Lording it over the Liverpool waterfront is the impressive, city block-sized Royal Liver Building, formally opened in 1911. The home of Royal Liver Assurance, this grade I-listed building was constructed to house the Royal Liver Group.
Royal Liver Building is part of a World Heritage Site
So iconic is the structure that, paired with the Cunard Building (Titanic, anyone?) and Port of Liverpool Building, it's one of the city's "Three Graces." Bundled with the rest of its historic district, the Royal Liver Building is also a landmark in a UNESCO World Heritage site, the World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City.
In 1850, the Royal Liver Assurance group was set up to help workers when they lost a family member to ship-building or other maritime-related work. The custom-built structure is made from reinforced concrete and its towers stand 300 feet tall, crowned by the goddess Minerva and Carl Bernard Bartels' two fantasy Liver birds, who gave their name to a long-running sitcom (1969 to 1996, according to IMBD).
Minerva a symbol of courage and protection for decades of Liverpool workers
By 1907, the group was employing more than 6,000 people; the company got permission to custom-build new offices. When author Helen Forrester came back to Liverpool with her family, the victim of her parents' excesses and Depression-era bankruptcy, she looked to Minerva for inspiration and comfort through grinding poverty and depression. The author of "Twopence to Cross the Mersey" died on November 29 this year.
All who leave the Port of Liverpool can't fail to see Minerva, blessing them as they set out into dangerous seas. Yet while the city supplied staff, labor, fittings and china for the cruise liner, in 1912, Titanic never stopped at Liverpool to get Minerva's blessing, and never saw the Statue of Liberty. In 2008, cruise ship the the Queen Elizabeth II passed on her very last voyage.
Custom-built structures for the Liver Buiding and Liverpool Museum
The Royal Liver Building's pedigree is undisputed, but in 2011 it gained a controversial neighbor. Located directly opposite, the new building of the Museum of Liverpool is as modern and angular as the Liver Building is elegant and classic.
So different is the new museum that Building Design shortlisted if for Britain's ugliest building of 2011 -- the Carbuncle Awards. The name likely was inspired by Prince Charles' 1984 comments, when the future king called an extension to the National Gallery a "monstrous carbuncle."
Liverpool Museum reflects the Royal Liver Building – literally and figuratively
The new museum follows in the footsteps of the Museum of Liverpool Life, closed in 2006, and, like the Liver Building, is a custom-built structure that sits directly opposite. It's home to cityscapes, themed galleries and a vast window that gives views of the city water front. The opening was on 19 July 2011, with a royal dedication on December 2.
According to its website, the structure is more than 75 feet high, is built using green technologies to be energy-efficient, and its steel frame supports huge open spaces indoor for flexible exhibits. It's clad in stone from the Isle of Jura in Scotland, and has 1,500 square meters of glazing. Therein lies the hidden beauty of the museum: The reflections of the Liver Building and water front pay an almost perfect homage to the history told by this modern building.
Liverpool Museum: Mann Island, Pier Head, Liverpool; +44 (0)151-478-4545; liverpoolmuseums.org/mol
Previous article:
Next article:
Sources and further reading: IMBD; Wirral News; Carbuncle Cup; Telegraph; Museum of Liverpool; BBC; Royal Liver Building Facebook page; Wirral Cam
Be the first to read new articles on the Historic Landmarks column when you subscribe to this column or use the RSS feed. You can also follow on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments