The sights of Liverpool

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St. George's Hall

This magnificent building is the jewel in Liverpool's diamond encrusted crown and, whilst second in size to the Albert Dock, is  one of the World's premier buildings. It's beauty is only enhanced by the adjacent architecture.

St. George's Hall is fittingly the first thing that the eye is drawn to when emerging from Lime Street Station, itself a Victorian masterpiece soon to be improved by the removal of unsightly shops at the front.

Liverpool has a huge legacy of statues and these two are of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert. They are placed on the concourse in "front" of the building and Albert can be seen in the big photograph. The "front" is actually the back which is much more spectacular than its opposite face.

Built between 1842 and 1854, the architect was 23 year old Harvey Lonsdale Elmes who died of tuberculosis in 1847 at the age of 33, while recuperating in Jamaica, before seeing his masterpiece completed. St. George’s Hall and its adjacent buildings provide a powerful but elegant reminder of Liverpool’s wealth in the nineteenth century. The website is excellent with detailed views and descriptions. Unfortunately the events calender in December 2004 is two years out of date! The beautiful Minton-tiled floor is covered by a wooden floor that is removed once a year to reveal the perfectly preserved tiles. The Assizes that were once held there have moved away and it is now used for cultural events.

The fittingly austere Cenataph between the statues of Victoria and Albert was built to commemorate the dead of the Great War. It is now a focal point for remembrance for the dead of all the wars of the twentieth century. Unfortunately the start of a new millenium has already added to the roll-call of the victims of war.

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