bill's pilgrimage 2010, part 2b: liverpool.
Here be the second part of my Liverpool photos! Apologies for the delay!
This photo post includes:
St. George's Hall.
Situated opposite Lime Street station, St. George's Hall is a building in neoclassical style which contains a law court (including prison cells), a concert hall, and the first attempt at air conditioning in a public building in the UK. In 2004, the hall and its surrounding area were recognised as part of Liverpool's World Heritage Site.
The hall from the outside.
He's watching you.
Via a little entrance on the side of the building, you get directly to the prison cells.
I assume this is part of the ventilation system.
A prison cell with typical decoration. You can't see it in the pic, but there's actually a little mouse on the floor. ;)
Those who didn't behave were subjected to these things. I was particularly intrigued by the thingy on the right whose name escapes me right now. ;)
The defendants' "waiting room".
The Crown Court, as seen from the chair of the judge.
Very comfy, this chair. ;)
The judge's private room.
Look, it's Cornelius! XD
Funny judge caricatures on the wall!
Of course, the judge also had his private bathroom...
and toilet. We weren't allowed to use it, though.
Upstairs, there's the balcony that gives you a fantastic view on the...
... Concert Hall!
One of the best glass paintings EVER.
The aforementioned air ventilation system. Those who are interested can lift the lids of the four tins and take a noseful. ;)
That almost sounds like a Terry Pratchett quote. ;)
There was a tiny exhibition in St. George's Hall, too, which (amongst other things) showed this picture of the Liverpool Docks before they were rebuilt to admit larger vessels.
Wellington's Column.
On the corner of William Brown Street and Lime Street is Wellington's Column, also called the Waterloo Memorial, built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who won many battles during the Napoleonic Wars. The four sides of the plinth contain bronze reliefs - one depicts a battle scene, one has Wellington's name, and the other two list Wellington's famous victories, and since I'm a geek like that, I'm going to mention them all here. The battles listed on the east facing panel are: Assaye, Talavera, Argaum, Busaco, Rolica, Fuentes de Onoro, Vimeiro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Oporto, Badajoz. The battles listed on the west facing panel are: Salamanca, Bayonne, Orthez, San Sebastián, Toulouse, Nivelle, Quatre Bras, Waterloo. The statue is unusual in that it doesn't face any major civic building or thoroughfare but was instead positioned facing sourth-east so that Wellington would always be looking towards the site of Waterloo, which is considered his greatest victory. I'm sure Nosey appreciates that. ;)
Not sure how true-to-life this statue is, but in my opinion the nose is way too small. ;)
Williamson Tunnels.
The tunnels that were built under the direction of the eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson between the early 1800s and 1840 are one of the main curiosities of the city. Nobody actually knows why exactly the tunnels were built. Some say that Williamson did it out of generosity, so the soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars would have employment and could feed their families. Others say Williamson, who had bought a patch of land in Mason Street to build houses, found the grounds behind the houses dropping sharply and thus created arch terraces by digging the tunnels, over which the gardens could be extended. Over the decades, the tunnels were used for many things, including private waste disposal. Today they're in the process of being excavated by the Joseph Williamson Society, and you can also visit a part of the tunnel system.
Yes, it's very dark down there. ;)
The substance underneath the arch is completely composted waste.
Some parts of the tunnel show extremely good handiwork.
A collection of bottles and shells that the archaeologists dug out. It's particularly interesting to see how the shape of bottles changed over the decades.
This is actually a threefold tunnel.
Cavern Quarter.
The Cavern Quarter used to be the centre of Liverpool's wholesale fruit and vegetable market. But then, there came "four lads who shook the world", and now the area around Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourists a year. I'm not a Beatles fan, but since I was delayed in Liverpool due to the volcanic ash cloud, I thought why not go there and take some pics for the Beatles fans amongst you. ;)
In the distance, you can see St. John's Beacon a.k.a. the Radio City Tower.
