Wednesday, 20 February 2008

Waterloo Sunshine





Yesterday was interesting, with a lunch-time photo-shoot followed by an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post, in connection with the forthcoming paperback publication of The Arsenic Labyrinth and the arrival in May of the long-awaited (by me, at least!) return of Harry Devlin in Waterloo Sunset.

The photographer asked me to drive up to the beach at Waterloo (a coastal suburb of Liverpool), where a couple of key scenes in the new novel take place. The big attraction at Waterloo and neighbouring Crosby these days is the unforgettable Another Place, 100 cast-iron figures scattered along a mile or so of beach. This is the work of artist Antony Gormley, creator of ‘the Angel of the North.’ I like Another Place very much and the photos above have been taken on occasional visits over the past two and a half years. The mood the figures create on the shore-line changes with the weather, and the tide. Often the figures are half-submerged by sand or sea. I find them thought-provoking, and so does Harry Devlin. And on a sunny day, like yesterday, Waterloo was a good place to be, even if only for a few short minutes.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I too love this place -- nice photos.

Juliet said...

They're just wonderful - I can see why you and Harry love them so much - and a great location for a photo-shoot, too.

I really think we need something similar here on the Muddy Island!

Memo to self: MUST get up there and see Another Place for myself in the flesh [iron] very soon.

Martin Edwards said...

Yes, Juliet, you must! And at the risk of sounding like a tourist office hireling, there's an enormous amount to see in Merseyside that anyone who hasn't been there in recent years will find fascinating and impressive.

Juliet said...

Well, at the risk of *using* you like a tourist office hireling, when I do finally set off in that direction, I shall certainly be asking you to draw up a detailed sightseeing itinerary (including all the Harry D landmarks, naturally)!

Martin Edwards said...

Feel free, Juliet - maybe I ought to create a Harry Devlin Trail! If Inspector Morse can do it....

Juliet said...

You must indeed! There's a Rebus trail in Edinburgh, too, so you really do need to jump on the bandwaggon asap. Start advertising NOW - but tell the punters it's absolutely essential that they've read every single Devlin book before embarking on the tour (and then set up your stall and wait for the kerching kerching of the till!)

. . . and when that's up and running, of course, there's the Lake District tour - and you have a ready-made name for that one!