:

• You both have equal rights to the whole property
• The rule of survivorship applies meaning the property automatically passes to the surviving owner
• Your do not own a share in the property and therefore your interest cannot be passed to someone else in your Will
• You can decide together who you want to inherit the property should you both die at the same time, and name this person as your beneficiary in your Wills

Tenants In Common

With property owned by unmarried couples as Tenants in Common, your share only passes to your surviving partner if you die provided you have stated this in your Will – this doesn’t happen automatically.

You can choose to own the property equally or state a defined share each, and the respective share would pass in accordance to your Wills or to the rules of intestacy when you die.

If you were to die at the same time as your partner and there is uncertainty over which one survived the other, the property would not automatically pass to the younger person’s estate.

To avoid any disputes in the future, it’s a good idea to draw up a Trust Deed that sets out the shares you and your partner own and exactly what happens if one of you die or you both die at the same time or your relationship breaks down. This ensures your Will is legally watertight and that the property can’t be sold without consent from both parties.

As a guide, owning a property as Joint Tenants means:

• You each own a defined share of the property
• Your share does not automatically pass to the surviving owner
• Your share can be passed to someone else if you state this wish in your Will

How We Can Help You Write A Will

If you own a property with your partner but aren’t married, it’s important to write a Will that states exactly what should happen to your share of your property if you die and what happens to the entire property should you and your partner both die at the same time.

Our specialist Wills and Probate solicitors will advise you on every aspect of your Will, including the best way for you and your partner to own your property – to ensure you and your partner’s interests are protected, today and in the future.

To speak to one of our wills and probate solicitors at our Hoole office in Chester about making a Will, contact us on freephone 0800 988 3674 or Chester: 01244 311 633 or email advice@bartletts.co.uk

 

 

Merseyside Maritime Museum’s stunning new Life on Board gallery explores the moving and fascinating stories of Liverpool’s seafarers and passengers over the generations, including during the period of the city’s greatest prosperity when Liverpool was a beacon of world trade and a magnet for investment.

The new permanent gallery features the stories of both merchant sailors and leisure line passengers, from the 1700s to the present day, and looks at the lives they led on board, from the dangers and joys of seafaring, to the culture and sense of community it provided.

One of the gallery’s highlights examines the story of the sinking of MV Derbyshire, the largest British-registered merchant ship ever to be lost at sea during typhoon Orchid in the South China Seas in 1980, and the 20 year search for the truth about the disaster.

(Merseyside Maritime Museum is currently closed due to the pandemic, but is normally open from 10am – 5pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is free and advance booking is required for both visitors and members.)

We are sad to say that the Walker Art Gallery is now closed once again (along with all of National Museums Liverpool’s venues).

As long-term supporters and sponsors of the Walker Art Gallery, we appreciate the blow this latest closure represents, particularly after all the efforts of the charity organization to provide a safe environment for visitors.

During these challenging times and now more than ever, National Museums Liverpool needs the support of those who share its vision of great museums for everyone, caring for some of the world’s most important collections, and providing an illuminating, fun and inspiring experience for millions of visitors every year.

One ray of sunshine during the latest confinement is the organization’s 3D virtual tour function, which enables you to explore collections at your own pace, including the Walker Art Gallery’s ‘An English lady’s wardrobe’ virtual tour of clothing and accessories, uncovering style and shopping trends in Liverpool during the interwar years.