The statue of John Lennon in front of the Cavern Pub.
And a massive brick wall that contains the names of every band that used to perform in the old Cavern Club before it was closed and reopened on the other side of the street.
Don't mess with the lads in black! ;)
The Liverpool Wall of Fame, a tribute to acts from the city which have reached number one in the UK charts. The wall features 54 discs, one for each group who had a number one hit since 1952. The first Liverpudlian number one was Lita Roza's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" in 1953. Unsurprisingly, the Beatles dominate the Wall of Fame with 17 discs.
This looks like a cosy pub!
I couldn't resist.
Where the former Cavern Club used to be, there's now the Hard Day's Night Hotel, and next to it there's a restaurant with four familiar figures in the window... ;)
India Buildings.
The India Buildings, that strangely enough use the plural even though it's just one building, houses an elegant arcade of shops as well as modern office space. The inside didn't interest me much, but the outside definitely did.
The house is so tall that, from the other side of the road, I couldn't take a picture of the entire building despite my wide-angle camera lens.
My favourite part of the house is the lanterns. So so awesome. I want.
Town Hall.
Liverpool Town Hall is said to be one of the finest surviving 18th century town halls. My tour guide said that it looked particularly awesome from the inside, but when Jen and I went to visit the town hall, it was closed. *pout* Therefore, I can only offer you pics of the outside.
The front of the building.
A World War I memorial behind the town hall.
The town hall from the back. Sorry for the darkness, but the sun was shining directly into my face and would not budge even when I asked nicely.
Nelson Monument.
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I didn't visit the Nelson memorial during my first stay in Liverpool last year, but I have to say in my defense that back then I didn't even know Liverpool had a Nelson memorial. Anyway, this time I knew it was there, so I definitely had to go visit it. I haven't been to London yet, so I can't really compare the Nelson Monument to Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, but I know for a fact that I liked it a lot. And not just because it's got Nelson's famous flag signal written on it. (Before my fellow AoS geeks ask, no, I couldn't resist making the "England expects that every man do his admiral" joke. XD)
Isn't it gorgeous?
At first I felt a bit silly for wanting this half-naked guy to be Nelson, but considering his facial features and everything, I actually think it's supposed to be him. *snicker* I love it.
England Expects.
Death is behaving like a horndog and grabbing Nelson's pecs. ;)
My adoration of Liverpool has many reasons, but two of the most important ones are definitely the memorials of the Lords Nelson and Wellington. A city that has memorials of not just one but both of my favourite historical heroes of all time must be made of awesome. :)
I hope you enjoyed this part! I'll try not to take that long with the next one. ;)
This photo post includes:
- St. George's Hall
- Wellington's Column
- Williamson Tunnels
- Cavern Quarter
- India Buildings
- Town Hall
- Nelson Monument
St. George's Hall.
Situated opposite Lime Street station, St. George's Hall is a building in neoclassical style which contains a law court (including prison cells), a concert hall, and the first attempt at air conditioning in a public building in the UK. In 2004, the hall and its surrounding area were recognised as part of Liverpool's World Heritage Site.
The hall from the outside.
He's watching you.
Via a little entrance on the side of the building, you get directly to the prison cells.
I assume this is part of the ventilation system.
A prison cell with typical decoration. You can't see it in the pic, but there's actually a little mouse on the floor. ;)
Those who didn't behave were subjected to these things. I was particularly intrigued by the thingy on the right whose name escapes me right now. ;)
The defendants' "waiting room".
The Crown Court, as seen from the chair of the judge.
Very comfy, this chair. ;)
The judge's private room.
Look, it's Cornelius! XD
Funny judge caricatures on the wall!
Of course, the judge also had his private bathroom...
and toilet. We weren't allowed to use it, though.
Upstairs, there's the balcony that gives you a fantastic view on the...
... Concert Hall!
One of the best glass paintings EVER.
