Liverpool Town Centre

	The Exchange (later the Town Hall) As it was before 1795 fire.
	The Town Hall This magnificent structure from designs by the late Mr. Wood of Bath, is situate in a central and elevated situation, at the north end of Castle street. [...] The portico in front was erected very recently, and contains some of the most beautiful and richly ornamented pillars of which the town can boast. The whole of the interior was destroyed by fire in 1795, but has since been restored with very considerable improvements, at an expense of about £110,000. The dome forms one of these improvements, and surmounts the Grand Staircase at an elevation of 106 feet from the floor. A colossal figure of Britannia, in a sitting posture, crowns it; and on the exterior is a circular gallery, which affords very interesting panoramic prospects of the town and neighbourhood. [...] On the west side is a noble banqueting room, where the mayor holds his civic entertainments; and in the centre of the whole suite is a delightful refectory, where, on public occasions, the tables groan beneath a luxurious load, from which may be selected viands suited to every palate. The Corporation of Liverpool is one of the most opulent corporate bodies in the kingdom, and its revenue is to a large extent made subservient to the public good.
	The Town Hall Ball Room The principal Ball Room [...] occupies the entire north front of the Town Hall. It is a room of magnificent dimensions, and all the delicate suggestions of art have been called into requisition for its completion. Three superb glass chandeliers, containing seventy-two gas burners, throw a flood of splendour on the fair and graceful assemblages which meet there, ' to trip it on the light fantastic toe.' Each chandelier weighs not less than eight hundred pounds. [...] In this noble apartment, appropriated to the elegant amusement of dancing, the festive scene is not unfrequently devoted to the highest philanthropical and benevolent purposes. The loveliness which charmed every heart, while it swam in chaste and graceful attitude through the various evolutions of the dance, may be seen, in a softer and not less pleasing light, assisting the cause of sickness, infirmity, and distress. We wish not to rob the ladies of Lancashire of one iota of their "fair fame," when we say, that, whilst turning aside from elegant pleasures to promote the comforts of the poor and indigent, they throw the blaze of ball-room loveliness into comparative shade.
	The View South from the Town Hall This beautiful panoramic view of Liverpool, embracing the most picturesque and interesting features of the town, concentrates many particulars [...] and displays them in a light at once novel and commanding. The noble avenue in the centre, forming the principal object in the picture, is Castle Street, at the extremity of which is seen the south wing of the Crescent. The classic tower and elegant spire of St. George's Church are seen, rising to a magnificent height, above the dense mass of buildings which surrounds them. [...] In the background of the view, and in a line with Castle-street, may be seen the tower of St. Thomas's Church, while more to the left, the Church of St. Michael forms a conspicuous, though distant object. The situation of the docks, which are concealed from the spectator by intervening buildings, is pointed out by the masts and rigging of the vessels, resting, like huge leviathans, within their spacious basins. Beyond these, the Mersey raises her urn of waters, across which numberless skiffs are stretching their white sails, and floating onward like insects in a summer's eve.
	Water Street In its present state [Water Street] consists of extensive mercantile buildings. In the right-hand corner of the engraving is shewn one end of the Goree warehouses. A little higher up appears one extremity of another range of warehouses, called also Goree. [...] At the upper extremity of Water-street stands the Town-hall, not centrally situated with respect to it, but inclining to the north.
	The Old Tower, Water Street As it was in the late 18th century.
	The Corn Exchange, Brunswick Street [The Corn Exchange] is a plain modern Building, of ample dimensions. The architecture is of the Doric- order, from the designs of Mr. J. Foster, Sen. It was built in the year 1807, at an expense of £10,000, raised in shares of £100 each. However unpretending the appearance of the building, it deserves notice on account of the immense-extent of business transacted here. [...] The monopoly which this town enjoys, of supplying with all the luxuries, and a great part of the necessaries of life, so dense a population as that contained in the manufacturing and midland districts of England - a population amounting to at least one third of the whole kingdom - affords a basis of confidence, and an assurance of continued improvement, which may well counterbalance the gloomy presages of some saturnine observers, who imagine that in the rapid advancement of the port they see a prognostic of its speedy downfall.
	Exchange Buildings and Nelson's Monument This elaborate work of art, in bronze, stands near the centre of the area of the Exchange Buildings. It is after a design of M. C. Wyatt, Esq., executed by Richard Westmacott, Esq., R.A., and was erected in the year 1812, at an expense of £9000, which was defrayed by public subscription. The bronze alone weighs twenty-two tons. The admiral is placed in the centre of the group, and represented as in the moment of conquest, receiving on the point of his sword a fourth naval crown, in addition to three already obtained, emblematical of his decisive victories at St. Vincent, Copenhagen, and Aboukir. [...] Situated as this monument is, in the very centre of business, of the second commercial town in the kingdom, it must force itself on the notice of all foreigners, and tend to impress upon them a conviction of the stability of that Naval Empire which Britain has so long, and by such transcendent exertions, been able to retain.
