Galkoff's Kosher butcher's shop facade

This life-sized recreation of the tiled frontage of Galkoff's Jewish butcher’s shop is a legacy of the thriving Jewish community in the Brownlow Hill area. The business, located at 29 Pembroke Place, was established by Percy Galkoff after moving to Liverpool from Poland (via Birmingham) around 1907. It quickly became a gathering-place for both locals and newly arriving Eastern European Jews. Percy quickly advanced to become a prominent member of the community and a successful businessman, attracting both Jewish and non-Jewish clients. He added these beautiful emerald green tiles with gold Art Deco embellishments and Hebrew kosher signage to the building in 1933. The store sadly closed in the 1970s. After being outdoors for more than 80 years, the fragile tiles were becoming badly weathered and several had fallen off the building. Supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), made possible through money raised by National Lottery players, the Museum of Liverpool, in partnership with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), undertook the Secret Life of Pembroke Place project. Working with more than 70 volunteers, the hidden histories of the Pembroke Place area were revealed, archaeological digs undertaken and conservation of the tiles completed. The tiles were kindly gifted to National Museums Liverpool by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and installed in the Museum of Liverpool in 2018.