The Galkoff business opened around 1908, and the amazing tiles were added in 1933
Today, along with our partner Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), we are sharing the extremely exciting news that Galkoff’s and the Secret Life of Pembroke Place has been awarded a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
Thanks to National Lottery players £291,300 will support the next stage of the project which aims to protect and preserve the iconic tiled frontage of Galkoff’s and explore and the last remaining example of Liverpool court housing, situated nearby.
The gorgeous green tiles of Galkoff’s will be known to anyone who has lived or worked in the London Road area, or just passes through on that busy route into town. With the funding announcement today the project aims to carefully remove and conserve the historic tiles from the shop’s façade and recreate it within Museum of Liverpool, protecting it for future generations. We are also looking to use this great opportunity to work with Liverpool’s Jewish community, unlocking memories of Galkoff’s and build up a better picture of the city’s Jewish history.
Illustration by artist Sophie Herxheimer
We have done really interesting work on this already but with further funding we look forward to digging deeper. (If you can offer support to this part of the project we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Poppy Learman: poppy.learman@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk).
A few doors down from Galkoff’s is a real treasure to anyone with a love of urban or social history. The very last remaining example of Liverpool’s court housing reveals much about the conditions which were so common in the city throughout the mid 19th century. As the other strand of the project, HLF funding will allow us to carry out work based on geophysical surveys and archaeological digs to uncover remnants of this courtyard and understand more about people’s lives there.
We couldn’t have got this far without our wonderful and enthusiastic team of volunteers who have already uncovered some amazing stories of roller skating Victorians and more. We think this once bustling, vibrant street can reveal even more secrets and we are delighted to have this opportunity to find and share them with new audiences.