Architecture of Liverpool
_(14598125898).jpg){kind=spacer} The architecture of Liverpool is rooted in the city's development into a major port of the British Empire.[1] It encompasses a variety of architectural styles of the past 300 years, while next to nothing remains of its medieval structures which would have dated back as far as the 13th century.[2] Erected 1716–18, Bluecoat Chambers is supposed to be the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool.[3] There are over 2500 listed buildings in Liverpool of which 27 are Grade I and 105 Grade II* listed.[4] It has been described by English Heritage as England's finest Victorian city.[5] However, due to neglect, some of Liverpool's finest listed buildings are on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk register.[6] Though listed buildings are concentrated in the centre, Liverpool has many buildings of interest throughout its suburbs. In accordance with Liverpool's role as a trading port, many of its best buildings were erected as headquarters for shipping firms and insurance companies. The wealth thus generated led to the construction of grand civic buildings, designed to allow the local administrators to "run the city with pride".[7] The historical significance and value of Liverpool's architecture and port layout were recognised when, in 2004, UNESCO declared large parts of the city a World Heritage Site. Known as the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, the nomination papers stress the city's role in the development of international trade and docking technology,[8] summed up in this way under Selection Criterion iv: "Liverpool is an outstanding example of a world mercantile port city, which represents the early development of global trading and cultural connections throughout the British Empire."[9] Following developments such as Liverpool Waters and Everton Stadium, the World Heritage Committee removed Liverpool's World Heritage Site status in July 2021.[10] As Liverpool grew in population, it absorbed certain surrounding areas which now act as its various inner districts (Clubmoor, Edge Hill, Everton, Fairfield, Garston, Kensington, Kirkdale, Knotty Ash, Norris Green, Old Swan, Toxteth, Vauxhall, Walton, Wavertree) or outlying suburbs (Aigburth, Allerton, Anfield, Childwall, Croxteth, Fazakerley, Gateacre, Grassendale, Hunt's Cross, Mossley Hill, St Michael's Hamlet, West Derby, Woolton), with varying architecture in each.  _(14597627290).jpg) Medieval (11th century – 1485)Liverpool's origins date back to at least c. 1192 when it was first mentioned and was made a borough in 1207 by King John,[11] although today nothing remains of the city's medieval architecture. Probably the earliest building of note within Liverpool would have been Liverpool Castle, which was constructed between 1232 and 1235 by William de Ferrers.[1] In 1257 mention of the chapel of St Mary del Key near the water's edge, gave its name to Chapel Street. The church of Our Lady and St Nicholas was originally built c.1360, though none of the fabric of the medieval church survives, Sir John Stanley was granted permission in 1406 to fortify his house at the bottom of Water Street, but again this doesn't survive.[11] The oldest surviving building within the city is likely to be Stanlawe Grange in Aigburth, a Monastic grange dating from the 13th century. Frequent modifications throughout its history mean that little of the original building remains, although sections of it are believed to date from 1291.[12] The only medieval church within the current bounds of Liverpool is All Saints' Church, Childwall, The chancel dates from the 14th century, and the south aisle and porch are probably from the 15th century, the tower and spire date from 1810 to 1811. The north aisle dates from 1833 and it was partly rebuilt between 1900 and 1905.[13] Despite the lack of many physical remnants of this period, the city's medieval history is still evident in the street patterns around Liverpool Town Hall, with all seven of the city's original streets remaining in approximately the same position today. These are Chapel Street, Tithebarn Street, Dale Street, Water Street, Old Hall Street, High Street & Castle Street.[11] In this early period of Liverpool's history trade was confined to coastal trade, trade with Ireland and other European nations.[14]
Tudor and Elizabethan (1485–1603) Liverpool's first Town Hall—the town council used to meet in the common hall from 1350—was built in 1515 at the bequest of Rev. John Crosse,[15] and was located in the block bounded by High Street, Dale Street and Exchange Street East. The building was replaced in 1673 by a new Town Hall, partly built on the site occupied by the current building. Speke Hall, which is located in the south of the city, is a manor house from the 16th century, completed in 1598: much of the building is earlier.[16] It is one of the few remaining timber framed Tudor houses in the North of England and it is noted for its Victorian interior.[17] Another large manor house from this period is Croxteth Hall, the ancestral home of the Molyneux family, started in 1575. Just one wing of the building dates from this period, and most of the house was completed during the 18th and 19th centuries.[18] It mixes styles including Elizabethan, Queen Anne Style and Georgian.[19] The Old Grammar school near St Mary's Church, Walton-on-the-Hill is dated c.1600.
