"Old" St. John's Market, Liverpool, was demolished during the general spate of civic vandalism of the 1960s. This plan stood near Exit 7, from Elliot St., inside a machine which provided a guide. A customer would press a button and the position of the corresponding stall would be illuminated on this plan.
It is hand-drawn on drafting-linen which has then been varnished (hence the reflections - sorry).
I was a schoolboy when I acquired it, during the demolition, when I tipped the foreman a few shillings to be allowed to scavenge what I could from the parts of the site away from the work (health and safety not yet having "gone mad"). I was particularly interested in glass, for use in the garden. The front of the machine furnished a beautiful piece of strong plate, and I also collected the torch-bulbs from behind (although at 4.5 volts, rather than the more common 3, there was a limited market at school). On impulse, I rolled-up the map and have kept it ever since.
It reminds me of a time, pre-container, when the floating docks still traded with much of the world and the city was elegant and exciting, with trams and, even, an overhead railway.
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