As part of the 70th Anniversary of the May Blitz celebrations, Punch and Judy will be returning to the city to once again entertain the children (young and old) of Liverpool!
In 1860 Richard Codman, woodcarver, puppet showman and musician, arrived in Liverpool and was awarded a prime site on an open cobbled square known as the “Quadrant” between the market and Lime Street Station. Professor Codman, as he was known, began entertaining the people of Liverpool on a regular basis with his ‘Punch and Judy’ puppet shows.
The shows became very popular and Professor Codman’s Punch and Judy quickly won the hearts of the people of Liverpool!
Richard continued his puppet shows until his death 47 years later when his eldest son, Richard Junior, continued in his father’s footsteps and kept the tradition going in Liverpool. His second son Herbert took the show to North Wales where it enjoyed great success at the seaside!
Back in Liverpool, Richard was equally as successful as his father. In 1922 the Sandon Studios Society, an artistic body in Liverpool, arranged for a subscription committee headed by Mr A Parry, then Chief Librarian, to commission the famous Liverpudlian sulptor H Tyson-Smith to carve a beautiful Punch and Judy booth with figures taken from ‘Punch‘ magazine as a gesture of appreciation.
Sadly, the famous Quadrant site no longer exists. However, through public demand, the show was temporarily housed in St. George’s Hall and occasionally appeared in Williamson Square.
After Richard Junior’s death in 1951, the Liverpool show was continued by his son Richard (third) and on his death in 1985, by his son Ronald Richard. Ronald’s son Robert will succeed his father and continue the tradition as the sixth generation of the Codman dynasty.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz, Professor Codman will be performing in Liverpool City Centre once again!
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