Stuart (1603–1714) The development of the port began in the mid 17th century, with trade being established with the American colonies and the British West Indies, the first recorded cargo from America being tobacco that arrived in 1648.[11] In 1672 The Corporation of Liverpool took a thousand-year lease of the lordship from Caryll Molyneux, 3rd Viscount Molyneux in order to obtain control of the land to the east of the medieval core. Liverpool's first Custom house was built in 1680 at the bottom of Water Street.[20] Imports of tobacco went from virtually nothing in 1665 to 1.75 million pounds weight by the end of the 17th century, and over the same period sugar imports went from 700cwt to 11,600cwt and salt from 6,000 bushels to 300,000 bushels.[21] In 1698 Celia Fiennes described Liverpool as having twenty-four streets, with "mostly new built houses of brick and stone after the London fashion.....built high and even".[22] In this period the first recorded slave ship sailed from Liverpool. Named the Liverpool Merchant, it sailed on 3 October 1699 and arrived in Barbados on 18 September 1700 with a cargo of 220 enslaved Africans. Liverpool's strategic location on the estuary of the River Mersey and in 1710 the start of construction of the world's first commercial wet dock known as Old Dock, designed by Thomas Steers Dock Engineer (1710–50) and opened in 1715,[23] saw the beginning of Liverpool's rise as a major port city. In the aftermath of the English Civil War Liverpool Castle was partially dismantled and left a ruin; it was finally demolished in the 1720s.[24] Liverpool's second town hall of 1673 was raised on stone pillars that formed an arcade that acted as the exchange.[25] Several buildings from the Stuart era remain in Liverpool today, with one of the oldest of them, Tuebrook House a former farmhouse, dating from 1615.[16] The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth also dates from this period and was likely started around 1618. The building is today grade I listed and still serves its original purpose as a Unitarian Chapel.[26] In 1702 the south front of Croxteth Hall was created as the main facade of the building. The architect is not known for certain though master mason Henry Sephton has been suggested.[27] The Unitarian Chapel in Gateacre was built in 1700, and altered 1719.[28] One of the period's most notable remaining buildings is Woolton Hall, a grade I listed manor house located in the south of the city. Also built for the Molyneux family, the hall is conceived as a Palladian villa and constructed from red sandstone from the local quarry in Woolton.[18] The main facade is a remodelling of c.1774-80 by Robert Adam.[29] Mainly built in 1716–17, but with additions nearly immediately necessary, Bluecoat Chambers is the oldest surviving building in Liverpool city centre. Designed in the Queen Anne style, following in the tradition of Christopher Wren, it housed the Liverpool Blue Coat School. After the school moved to new premises in 1906, Bluecoat Chamber faced the possibility of being demolished several times. Following war damage in 1941, the reconstructed building was grade I listed in 1952.[30]
Georgian (1714–1837) _(14758854446).jpg)  The city expanded into an international seaport from the 17th century onward. The resulting transatlantic trade, particularly in slaves specifically the Triangular trade, was ended by the Slave Trade Act 1807. Liverpool's leading abolitionist was William Roscoe. Yet the predicted collapse in trade on the abolition of the slave trade failed to materialise, and dues from the docks rose from £28,365 in 1801 to £130,911 in 1824.[31] The growth of the cotton industry in Lancashire had a major impact on the growth of Liverpool. In 1715 imports of tobacco were 2 million pounds (weight) and by 1750 6.1 million pounds,[32] For sugar the figure are in 1715 30,000cwt and by 1750 100,000cwt.[32] The growth in trade meant a new larger custom house was needed. This was designed by Thomas Ripley in 1717 and opened in 1722.[20] The population of Liverpool rose from about 5,700 in 1700 to 165,000 by 1831.[33] Revolutions in transport, including dock technology, first the growth of canals especially Mersey and Irwell Navigation (1721–34), Douglas Navigation (1720–42), Sankey Canal (1755–57) and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal built (1770–1816) surveyed by James Brindley, the Bridgewater Canal (1761–62) reached via the Leeds and Liverpool and then the railways starting with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, chief engineer George Stephenson, built (1826–30), would contribute to the growth of the city. When Old Dock was completed in 1715 the tonnage of shipping into the port was 18,800. This grew to 29,100 in 1752 just before Salthouse Dock opened, and by the time George's Dock opened in 1771 it was 59,700.[21] By 1800 the figure for shipping using the docks was around 400,000 tons.[34] By 1825 1.2 million tons of goods were passing through the port.