A special commemorative artwork will transform an iconic Liverpool building in time for the centenary of The Battle of the Somme.

Letters and photographs from WWI are to be used in the installation at the Grade II*-listed Lyceum building on Bold Street.

Designed by The Sound Agents: John Campbell and Moira Kenny, the giant artwork will adorn the former post office which has stood vacant for a number of years and subject to planning permission could be installed by mid-May.

Liverpool BID Company has commissioned local artists to reflect ‘the human story of the war’ by using an archive of letters from soldiers to their families held at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

The installation will see five 14m high panels fixed between the Lyceum building’s Doric columns and will incorporate a poppy motif in tribute to the fallen and as a nod to the recent Weeping Window installation at St George’s Hall.

Michael Doran, communications manager for Liverpool BID Company, which is co-funding the project via a levy raised on city centre businesses, says: “There are so many untold stories about World War I and the reaction to the poppy installation at St George’s Hall inspired us to look at how we could bring them to life.

“Once we heard about the letters archive and knowing The Lyceum was a former post office there was only one place we wanted to do this and we’re delighted that the owners have given it their full support.

“It will provide a perfect canvas to tell the truly astounding story of how our soldiers were able to communicate under unimaginable conditions, which in our digital age seems like a different universe.

“We’re delighted to be working with the Sound Agents as they have a brilliant track record in dealing with such sensitive material and creating powerful images.”

The project was devised as part of Liverpool’s Healthy High Street programme, which aims to increase footfall and reduce the number of vacant units in the city centre.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, who is supporting the project, says: “We were truly overwhelmed by the response to the poppies at St George’s Hall but it is important that Liverpool continues to commemorate the events of World War I as so many people from this city paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“For their families the only thing they had to remember them by was their letters and how our soldiers managed to pen and send them in truly horrific conditions is a minor miracle.

“We are fortunate in Liverpool to have such a precious archive that has recorded their stories for us all to see what war truly means.

“I hope by using The Lyceum in this compelling way we manage to put a spotlight on this very human aspect of the war and in doing so remind everyone that this city will never forget those who never returned home.”

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