A LIVERPOOL, CHINA TRADE STORY

Dorothy Worrall, Eldon Worrall and Captain Thomas Dennison Worrall

Listen to an interview with Dr Eldon Worrall here: An incredible personal story of Liverpool and China Trade

The Sound Agents, John and Moira have carried out consultation with Dr Eldon Worrall with Dr Penny Ding, The Confucius Institute Liverpool and Liverpool University to design a project to celebrate the life of Dorothy Worrall and her links to China Trade. 

Dorothy, Eldon's mother, was a quiet, softly spoken woman who became fascinated with the story behind a chair that Eldon's great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Captain Thomas Dennison Worrall bought back from China on one of his voyages in a sailing ship. The Worrall Shipping Line sailed to China on treacherous journeys before steam ships. 

Dorothy Worrall had an extraordinary life, she decided to invest in Chinese goods, fine art, furniture, textiles, ceramics, anything in fact, that was auctioned from the Sea Captain's houses or sold in Bazaars that were held in Bold Street in Liverpool in the 1930's. The Dorothy Worrall China Trade collection is held at National Museums Liverpool (NML) as she donated her vast collection to the museum. 

Sadly Captain Thomas Dennison Worrall died in tragic circumstances. He fell down the hold of his ship after a deep sea journey, while waiting at the Mersey Bar to enter the River Mersey.