[35] This ensured a continuing demand for new docks. The docks created during the Georgian period were: under Thomas Steers Dock Engineer (1710–50): Canning Dock in 1737 as a dry dock open to the river. Built under Henry Berry during his tenure as Dock Engineer (1750–89), some were designed by other engineers: Salthouse Dock opened 1753; George's Dock opened 1771; Duke's Dock opened 1773 probably designed by James Brindley; Manchester Dock designer unknown, opened 1785 as a tidal basin open to the river; King's Dock, opened 1785, this catered to the tobacco trade;[36] Queen's Dock, opened 1785, used for the timber trade.[36] Thomas Morris Dock Engineer (1789–99) during his tenure: Chester Basin opened 1795. John Foster Sr. Dock Engineer (1799–1824) consultation involved in 1800 William Jessop and 1809 John Rennie the Elder,[37] dock's built under him were: locks added to the Manchester Dock between 1810 and 1815 to make it a wet dock; Prince's Half-Tide Dock, opened 1810; Prince's Dock, opened 1821. Jesse Hartley dock engineer (1824–60) designed the following docks: Clarence Dock, opened 1830 specifically for the use of steamers;[36] Canning Dock, originally opened 1737 as a dry dock and only became a full wet dock opened 1832 (at the same time Old Dock was filled-in in 1826 and the third custom house built on the site (1828–39) to the design of John Foster Jr. it was bombed in 1941 and the ruins demolished in 1946); Brunswick Half Tide Dock, opened 1832; Brunswick Dock opened 1832 used for the timber trade;[36] Waterloo Dock, opened 1834; Victoria Dock, opened 1836; Trafalgar Dock, opened 1836. The dominant force in Liverpool Architecture from the late 18th century to the 1830s was John Foster Sr. and John Foster Jr. many of their buildings have been demolished, see Demolished Georgian Buildings below for details.
Georgian domestic buildingsOver time, the growing wealth of the city manifested itself in a number of elegant townhouses, many of which are still preserved today. The main concentration of Georgian houses in the city is the Canning and adjacent areas, near the Anglican cathedral. Percy Street & Huskisson Street being two of the main streets. But Rodney Street, Duke Street, Mount Pleasant and Abercromby Square are nearby, and Great George Square is the other side of the cathedral to the west are largely lined with Georgian houses. The west side of Abercromby Square, the first built was designed by John Foster Sr. in 1819.[38]
Georgian housing is found throughout the city, both Georgian terraces and individual house, Shaw street Everton and Hope Terrace Wavertree being examples. There are several Georgian houses around St Mary's church Edge Hill and around the centre of Woolton.
There are also larger detached Georgian mansions and villas, such as Allerton Hall built c.1736 for slave traders John Hardman and his brother James, is a rare example in Liverpool of Palladian architecture. A rare example of an 18th-century merchant's villa is May Place, Broad Green Road, Old Swan, know to be in existence by 1768.[39] The former Rectory of St Mary's Walton (c.1800), built in a Gothic style, the porte-cochère was added in 1830.[40] A fine detached late eighteenth-century house is Olive Mount, Wavertree, built for James Swan grocer and tea dealer.[41] Sudley House built 1824 for corn merchant Nicholas Robinson and extended in the 1880s that is run as an Historic house museum, although the architect is not known for certain John Whiteside has been suggested as the designer.[42] The burnt out ground floor of Allerton House (1815) by Thomas Harrison, for Jacob Fletcher whose father made a fortune privateering, survives on Allerton Golf Course, the Lodge also survives and is probably Harrison's work.[43] A large mansion of 1828 is Calderstones House, built for Joseph Need Walker, a lead shot manufacturer.[44] Bark Hill, Mossley Hill, is an 1830s villa with a Doric porch, close by is Holmefield, also 1830s with an Ionic Porch.[45] Beaconsfield House, Beaconsfield (1830s) was built for solicitor Ambrose Lace, but only the Coachman's House and Stables survive as 84 Beaconsfield Road in a Jacobethan style.[46] Childwall hall (1806) a castellated Gothic mansion by John Nash, built for Bamber Gascoyne and was demolished in 1949, but the gate lodge survives and maybe the work of Nash.[47] Leyfield House, Honeys Green Lane, West Derby is a fine stuccoed villa with a Doric porch.[48] Another fine stuccoed villa is Beechley, Harthill Road Allerton.[49]
Georgian public buildings and memorialsLiverpool Town Hall was built in the Palladian style between 1749 and 1754 to a design by John Wood the Elder replacing an earlier town hall nearby. It was significantly extended and altered by James Wyatt from 1785. Its sumptuous interiors also by Wyatt, are highly regarded examples of late Georgian architecture, in refined neoclassical style, the actual building work was overseen by John Foster Sr. who was the Surveyor to the Corporation of Liverpool from 1790 to 1824. The city's stock exchange and financial district are set immediately behind this building, showing the close ties between local government and commerce. Other public buildings in the city of this era are the Liverpool Royal Institution that was constructed in c.1799 as a house and business premises for a merchant called Thomas Parr and was adapted by Edmund Aikin in 1815, who added the Doric order porch[50] and Edge Hill railway station is a rare pre-Victorian (1836) railway station, it was between 1830 & 1836 the original terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.[51] The Wapping Tunnel by George Stephenson was created (1826–29) to link Edge Hill and the new railway to the southern docks, it initially operated with a static steam engine hauling wagons through it. John Foster Jr, succeeded his father as Surveyor to the Corporation of Liverpool 1824–35 and was responsible for the design of St James Cemetery laid out (1827–29), he designed several buildings for the cemetery including the Lodge, entrance arch, the Oratory and Huskisson Monument (see the neo-classical section below for these last two) and is a Grade I Historic Park. Wavertree Botanic Gardens, originally started in the 1830s and a Grade II*, the park has a late Georgian entrance lodge. The facade of the former Grecian (1829) survives in Dale street.[52] An unusual relic is the Hearse House (1811) in the churchyard of All Saints' Childwall.[47] Another unusual building is the lockup (1787), Shaw Street, Everton,[53] used to imprison drunks overnight to sober up or someone awaiting magistrates, there is a second such building in the city Wavertree Lock-up (1796).
Behind the Town Hall is the Nelson Monument, it was designed by Matthew Cotes Wyatt and sculpted by Richard Westmacott as a memorial to Horation Nelson and unveiled in 1813.[54] Westmacott also sculpted the bronze equestrian statue of George III on London Road.[55] In the grounds of Allerton Manor, a now ruinous house in Allerton Road, lies an 18th-century obelisk.[43]
Georgian commercial buildingsIn 1786 the Liverpool Improvement Act was passed stipulating that £175,000 would be available over three years. One of the consequences was the widening of Castle Street overseen by John Foster Sr., which meant the west side of the street had to be completely rebuilt. only Nos 46, 52 & 54 survive from this period.[56] The Thomas Parr House in Colquitt Street with warehouse behind, is a rare surviving 18th-century warehouse.[57] In Brunswick Street is the former Bank of Arthur Heywood and Sons (1798–1800), possibly the design of John Foster Sr.[58] There is an interesting example of a late Georgian Gothic inn building in the Childwall Abbey Hotel.[47] The Union News Room (1800) in Duke Street was designed by John Foster Sr.[59] The facade of the former Grecian Hotel, 51-55 Dale Street survives as part of a modern office block. Harrington Chambers (c.1830) is a rare survival of Georgian shops with office floors above.[60] No 75-79 Bold Street (c.1833), by Joseph Franklin, is an example of Greek Revival architecture.[61] Some of Liverpool's landmarks are mainly known for their oddness, such as the Williamson Tunnels which are architecturally unique as the largest underground folly in the world.
Georgian churchesLiverpool has several churches built in the Georgian era, these are: The Church of England Church of St James, built-in 1774–75 by Cuthbert Bisbrown, it has a later chancel and other alterations have been made. The oldest surviving Roman Catholic church in the city (now a restaurant) is St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool (1788) built three years before the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791.[62] Holy Trinity Church, Wavertree (1794) was designed by John Hope, as an Anglican chapel and a new chancel was added (1911) by Charles Reilly. The Anglican Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas is Liverpool's parish church. Colloquially known as "the sailors' church", it has existed near the waterfront since 1257. The current building, designed by Thomas Harrison, was begun in 1811 following the catastrophic collapse of the old tower. While Harrison's tower is still original, the main body of the church has been rebuilt following Second World War damage. Another example of Georgian Gothic architecture is the Church of St Luke, Liverpool designed in 1802 by John Foster Sr. & John Foster Jr. (both men were born in Liverpool), it was built in 1811–32. St Mary's Edge Hill was built (1812–13) and extended (1825–25) architect unknown.[63] Thomas Rickman who began his career as an architect in Liverpool designed two churches in the city, both for the Church of England St George's Church, Everton in 1813–1815 with its unusual cast iron interior and St Michael's Church, Aigburth in 1814–1815 altered in 1900 by W. & G. Audsley, both are examples of late Georgian Gothic Revival architecture. John Slater designed the Roman Catholic St Patrick's Church, Liverpool in 1821–27 in a simple classical style, also for the same denomination is the gothic St Anthony's Church, Scotland Road 1832–33 by John Broadbent a pupil of Rickman's. Built for the Presbyterian's, St Andrew's Church, Liverpool by Daniel Stewart with the facade by John Foster Jr. was long derelict,[64][65] but was restored in 2015 as student accommodation. The tower of St Mary's Church, Walton-on-the-Hill dates from 1828 to 1832 and was designed by John Broadbent. St John the Evangelist, Knotty Ash (1834–36) is an example of Georgian Gothic. Several Georgian parish churches and chapels have been demolished in the centre of Liverpool, see the demolished Georgian buildings section below for details.
19th century neo-classical buildingsLiverpool has a rich tradition of neo-classical architecture running through the late Georgian right to the end of the Victorian period. Some prime early examples are the Lyceum by Thomas Harrison (1802), the Wellington Rooms by Edmund Aikin (1815–16; a grade II* listed building, now at risk in a "very bad" condition[66]). The Oratory using a Greek Doric style, by John Foster Jr. (1829) who based the building on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, also by Foster is the Huskisson Monument (1834) in St. James Cemetery based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, these are pure examples of Greek Revival architecture.[67] Also impressive is the grade I listed Bank of England Building built by Charles Robert Cockerell between 1845 and 1848[68](Cockerell spent the years 1810–1815 studying ancient buildings in Greece with John Foster Jr.[69]) and the North and South Wales Bank in Derby Square by Edward Corbett and is now known as Castle Moat House.[70] Liverpool Institute High School for Boys (1835–37) was designed by Arthur Hill Holme.[71] Liverpool Medical Institution (1836-7) was designed by Clark Rampling.[72] The unique ensemble of High Victorian neo-classical buildings around William Brown Street has been labelled the city's "Cultural Quarter". Located here are the William Brown Library and Museum (1857–60), paid for by William Brown, based on a design by Thomas Allom the building was modified in execution by John Weightman the corporation surveyor to save money; it now houses the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library, the Picton Library by Cornelius Sherlock (1875–79), and the Walker Art Gallery, paid for by Andrew Barclay Walker, designed by Sherlock and H. H. Vale (1874–77) and was extended by Sherlock (1882–84) with additional galleries at the back. Not strictly a neo-classical design and much closer to Beaux-Arts architecture, the County Sessions House (1882–84) by Liverpool architects F & G Holme.[73] next to the Walker fits in with its more playful classical vocabulary. Dominating the area, the magnificent St George's Hall was built 1841–54 to a design by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes and after Elmes's early death C.R. Cockerell designed the interiors, most notably the great hall and small concert room, this last was entirely Cockerell's design. It served a variety of civic functions, including that of a concert hall and as the city's law courts. Alluding to the ancient Roman SPQR, its doors are inscribed with the letters S.P.Q.L. (initials for the Latin phrase Senatus PopulusQue Liverpudliensis—"the senate and people of Liverpool"). Together with its grand architecture, this proclaims the municipal pride and ambition of the city in the mid-19th century. Also nearby are Wellington's Column designed by Andrew Lawson with a sculpture by George Anderson Lawson and the Steble Fountain.
There are a few places of worship in the neo-classical style in Liverpool, St Bride's Church, Liverpool (1829–30) by Samuel Rowland[75] and Great George Street Congregational Church (1840–41) by Joseph Franklin surveyor to Liverpool Corporation.[75] The Dock Office at the Albert Dock was constructed in (1848) to a design by Philip Hardwick, the portico and its Tuscan columns are of cast iron.[76]
Victorian (1837–1901) .jpg)  Liverpool continued to grow throughout the Victorian period from a population of 165,000 in 1831 to 685,000 by 1901.[33] This meant a growing demand for housing and other buildings. After the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway, other railway links to Liverpool were made, the Grand Junction Railway gave access to Birmingham and London in 1837; Chester and Birkenhead Railway (1840) then to Liverpool via Steam Ferry operational since 1815; Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (1847) and Cheshire Lines Committee (1873).[35] In 1880 Liverpool was granted city status. "Among the great cities of the world.... there is no other so exclusively devoted to commerce. Every house in Liverpool is either a counting-house, a warehouse, a shop, or a house that in one way or another is either an instrument or the result of trade.....and the inhabitants are nearly all to a man traders or the servants of traders" Johann Georg Kohl 1844, in The British Isles and Their Inhabitants[14] Victorian docks and warehouses (1841–47; Grade I) The docks are central to Liverpool's history, eventually, they would |
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![Great George Street Congregational Church (1841; Grade II), nicknamed The Blackie, by City Architect Joseph Franklin,[77] and Chinese Arch (2000) – the largest outside of China](File:Blackie_and_Arch.jpg)
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