	The Interior of the Exchange Newsroom The Exchange News Room, and the rooms connected with it, occupy nearly all the lower story of the eastern wing of the Exchange buildings. [...] The accommodations which the Exchange News Room offers to mercantile gentlemen and others, who take an interest in the affairs of the day, are most complete. Tables, furnished with slopes, are provided for greater convenience of reading or making extracts, &c. A person is in attendance to supply the paper called for by any gentleman. Refreshments of coffee, &c. may also be had by the visitants, in an adjoining room.
	The Sessions House, Chapel Street This plain edifice [was] completed in 1828. [...] The principal front [...] has two entrances, with lintels leading by winding staircases to a saloon [...], which forms the ante-room to that appropriated for the court of quarter-sessions. The upper end [of this appartment] is devoted to the use of the magistrates, barristers, jurors, and officers of the court; the prisoners' bar is near the centre of the room, and a communication leads from it to the cells in Bridewell, by a passage underground. About one-third of the room is allotted for the accommodation of spectators, and is floored with ranges of steps gradually ascending. At the other end of the building, another court, of much smaller dimension, is fitted up in a similar manner, for the examination of prisoners brought up before the sitting magistrates for offences against the peace. The ground floor contains cells for the reception of prisoners while waiting for trial.
	St. George's Crescent, Castle Street The engraving of Saint George's Crescent, and Castle-street, places before the reader the most magnificent improvements which the town of Liverpool has recently undergone. Space for the erection of the Crescent was obtained by the removal of the houses in Castle-street, opposite Saint George's Church. In little more than twelve months the Crescent was completed, and very important alterations effected in Lord-street. These great objects were accomplished by the Corporation at an expense exceeding £170,000. The widening of James-street, leading to the docks, which has just been effected, will, on the removal of the warehouses and other buildings from Mann's Island, very materially improve the view from the north wing of the Crescent, and render it a still more desirable place of residence. Castle-street derives its name from the ancient Castle, the remains of which were taken down in 1715, when Saint George's Church was erected on its site. This street has been greatly improved by the removal of the buildings that have given place to the Crescent. The Town-hall, though not quite centrally situated with respect to Castle-street, renders the perspective view, as seen from Pool Lane, highly effective.
	Lord Street and St. George's Church This Street was, until a recent period, very inconvenient for one of the principal avenues in the town. In 1825, an Act of Parliament was obtained for widening it, and so great were the industry and zeal exerted by the Corporation's agents on the occasion, that the alteration was effected in less than two years. The new houses on the south side are built of brick, covered with stucco, uniform in their elevation, but varying in plan. It is in contemplation to rebuild the houses on the north side in the same way ; and when this design shall have been accomplished, Lord Street will be, without exception, the most magnificent in Liverpool. [...] An unbroken line of spacious and elegant shops extends the whole length of the Street, and affords to the fair and the fashionable, at once, an excuse and a motive for a morning's lounge. The view up Lord Street is terminated by St. George's Church [...] commenced in 1715, but not consecrated till 1732. It has been recently rebuilt, with the exception of the roof and ceiling, and the frame-work of the pews, gallery, and pulpit. [...] At the spot on which the spectator is supposed to stand in the engraved view, there was formerly a small tenement called the Boat House, where a ferry-boat was stationed for the purpose of conveying passengers across the Pool (now no longer in existence) into the town, and where, at a later date, Lord Molyneaux erected a bridge, to connect the peninsula of Liverpool with the main land.
	Lord Street and South John Street The latter Street, formerly denominated Marshall Street, crosses Lord Street at right angles, and, when completed, will extend from Dale Street to the site of the New Custom House(heretofore the Old Dock). It is a wide and handsome avenue, and some of the houses, now in course of erection, are in a style of princely magnificence. The range of buildings which occupies the central place in the view, named the Clarendon Buildings, was erected by W. Statham, Esq., town-clerk, the proprietor, and contains, besides commercial offices, &c. rooms appropriated to the accommodation of the commissioners in cases of bankruptcy, and for the reception of a Law Library.
	The Old Theatre, Williamson Square As it was in the late 18th century.
