Royal Liver Building
Encyclopedia
The Royal Liver Building (icon) is a Grade I listed building located in Liverpool
, England
. It is sited at the Pier Head
and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building
and Port of Liverpool Building
is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront. It is also part of Liverpool's UNESCO
designated World Heritage
Maritime Mercantile City
.
Opened in 1911, the building is the purpose-built home of the Royal Liver Assurance group, which had been set up in the city in 1850 to provide locals with assistance related to losing a wage-earning relative. One of the first buildings in the world to be built using reinforced concrete
, the Royal Liver Building stands at 90 m (295.3 ft) tall and was the tallest building in both Liverpool and the United Kingdom for over half a century.
Today the Royal Liver Building is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the city of Liverpool and is home to two fabled Liver Bird
s that watch over the city and the sea. Legend has it that were these two birds to fly away, then the city would cease to exist.
, the foundation stone for the building was laid on 11 May 1908 and just 3 years later on 19 July 1911, the building was officially opened by Lord Sheffield. The building became the first major structure in Britain
, and one of the first buildings in the world, to be constructed using reinforced concrete
, and given the building's radical design was considered by some to be impossible to build.
Since its completion in 1911, it has overlooked the River Mersey
from its waterfront location on the Pier Head
and forms one of the 'Three Graces' along with the Port of Liverpool Building
and the Cunard Building
. This is reflected in the building's Grade I listed building status. It stands at 90 m (295.3 ft) tall and has 13 floors.
The building is crowned by a pair of clock towers: as a ship passed along the river, mariners could tell the time from these. The clock faces are 7.6 m (24.9 ft) in diameter, larger than those of London's famous landmark, Big Ben
, holding the distinction of being the largest electronically driven clocks in the UK.
They were originally named George clocks, because they were started at the precise time that King George V
was crowned on 22 June 1911.
In 1953, electronic chimes were installed to serve as a memorial to the members of the Royal Liver Friendly Society
who died during the two World Wars. During hours of darkness, the clock dials are illuminated.
Atop each tower stand the mythical Liver Bird
s, designed by Carl Bernard Bartels
. Popular legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port.
Alternatively, local legend states one Liver Bird is male, looking inland to see if the pubs are open, whilst the other is female, looking out to sea to see if there are any handsome sailors coming up the river. Yet another local legend, reflecting Liverpudlians' cynicism, avers that every time a virgin walks across the Pier Head, the Liver Birds flap their wings. It is also said that, if one of the birds were to fly away the city of Liverpool would cease to exist, thus adding to the mystery of the birds. As a result, both birds are chained to the domes upon which they stand; although this could simply be because the originally gilded Liver birds, of a moulded and hammered copper construction (that itself fixed onto a rolled-steel armature) are eighteen feet high, ten feet long and themselves carry in their beaks an intricately cast sprig of seaweed. Additionally, however, their heads are three-and-a-half feet long, their wing spread is twelve feet and their legs measure two foot in circumference. The two birds - officially cormorants - have identical and almost traditional poses, standing upright with half-raised wings.
During the early 1950s the sixth floor was occupied and used by No 3 Movements Unit (Embarkation) of the Royal Air Force, overseeing and controlling the movement of RAF personnel and goods through the port.
The building remains the head office for the Royal Liver Assurance.
More akin to the early tall American skyscrapers, the Royal Liver Building
closely resembles H. H. Richardson's Allegheny Court House (built in 1884) and Adler and Sullivan's Schiller Theatre - with no definitive exterior styling but eclectic references to the Baroque and Byzantine.
The building had a special centenary celebration in 2011. The internationally acclaimed artist group The Macula was commissioned by the Liverpool city council to create a projection mapping event for this occasion.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is sited at the Pier Head
Pier Head
The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It is part of the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004....
and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building
Cunard Building
The Cunard Building is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
and Port of Liverpool Building
Port of Liverpool Building
The Port of Liverpool Building , is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's "Three Graces", which line the city's waterfront...
is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront. It is also part of Liverpool's UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
designated World Heritage
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
Maritime Mercantile City
Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City
The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site in Liverpool, England. It comprises six locations in the city centre of Liverpool including the Pier Head, Albert Dock and William Brown Street, and includes many of the city's most famous landmarks.UNESCO received...
.
Opened in 1911, the building is the purpose-built home of the Royal Liver Assurance group, which had been set up in the city in 1850 to provide locals with assistance related to losing a wage-earning relative. One of the first buildings in the world to be built using reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
, the Royal Liver Building stands at 90 m (295.3 ft) tall and was the tallest building in both Liverpool and the United Kingdom for over half a century.
