Shipwrecked Giant passing the Royal Liver Building, Pier Head, Liverpool, UK

            The Giant, aka 'Giant Uncle', aka 'Shipwrecked Giant' has toured the world since 1993, with Company Royal de Luxe providing 44 Lilliputians (30 specialists from Royal de Luxe and 14 local to each host city) to facilitate his exploration; at 10 m tall and 2½ t in weight, it's hardly surprising that a little assistance was welcomed, especially when he wore his weighted deep-sea diving gear during a previous visit.
He's said to be made of steel, lime and poplar wood, with horsehair, er, hair and streetlamp eyes lined with broom-bristle lashes, but anyone who's personally encountered him will acknowledge the magic: within seconds, he's unmistakably a real giant, evidently a little nervous about the massive crowd surrounding him.

Behind is the unmistakable riverside tower of the Royal Liver Building. Grade I Listed, it's one of the 'Three Graces', the landmark buildings of Pier Head and the UNESCO 'Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City' World Heritage Site.
One of the world's first reinforced concrete buildings, it was designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas and constructed 1908-11 for Royal Liver Assurance. The roof is 51 m above quay level, but the twin clock towers reach 98 m, making this the UK's tallest building until 1961; even the 7.6m-diameter clock faces are larger than those of the Houses of Parliament's clock tower (wrongly aka 'Big Ben'). On a clear day and with a 250 mm camera lens, I've been able to (wishfully) read the time from 23½ km away in North Wales.
The most distinctive features are the statues of mythical Liver Birds. Designed by Carl Bernard Bartels, one 5m-tall statue faces the city whilst this, its twin, faces the River Mersey. Legend states that Liverpool would cease to exist if the Liver Birds flew away, so they are chained to their perches. Really.
   

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Liverpool / Goree (show map)

Taken on: October 6, 2018

Tags:

shipwrecked giant

st nicholas

pier head

liverpool

merseyside

royal de luxe

liverpool's dream

giant spectacular

royal

liver

building

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spectacular

street

theatre

event

puppet

marionette

giant uncle

marionnette

clock

tower

crowd

lilliputian

new quay

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Sets appears in: • Liverpool's Dream 2018 (Sat)

Groups appears in: • Liverpool • Royal de Luxe more » • Royal de Luxe Central • Merseyside « less

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, 55mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 60D
Lens:	EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	55mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Partial
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)
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