	The Lycaeum Newsroom and Library, Bold Street This very classical building includes one of those establishments devoted to literary purposes, which may be said to be characteristic of Liverpool. It contains under one roof, a news-room and a library, which are not only distinct properties, but managed by distinct committees, officers, &c. [...] The room which [the proprietors of the library] occupy is circular, and surmounted by a dome, richly ornamented, through this is admitted the only light that the library enjoys. In winter, this is found insufficient to enable the librarians easily to read the titles, &c. of books in the recesses, but it very much enhances the beauty of the apartment itself. [...] This is the oldest literary establishment in the town. [...] We are not aware that a circulating library of such magnitude, and so easily accessible to the majority of the reading portion of the community, exists in any other provincial town. The news-room is [...] furnished with an ample supply of the principal London and provincial newspapers, magazines, and reviews. [...] Mr. Harrison of Chester was the architect, and the cost of the whole structure amounted to £11,000. The front towards Church Street has been much admired for its chastened elegance, and that towards Bold Street, for its simple grandeur, its massive Ionic columns, colonnade, &c. [...] Proceeding up Bold Street, the next building on the left hand is the Rotunda, a circular edifice, intended originally for the exhibition of panoramic paintings, but afterwards converted into a billiard-room, &c., and occupied by a society, which in many particulars resembles the clubs of London. It has no pretensions to architectural beauty. So rapid have been the encroachments of trade, that Bold Street, which was very recently the residence of the principal merchants and most respectable families, is now almost an unbroken line of shops.
	The Royal Amphitheatre, Great Charlotte Street This noble and handsome structure, appropriated to dramatic and equestrian exhibitions, which is situate in Great Charlotte Street, in the immediate vicinity of St. John's Market, was erected in 1825. [...] It is capable of accommodating from 3,000 to 4,000 spectators.
	St. John's Market, Great Charlotte Street This extensive building, situate in the immediate neighbourhood of Queen-square, Clayton-square, and Williamson-square, was designed by Mr. Foster, and erected by the Corporation of Liverpool, at an expense of £35,000. The edifice was begun in August, 1820, and finished in the month of February, 1822. The principal front of the Market (shewn in the engraving) is in Great Charlotte- Street, and faces the Amphitheatre. [...] The building measures 183 yards in length, and 45 yards in breadth ; and occupies a space equal to nearly two statute acres.
	Statue of George III, London Road [This statue] was erected in September, 1822, by R. Westmacott, R. A., at an expense of nearly £4000, raised by public subscription. The inscription, which occupies two sides of the pedestal, intimates that the Monument is intended to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the accession of his Majesty George III to the throne of these realms. [...] The street on the left hand of the Monument leads into the great London Rad, along which all stage-coaches proceed that are destined for Manchester, Yorkshire, and the more southerly parts of the kingdom. The number of these which depart and arrive daily falls little short of one hundred.
	The Royal Institution, Colquitt Street This was formerly a gentleman's mansion, but, on being converted to its present uses, it has undergone great internal alterations. The stone portico at the entrance, erected by the late Mr. Edmund Aikin, which is much and justly admired, has formed the model of many similar structures since, annexed to the residences of the principal merchants. [...] [The institution's] object is declared to be 'the promotion of literature, science, and the arts,' by academical schools, by public lectures, by the encouragement of societies that may associate for similar objects, by collections of books, specimens of art, natural history, &c., and by providing a laboratory and philosophical apparatus. It was opened November 25, 1817 by an inaugural discourse, 'on the origin and vicissitudes of literature, science, and art, and their influence on the present state of society,' delivered by the late president, William Roscoe, Esq.
	The Infirmary, Brownlow Street [...] The present building, which was opened for the reception of patients in September, 1824, possesses the strongest claims to attention, whether considered as an asylum for the diseased, or an architectural ornament. [...] The ground-floor is appropriated to purposes of domestic utility; the first floor contains a suite of twenty apartments, for the accommodation of Committees, Officers of the Institution, and the Household, except one long room in the left wing, which is fitted up as a ward for the reception of those patients whose situation requires prompt attention. The wards for other patients occupy the second and third stories, and are both lofty and airy. The elevated ceilings, and the cheerful light and regulated temperature, of these apartments, impart a degree of comfort, which, combined with the utmost degree of cleanliness, cannot fail to exhilarate the spirits of the patients, and conduce to their recovery.
	The Wellington Rooms, Mount Pleasant From the house of mourning and disease [the Infirmary], we traverse but a short distance, till we arrive at the house of mirth and revelry. This extensive suite of assembly rooms was erected by public subscription, from the designs of the late amiable and lamented Edmund Aikin. The front, which is of stone, is in the Grecian style of architecture, without windows. At the western side of the building is an open porch for sedan chairs ; and at the eastern, a similar one for carriages to set down under cover. The circular portico in front was originally open, but this plan, though much more conducive to architectural beauty, was found practically inconvenient. In consequence, the spaces between the beautiful Corinthian columns have been closed up by a dead stone wall, and a door has been placed in front, the dimensions and appearance of which would be much more appropriate to a house of correction. The interior of this building is very splendid. The Ball Room is eighty feet by thirty-seven, the Card Room forty-four feet by twenty-five, and the Supper Room, which is used occasionally as a ball-room, is fifty-feet by twenty-five. The whole are appropriated to the amusements of the upper classes of society, as subscription balls, assemblies, and occasionally fancy-dress balls. These amusements are nowhere greater favourites than in Liverpool, where successful enterprise furnishes the means of splendour, and the disposition to display.
	William Roscoe's Birthplace, MountPleasant This building, situated on Mount Pleasant, is now remarkable for nothing but having given birth, on the 8th of March, 1753, to the distinguished individual on whose account it is noticed. The case, however, was somewhat different at the period to which we refer. Erected on elevated ground, and at a distance from nearly all other edifices, it afforded a commanding view of 'the good old town' of Liverpool, of the entrance into its majestic river, of Bootle Bay, of the ocean sparkling at a distance, of the remote hills in Wales, and, in various directions, of a scenery at once diversified and extended.
	Abercromby Square [The square] is the most spacious area of the kind in Liverpool, covering about three and a half acres of ground. On three sides it is enclosed by houses built in an elegant style, and on a regular plan; on the fourth, or eastern side, it is proposed to erect a church, to be named St. Katharine's, the property of which will be vested in a company of proprietors. An act of parliament was obtained for this purpose in the session recently closed, and the work will be immediately commenced. The space thus appropriated for the residence of the richer inhabitants, was formerly covered with water, and denominated Moss Lake. Great importance seems to have been formerly attached to the preservation of this lake by means of flood-gates - as it served the two-fold purpose of cleansing the Old Pool, and supplying tanners, dyers, &c. with the water required by their trades. [...] Other streets and squares are in the course of construction in the vicinity of Abercrombie Square, and in a few years may be expected to cover the entire space between the town and the Botanic Gardens.
	St. James's Cemetery looking North-West St. James's Cemetery owes its existence to a few public-spirited individuals, who, in common with the majority of their townsmen, deprecated the evils, both moral and medical, which have resulted from crowded cemeteries in the midst of populous cities and towns. [...] Among the many interesting improvements made in this spirited town within the last few years, nothing has been effected possessing so much interest, as the establishment of this cemetery, occupying as it does what is generally a void and nuisance in the neighbourhood. In the year 1825, a general Cemetery was formed at Low Hill, near Everton, for the inhumation of the dead, in consequence of the contracted space allotted to the burial grounds in Liverpool, and the frequent violation of public decency and feeling, arising from the disinterment of one corpse whilst preparing a grave for another. This institution was found insufficient to answer the designed purposes, and, in 1829, St. James's Cemetery [...] was opened in Liverpool. This burial-ground, the foundation-stone of which was laid August 28th, 1827, is situated at the top of Duke-street, on the site of a delf or quarry, and comprises 44,000 square yards of land, surrounded with a stone wall and an iron railing. There are four entrances by gates, the principal one leading through an elegant archway to the lower part of the grounds. [...] The sides on the north, west, and south, are formed by sloping banks thickly planted with shrubs. [...] The Chapel or Oratory, a beautiful specimen of classic architecture, built under the direction of John Foster, Esq. occupies a prominent situation near the face of the perpendicular rock, at the top of Duke-street. It has the appearance of a temple, the portico is formed of six Doric columns, supporting an entablature and pediment. The interior is solemn, and well accords with the peculiar duties performed within it. The Minister's house, a handsome stone building, stands near the latter edifice, and the Porter's lodge is situate on the high land at the south end.
	St. James's Cemetery looking South-East The eastern side [...] is nearly perpendicular, and faced with masonry. Two inclined roads extending north and south intersect each other, and through the point of intersection runs a horizontal road to each extremity of the wall. These roads are sufficiently wide to admit a carriage, and are protected by a course of masonry two feet six inches in height. The catacombs, making altogether upwards of one hundred, are formed in the sides of the horizontal and declined roads before described, and are entered by door-ways, four feet six inches wide, and seven feet high, finished at the sides, and round the arches, with rustic masonry. In this view of the Cemetery, the reader will perceive the place of Mr. Huskisson's interment, occupying a distant, but nearly central situation in the engraving, which, also, exhibits the inclined planes. The residence of the minister is another prominent object; it is a neat mansion of Grecian architecture, with wings and suitable grounds. The principal or lower entrance to this 'city of the dead,' as represented beneath this house, is flanked by luxuriant foliage, which, from its sombre cast, has a pleasing appearance on entering the grounds.