Urban archaeology at Copperas Hill - a personal project
Published on Thu Jun 13, 2024 by David J Colbran
The abandoned Copperas Hill postal sorting office is to be given a new lease of life as first temporary home to the 2012 Liverpool Biennial and then as an addition to Liverpool John Moores University building estates portfolio.
This body of work examines an unseen urban experience in one of Liverpool's iconic buildings. It looks at an emptiness left after humans have departed; the waste, graffiti, the obscure messages and attempts to tell the story of a building from the inside out. Changed textures, altered by anonymous hands, litter the massive spaces. Forgotten signs, point to distant towns, often identified only by a postcode. Everywhere, there were signs of life, interrupted.
1756 saw the first change of use on this site as a copper sulphate works was forced to move due to the smell. However the name stuck as Copperas was the old name for Copper Sulphate.
For a building that once employed 600 people and the scene of many industrial disputes, it was eerily quiet when I first visited in July 2012, indeed I felt like an unexpected guest. The 24,000 square metre Copperas Hill building sprawls over several floors on a 3½-acre site adjacent to Lime Street Station. It was purpose-built for the Royal Mail in 1977 and remained as the main postal sorting office in Liverpool until 2010 when it was closed as part of Royal Mail cost-cutting measures. Most of the sorting work is now undertaken outside Liverpool in Warrington.
I like the visual honesty of the utilitarian architectural style of this building; it is devoid of decoration unlike many corporate and residential structures and clearly remains a functional workspace, even if a lot of the machinery has been removed.
Author: David J Colbran
- < Previous news post
- Top Ten Tips for PR Photography Next news post >
- Expert conference photographer Manchester
Out of Home advertising and marathon photography
Out and about on location for another busy day completing a commercial photography project. This time the end client was Adidas and as one of the main sponsors of the Manchester Marathon 2025, they needed coverage of their brand presence in and around the event.
Recent photography work in Liverpool, Manchester and London
In the last few months, my camera has captured the energy, elegance, and essence of numerous events, from corporate gatherings to public relations campaigns, each presenting its unique challenges and opportunities. Here’s a look at some of my recent projects and how I’ve approached capturing these moments through my lens.
Aintree Grand National Liverpool PR Photographer 2025
Currently available to take on commissions for events, PR and celebrations at the Grand National meeting in Aintree 3rd to 5th April - get in touch ASAP - it is a very busy time for me and I get booked up quickly
"David is a highly experienced professional photographer and I would happily recommend him to any potential client. He has delivered excellent results for me on a number of projects over the years and his style is highly consultative at all times. If you need any more details please let me know."