Today the Royal Liver Building is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the city of Liverpool and is home to two fabled Liver Bird
Liver bird
The Liver bird is the symbol of the city of Liverpool, England.-History:The earliest known use of a bird to represent the then-town of Liverpool was on its corporate seal, dating from the 1350s. The seal is now held by the British Museum. In 1668 the Earl of Derby gave the town council a mace...
s that watch over the city and the sea. Legend has it that were these two birds to fly away, then the city would cease to exist.
History
In 1907 the Royal Liver Group had over 6000 employees and given the need for larger premises the company gave the go-ahead for the construction of a new head office. Designed by Walter Aubrey ThomasWalter Aubrey Thomas
Walter Aubrey Thomas , was a British architect.Walter Aubrey Thomas was born in 1859 at Tranmere, Birkenhead. He was the son of Humphrey Glegge Thomas who listed as an architect and engineer....
, the foundation stone for the building was laid on 11 May 1908 and just 3 years later on 19 July 1911, the building was officially opened by Lord Sheffield. The building became the first major structure in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and one of the first buildings in the world, to be constructed using reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
, and given the building's radical design was considered by some to be impossible to build.
Since its completion in 1911, it has overlooked the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
from its waterfront location on the Pier Head
Pier Head
The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. It is part of the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004....
and forms one of the 'Three Graces' along with the Port of Liverpool Building
Port of Liverpool Building
The Port of Liverpool Building , is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's "Three Graces", which line the city's waterfront...
and the Cunard Building
Cunard Building
The Cunard Building is a Grade II* listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
. This is reflected in the building's Grade I listed building status. It stands at 90 m (295.3 ft) tall and has 13 floors.
The building is crowned by a pair of clock towers: as a ship passed along the river, mariners could tell the time from these. The clock faces are 7.6 m (24.9 ft) in diameter, larger than those of London's famous landmark, Big Ben
Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is generally extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well. It is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world...
, holding the distinction of being the largest electronically driven clocks in the UK.
They were originally named George clocks, because they were started at the precise time that King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
was crowned on 22 June 1911.
In 1953, electronic chimes were installed to serve as a memorial to the members of the Royal Liver Friendly Society
Royal Liver Friendly Society
Royal Liver Assurance is a friendly society with over 1.7 million members in Ireland and the UK. Subject to Financial Services Authority approval, Royal Liver and its subsidiaries will become part of the Royal London Group on 1 July 2011.-History:...
who died during the two World Wars. During hours of darkness, the clock dials are illuminated.
Atop each tower stand the mythical Liver Bird
Liver bird
The Liver bird is the symbol of the city of Liverpool, England.-History:The earliest known use of a bird to represent the then-town of Liverpool was on its corporate seal, dating from the 1350s. The seal is now held by the British Museum. In 1668 the Earl of Derby gave the town council a mace...
s, designed by Carl Bernard Bartels
Carl Bernard Bartels
Carl Bernard Bartels was a sculptor.Bartels, a wood carver from Stuttgart, Germany, moved to Britain after visiting the country during his honeymoon in 1887....
. Popular legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port.
Alternatively, local legend states one Liver Bird is male, looking inland to see if the pubs are open, whilst the other is female, looking out to sea to see if there are any handsome sailors coming up the river. Yet another local legend, reflecting Liverpudlians' cynicism, avers that every time a virgin walks across the Pier Head, the Liver Birds flap their wings. It is also said that, if one of the birds were to fly away the city of Liverpool would cease to exist, thus adding to the mystery of the birds. As a result, both birds are chained to the domes upon which they stand; although this could simply be because the originally gilded Liver birds, of a moulded and hammered copper construction (that itself fixed onto a rolled-steel armature) are eighteen feet high, ten feet long and themselves carry in their beaks an intricately cast sprig of seaweed. Additionally, however, their heads are three-and-a-half feet long, their wing spread is twelve feet and their legs measure two foot in circumference. The two birds - officially cormorants - have identical and almost traditional poses, standing upright with half-raised wings.
During the early 1950s the sixth floor was occupied and used by No 3 Movements Unit (Embarkation) of the Royal Air Force, overseeing and controlling the movement of RAF personnel and goods through the port.
The building remains the head office for the Royal Liver Assurance.
More akin to the early tall American skyscrapers, the Royal Liver Building
Royal Liver Building
The Royal Liver Building is a Grade I listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
closely resembles H. H. Richardson's Allegheny Court House (built in 1884) and Adler and Sullivan's Schiller Theatre - with no definitive exterior styling but eclectic references to the Baroque and Byzantine.
The building had a special centenary celebration in 2011. The internationally acclaimed artist group The Macula was commissioned by the Liverpool city council to create a projection mapping event for this occasion.