What are everybody's favourite public spaces in the city?
Although I like all the big ones like St Georges, Pier Head (even if its bloody windy) etc, I think that Hamilton Square in Birkenhead is one of the best gems I have ever seen. What a fantastic place.

I appreciate the classyness of Hamilton Sq., but Clayton Sq. with it's big screen, rush of people, shops, views of the Tower does it for me.

St James Gardens, underneath the Anglican cathedral - perfect

The former graveyard of the Anglican Cathedral.

There used to be a nice garden at the back of the Bluecoat. I know it's still there, but now that building, and that area, is changing, I very much doubt if it will be as it used to be. It used to be a secret garden.

pier head is my favourite, no one seems to like williamson square, i dont think its bad at all. not all the shops there are that bad. plus the playhouse is there.

Cant decide between Falkner Square, the corner of Upper Duke Street and Berry Street looking down Duke Street towards the Pier Head with a few quick quick glances towards the Blackie and the Chinese arch, Hartley Quay, Sefton Park, Crosby beach just before twilight on a summer evening looking towards the Welsh mountains, Egremont promenade at high tide in November or February looking back towards Liverpool, Cressington Esplanade. I'm also a fan of the enclosed garden at the back of the Bluecoat and the top of Everton Brow when the light is right.

Abercromby Square - University.

Class!

:)

St James Gardens, underneath the Anglican cathedral - perfect
I'll second that. When the weather is nice, it's the perfect place to be. Not sure about people dangling cameras 100m+ above your head though.

For centuries successive Liverpool Town Halls were known as the exchange. It is thought that the first exchange was located close to where the present Town Hall stands, at the junction where Castle Street meets Dale Street. This building was no more than a thatched house, but given that Liverpool’s trade was not of a complex nature until the seventeenth century it probably was more than adequate. However, in 1673 the Common Council decided to erect a new town hall and exchange. This was a rather more grand building but by 1740 the building began to subside and had to be demolished.

The third town hall and exchange was built in 1748, alas this building was gutted by fire in 1795 and its interior and parts of its exterior had to be rebuilt. This building still stands today and is used as a town hall for civic functions. By the time the town hall had been re-opened in 1805 the decision to have a dedicated exchange had been taken by Liverpool merchants. The ground that separates the Town Hall and the exchange became known as Exchange Flags, presumably because merchants would have at one time gathered on the pavement to conduct their affairs.

In April 1801 a public subscription was launched to provide the necessary monies to build the new exchange. Although shares were limited to ten per person the subscription was sold out within three hours. The foundation stone of the new exchange was laid 30 June 1803; the building was open for business on 1 March 1808. This building has been described as the finest of the three independent exchanges that have been built.

In 1862 a new company took over the exchange, by then the 1808 building was too small and the company had the building demolished and had a new exchange built on the same site. This building like its predecessor also became too small and by 1937 the decision was taken to build a larger and more modern exchange. Alas, the building, which replaced the old exchange, did not have the same aesthetic qualities as the one designed to replace it. Replacing the exchange proved to be a longer job than expected because of the intervention war. The current exchange was conceived in three parts which were named Derby House, Lancaster House and Sefton House. The original designs anticipated that it would cost about £1.25 million to build, use some 10 million bricks, 130,000 feet of stone as well as 5,000 tons of steel. The building was designed to accommodate four-five thousand workers; the previous exchange could only accommodate one thousand workers.

The first phase, Derby House, was opened in 1939. Its life as the new exchange was short-lived, however, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Approaches used the building during the war. It was 1949 before building could restart and when it did some modifications to the original had to be made because it was found impossible to remove the massive wartime structures within the building. Instead of building three sections with a central archway it was now found that two public rights of way would have to be provided. The old exchange was not completely demolished until 1953, while the eventual total cost of building the new exchange was over £2 million.

:) :cheers: