St George’s Hall, Liverpool

St George’s Hall

Date	24 November 2013
Location	St George’s Place, Liverpool	SJ 34978 90640; 53.40854°N, 2.97959°W
Information	In the early 19th century there were calls for the building of a concert hall in the city centre to host Liverpool’s triennial music festivals. In 1838, in celebration of Queen Victoria’s coronation, the foundation stone of the new hall was laid on the site of the former Liverpool Infirmary, close to the newly opened Lime Street railway station. The following year a design competition for the concert hall was won by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, a young London-based architect. Elmes also won a separate competition for the design of new law courts for the city. The two projects were later combined and Elmes produced a Greek- and Roman-inspired neo-classical design for St George’s Hall as a venue for concerts and also as home to the Crown and Civil courts. Construction of the hall started in 1841, but Elmes was never to see its completion, dying from tuberculosis in 1847. Charles Robert Cockerell took over as architect in 1851 and the building opened in 1854. The courts moved to other premises in 1984, after which time the hall was neglected and fell into disrepair. A £23m programme to restore the Grade I listed building was started in 2000 and St George’s Hall was officially re-opened in 2007. It is currently home to Liverpool Register Office and a heritage centre, and it used as a venue for events such as concerts, conferences, exhibitions and receptions. St George’s Hall (City Halls Liverpool); St George’s Hall (Liverpool World Heritage)

 

George and the dragon – the stained glass windows were added in 1883-84

The 169ft-long Great Hall. The mosaic floor is composed of over 30,000 Minton tiles and the tunnel vaulted ceiling is supported by polished red granite pillars.

The organ was built by Henry Willis and was completed in 1855. With over 7,000 pipes this was at the time the largest in Britain. The organ bellows were originally driven by steam engine.

Southern portico with double row of eight Corinthian columns. The inscription reads ‘Artibus Legibus Consiliis Locum Municipes Constituerunt Anno Domini MDCCCXLI’ (For Arts, Law and Counsel the townspeople built this place in 1841)

St George’s Hall

St George’s Hall

St George’s Hall

Eastern façade colonnade

St George’s Hall

Nereid statue

Triton statue

The series of relief panels on the eastern façade was added in 1882-1901

St George’s Hall