Violent Playground
An email from John Glover:
Hi,
I was browsing through the web looking for dvd of the violent playground and came across your website featuring a photograph of the actor Stanley Baker during the filming of the "Violent Playground".
I am a former resident of the tenement block that was called Gerard Gardens i.e. the violent playground and have been searching for a copy of either video or dvd of the violent playground for many years. I, my family and relatives families were all resident at the time this film was made.
The flats in the background of the photograph were part of what was Gerard Crescent and this partucular block of flats were known locally as the "holy block" because a number of residents on the block had connection in the local parish church of St. Joseph's.
The block overlooked Gerard Crescent and backed onto Christian Street in Liverpool. Where Stanley Baker is sitting was waste land and was known locally as the "hills" they led down to Scotland road in Liverpool, which is probably the most famous road/street in Liverpool and is known worlwide.
As you are residing in Italy it may be of interest that there were many nationalities resident in this area amongst which were the Italian residents, and a book has been published about this this community called "little Italy".
There have been many local history books published containing photographic archives and only in recent months there has been a book publshed called "in a city living" by Ged Fagan and is mostly about Gerard Gardens, there is a photograph of the flats being demolished and the name of the "violent playground" is painted quite clearly upon the flats.
If you are interested in any further information or photographs please let me know.
best wishes
John Glover.
posted by Mike Day @ 5:33 pm
