Liverpool in Architectural Details

[Martin S]

Further up Water Street, the National and Provincial Bank Building. I always think that this building looks like a giant safe, so you wouldn't worry about depositing your life savings here:



In case you don't get the idea, the front doors are made of solid bronzeand adorned with these cute little pussy cats:



Next door is the Art Deco India Buildings by Herbert Rowse. These lamps just look amazing:



According to Sharples they are modelled on those in the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence.

[the golden vision]

Good stuff.

[kevsy21]

^Good pics^

[4737carlin]

Wonderful art deco on Bold Street

[Doug Roberts]

Golden Vision great set of pics of the Pembroke Place court thanks for climbing over the wall and posting 'em. Is this the last remaining court in Liverpool? I don't know but I can't think of anywhere else.

Now this is the kind of thing that Wayne Colquhoun and EH should get excited about! the preservation of these buildings would fit in really well with the Intenational Migration Centre story.

[the golden vision]

Originally Posted by 4737carlin

Wonderful art deco on Bold Street

Good pics. As we've said, Bold St is a fantastic street for architecture.

[the golden vision]

Originally Posted by Doug Roberts

Golden Vision great set of pics of the Pembroke Place court thanks for climbing over the wall and posting 'em. Is this the last remaining court in Liverpool? I don't know but I can't think of anywhere else.

Now this is the kind of thing that Wayne Colquhoun and EH should get excited about! the preservation of these buildings would fit in really well with the Intenational Migration Centre story.

Thanks Doug. Yes, it's definitely the only remaining court housing in the city. There is confusion sometimes, with the back-to-back property at Duke's Terrace, off Duke St. This type of housing was quite advanced working class dwelling for its time (1840's) with an indoor water supply(i'm not sure about the toilets) in the courts, toilets and water supply were communal and were located in the coutyard.


That's a very good idea about a museum.I know Manchester and Birmingham have both preserved one of their original court dwellings. The one in Birmingham is a museum and has featured on TV documentaries twice in the last year ! linking it up with immigration and migration would be a good idea as well.

Re: Wayne C, as you probably know,he's the bete noir on here but he does do some good work occasionally. As you say, this is the type of thing he should concentrate on. I've noticed on his blog, he mentions Galkoff's, which is a couple of doors down from the court property, but no mention of the court, he's probably unaware of it.

[Neilsatiscitycentre]

..

[Neilsatiscitycentre]

Originally Posted by Martin S

It would be interesting to know how the architect justified that effect on the building gable ends - does it allow natural ventilation or natural lighting without direct sunlight or is this some marine biology school and the effect represents the scales of a fish? The problem for modern architects always seems to be how you ornament a building without seeming to do that.

I took this photo yesterday, of Drury House in Water Street, which looks to me to date from the 50s or early 60s. The architect has got round that problem by emphasising the staircase:

I'm pretty sure that building was used about 10 years ago in an advert. Can't for the life of me remember what the advert was, but I'm sure there was a shot of somebody either going up, or going down, that staircase

[the golden vision]

The Art Nouveau, Crown Hotel, Lime St.

[the golden vision]

Bluecoat Chambers.

[4737carlin]

some more Art deco on Hanover Street

[the golden vision]

Orginal wrought ironwork at the entrance to Bluecoat Chambers,1717.

[the golden vision]

The Oratory, Upper Duke St/St James' Mount


I must admit to being slightly perplexed by the Grade 1 listing of this building. To those unfamiliar with the listing grades, 1 is the highest, followed by Grade 11* and the lowest, Grade 11.

Personally i think it's time for English Heritage to review the classifications for grades and consider adding an additional grade, Grade 1* . The Oratory is a good little building but it cannot in an architectural or historic context be in the same category as Durham Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. Grade 1 is currently too broad a category.

Anyway, to the building itself. It was designed by John Foster junior in 1829. It is supposed to be a faithful representation of a classical temple in the Greek
Doric Order, albeit downsized. Foster had studied classical Greek architecture first hand when he visited Turkey in the early 19thc. The Oratory is a homage in stone to the classical temple of the 5thc BC.
The building currently houses a fine collection of sculpture and other art work but is only accessible to the general public on 'Open Days' once or twice a year

Greek Genius

The Greek and especially the Athenian temple of the 5thc BC attained a degree of refinement which many contend has never been surpassed.
These refinements include, optical corrections,perspective and the employment of certain types of moulding to maximise the effects of light and shade.
The coulmns of these buildings have a slight convex profile to counter the optical illusion of concavity on straight sides. The term for this curvature is entasis and is a well known technique that is still used today on classical revival buildings. What isn't so well known is that the Greeks also applied this technique to horizontals, to stop the illusion of sagging. Thus, the floor on which the columns and walls stand are slightly arched, in fact, the floor is very slightly domed. This not only corrects any illusion but also serves to drain off water
Mouldings(surface decoration) have profiles designed to exploit light and shadow.
If there are any inscriptions high up on the building the letters will be largest on the top line becoming gradually smaller in descent, perspective.
Humanism is also an abiding theme in classical Greek architecture, which together with perspective were two of the most important elements of the Renaissance.

To go back to the Oratory and John Foster, the building was designed and created to celebrate the highest ideals aesthetics and architecture, even though i very much doubt Foster employed half the refinements found on buildings such as the Parthenon, the Oratory does stand as a tribute to the genius of Athens of the 5thc BC

[Joe the red]

GV - could it be grade 1 listed by default merely by being in the same bounded area as the Cathedral?

[the golden vision]

Joe, it's definitely a stand alone listing. It's part of St James' Cemetery rather than the cathedral grounds. The Huskisson Mausoleum is another Foster building located in the cemetery and is only Grade 11.
I do know where you're coming from though, sometimes peripheral buildings in a 'complex' of listed buidings are given the same listing as the main building, for example the Albert Dock.

[mandykore]

Is this not partly a numbers game? As I understand it, of all the buildings considered worthy of listing in all categories (some 375,000), a maximum of 2.5% can be Grade 1. Thus the Oratory need only be in the best 9,300 buildings to be included as Grade 1.

[the golden vision]

Thanks, i didn't know that. Seems a bit silly tbh, very like EH. There is need for a new grade though.

[the golden vision]

Originally Posted by mandykore

Is this not partly a numbers game? As I understand it, of all the buildings considered worthy of listing in all categories (some 375,000), a maximum of 2.5% can be Grade 1. Thus the Oratory need only be in the best 9,300 buildings to be included as Grade 1.

I've had a quick look at EH's website, there are 2.5% designated Grade 1 but i can't see anything about a maximum. Where did you see it? it seems arbitary to say the least doesn't it?

[Joe the red]

Originally Posted by the golden vision

Joe, it's definitely a stand alone listing. It's part of St James' Cemetery rather than the cathedral grounds. The Huskisson Mausoleum is another Foster building located in the cemetery and is only Grade 11.
I do know where you're coming from though, sometimes peripheral buildings in a 'complex' of listed buidings are given the same listing as the main building, for example the Albert Dock.

It was just a thought. The building adjoining where I live is listed merely by being on the same block despite being in an entirely different architectural style and an "outbuilding" built many decades later also come under the Grade 11 listing despite having no architectural significance. Anyway.....