Liverpool, amongst many of its characteristics and people to boast about, is without a doubt known for its incredible landscape and buildings.
The city is ever evolving, with old buildings being brought back to life as new ventures and new sites being built within our communities every year. To many of us, how the city looks has immensely changed - but it is "up there with Barcelona, Rome and Paris' in the sights it offers and the businesses who proudly call Liverpool home.
Structural and civil engineering firm Sutcliffe was founded in 1985 by John Sutcliffe and has contributed to the city's structural change for decades, working on a number of significant buildings. Managing director Sean Keyes joined in 1990 when he was in his early 20s and like many has seen the impact of events like Capital of Culture 2008, been part of developments and worked on buildings being brought back to life which has seen the city enter its new era.
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As part of our How It Used To Be series, we spoke to Sean, 56, about how the industry has changed and the city has evolved through the years. Sean, who is originally from Wavertree, told the ECHO: "When I started in my career the most important thing I had was a pencil and a calculator.
"In the 2020s, the most important tool I have is my iPhone. Computers didn't exist, mobile phones didn't exist, certainly in the 80s and 90s faxes were just coming in.
"In those days, everything was done on a piece of paper. Today if we produce drawings or correspondence, it's got to be done on a computer. The drawings are digitised and it means multiple people can work on something whereas in the old days it was on a drawing board with a pen and you had to put the ink on the paper.
"I remember being one of the last people putting drawings in and you would have to find out what the last pick up times were for the post office. It would go to the sorting office at the back of Lime Street."
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With the firm Sutcliffe, Sean and his colleagues have worked on massive projects through the years, not only bringing new homes and school to communities, but also restoring or repurposing some of the cities most historic buildings. Taking "immense pride" in what they do, Sutcliffe has worked on the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, the Titanic Hotel and a number of old churches just to name a few.
Sean said: "We've done loads round the Liverpool Waterfront and the Wirral Waterfront. Over the years, we've worked mainly on maintenance on the Three Graces and Royal Albert Dock. One of the projects that I'm very proud of and phase two is near completion is the Tobacco Warehouse which was built in the early 1900s.
"That was the largest brick structure in the world. It's still one of the largest and we've converted that into top notch luxury apartments, just over the road from the Everton stadium.
"We're quite lucky that we have the Anglican Cathedral on Hope Street and we've got the Roman Catholic at the other end. I feel proud over the years that I've got to work on both of those cathedrals, giving advice on maintenance.
"I was at the opening of the Roman Catholic Cathedral as a small child and it interesting to see those buildings and the importance that they placed on the Liverpool landscape." Despite not being a toursit related business, Sean said through their construction work they've seen the city evolve and buildings become repurposed based on trends.
Sean said: "Liverpool, if you go back 100 years, that was a great commercial district, a lot of those companies have moved out and now were converting them into something else. Things need to be repurposed.
"Lots of bars and restaurants have moved into offices on ground floors in buildings or other types of shops and we've got some great businesses.
"Mathew Street for example, all those building were either offices or warehouses and they've all been upgraded and we've worked on a number of those bars over the years.
"So when somebody looks to build a hotel knowing there's good bars and restaurants in the region, it's really important and when they come to refurbish the bars and restaurants we get involved in that. If you were coming for four or five days to visit a city, Liverpool is up there with Barcelona, Rome and Paris. It's a great palace to come to."
With many long-serving staff who've been with the firm for years, Sean said the team has become "a work family." Amongst the work Sutcliffe has done over the years, Sean said other proud moments include helping with the completion contract at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, his son joining the business after getting his degree in engineering and Sutcliffe's recent fundraising for The SWAN Model, raising £52,000.
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Sean said: "We’re helping build communities and make those places better places for people to live in. When you see something you've worked on, you feel like you've really invested in your city, you love your city and you're doing it for your family and the future generations."
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