March 8th 2010 - Under Starter's Orders...

As this year's races at Aintree got underway today, I thought this photograph of a small selection of Liverpool's iconic mini Lambananas lining up under the Liver Buildings was like a humorous suggestion of the 'horses' under starter's orders.

March 4th 2010 - Vernons Pools

Liverpool is well known for its associations with the football pools, through Littlewoods and Vernons - established in 1925. This tower in Ormskirk Road, Aintree is all that remains of the Vernons Pools building. Alongside the original Vernons clock face, the signage for the Paradox dance club proclaims the later use of the site during the 1990's. A sorry sight, the battered and bruised tower lies empty, save for some mobile phone masts on the roof. Vernons had over a thousand employees working in the city, manually checking the weekly football coupons from this building.