Liverpool depended on heavy horses for most of its short-distance goods
transport until the 1930s. There was no direct railway connection to much of the
dock estate, so goods had to be carted out of the docks to warehouses or railway
stations. Around 7,500 heavy horses worked in the city in the early 20th
century. The May Day parades, held on the plateau in front of St George's Hall,
were intended as a celebration of the animals and their work, and also
maintained older rural traditions in the decoration of horses. The men who
worked with the horses were important too, not least because Liverpool carters
wielded a good deal of industrial muscle during the transport strikes of the
early 20th century.
This film shows decorated heavy horses being paraded around the crowds on St
George's Plateau, with several major Liverpool landmarks appearing briefly in
the background. The Empire Theatre is prominent, as are the equestrian statues
on the plateau, and the Wellington Column monument at the top of William Brown
Street.
Graeme Milne
|