In Words & Pictures
Oh dear, how abysmal. A sad looking frontage if ever there was,
but this is how it looked until 1998!
Waterloo Spiritualist Church was
established here in Liverpool in July 1937.
It was then a rented shop which gave us use of only
two of the downstairs rooms. It was originally affiliated to
The Greater World, but at the height of WW2 in 1942,
our church affiliation was changed over to the
Spiritualist National Union.
Aah, that's better. A more dignified frontage to show the world...
...I'd only managed half of the top coat at this stage, but then Rome wasn't built, etc., etc.Although we only rented the building ~ a deceptively large building ~ between the years 1937-89, we were never allowed to make any improvements or structural alterations. This is clearly evident in the above picture. Also,through the greed of the original owners [who continually asked higher and higher prices for the sale of the building] the purchase eventually went through a property auction. It was decided that we should go along to this auction and bid. We were evidentally successful in that purchase. The building is now worth ten-times what we paid.
With all due respect to the elder members of our Association
and those who've passed into Spirit, 1994/5 saw the building still in a terrible condition. It was suggested many times that we sell-up ~ a concept which I personally found extremely bizarre."But there are huge refurbishment costs and structural problems with the building!" they would say in our Committee meetings. "We have squatters upstairs. How are you going to get rid of them?"
And the now classic,
"We haven't enough money to pay the electric, let alone rewire, paint and decorate!"
Interior, day 2 into the Stage 1 of the building work. Clearly visible at the top of the frame is the newly fitted steel girder where once a partition wall stood. The door frame, with the door still attached, is clearly visible. Note the Spirit orb centre left. All construction pictures taken in Church a similarly fogged and 'extra'-ed. I used to be a photographer and therefore I always automatically ensure that the film is never out of date.
BEFORE:This is the same pic but seen from the other side of the sanctuary.AFTER: The pic below shows the drying skim of new plaster.
It's ok having a nice frontage which attracts the public, but you also need to
re-point brickwork, add a new roof, paint and seal all the windows.
Next Page: Waterloo Spiritualist Church immediately prior to SNU thiefdom!