The aforementioned air ventilation system. Those who are interested can lift the lids of the four tins and take a noseful. ;)
That almost sounds like a Terry Pratchett quote. ;)
There was a tiny exhibition in St. George's Hall, too, which (amongst other things) showed this picture of the Liverpool Docks before they were rebuilt to admit larger vessels.
Wellington's Column.
On the corner of William Brown Street and Lime Street is Wellington's Column, also called the Waterloo Memorial, built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who won many battles during the Napoleonic Wars. The four sides of the plinth contain bronze reliefs - one depicts a battle scene, one has Wellington's name, and the other two list Wellington's famous victories, and since I'm a geek like that, I'm going to mention them all here. The battles listed on the east facing panel are: Assaye, Talavera, Argaum, Busaco, Rolica, Fuentes de Onoro, Vimeiro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Oporto, Badajoz. The battles listed on the west facing panel are: Salamanca, Bayonne, Orthez, San Sebastián, Toulouse, Nivelle, Quatre Bras, Waterloo. The statue is unusual in that it doesn't face any major civic building or thoroughfare but was instead positioned facing sourth-east so that Wellington would always be looking towards the site of Waterloo, which is considered his greatest victory. I'm sure Nosey appreciates that. ;)
Not sure how true-to-life this statue is, but in my opinion the nose is way too small. ;)
Williamson Tunnels.
The tunnels that were built under the direction of the eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson between the early 1800s and 1840 are one of the main curiosities of the city. Nobody actually knows why exactly the tunnels were built. Some say that Williamson did it out of generosity, so the soldiers returning from the Napoleonic Wars would have employment and could feed their families. Others say Williamson, who had bought a patch of land in Mason Street to build houses, found the grounds behind the houses dropping sharply and thus created arch terraces by digging the tunnels, over which the gardens could be extended. Over the decades, the tunnels were used for many things, including private waste disposal. Today they're in the process of being excavated by the Joseph Williamson Society, and you can also visit a part of the tunnel system.
Yes, it's very dark down there. ;)
The substance underneath the arch is completely composted waste.
Some parts of the tunnel show extremely good handiwork.
A collection of bottles and shells that the archaeologists dug out. It's particularly interesting to see how the shape of bottles changed over the decades.
This is actually a threefold tunnel.
Cavern Quarter.
The Cavern Quarter used to be the centre of Liverpool's wholesale fruit and vegetable market. But then, there came "four lads who shook the world", and now the area around Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourists a year. I'm not a Beatles fan, but since I was delayed in Liverpool due to the volcanic ash cloud, I thought why not go there and take some pics for the Beatles fans amongst you. ;)
In the distance, you can see St. John's Beacon a.k.a. the Radio City Tower.
The statue of John Lennon in front of the Cavern Pub.
And a massive brick wall that contains the names of every band that used to perform in the old Cavern Club before it was closed and reopened on the other side of the street.
Don't mess with the lads in black! ;)
The Liverpool Wall of Fame, a tribute to acts from the city which have reached number one in the UK charts. The wall features 54 discs, one for each group who had a number one hit since 1952. The first Liverpudlian number one was Lita Roza's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" in 1953. Unsurprisingly, the Beatles dominate the Wall of Fame with 17 discs.
This looks like a cosy pub!
I couldn't resist.
Where the former Cavern Club used to be, there's now the Hard Day's Night Hotel, and next to it there's a restaurant with four familiar figures in the window... ;)
India Buildings.
The India Buildings, that strangely enough use the plural even though it's just one building, houses an elegant arcade of shops as well as modern office space. The inside didn't interest me much, but the outside definitely did.
The house is so tall that, from the other side of the road, I couldn't take a picture of the entire building despite my wide-angle camera lens.
My favourite part of the house is the lanterns. So so awesome. I want.
Town Hall.
Liverpool Town Hall is said to be one of the finest surviving 18th century town halls. My tour guide said that it looked particularly awesome from the inside, but when Jen and I went to visit the town hall, it was closed. *pout* Therefore, I can only offer you pics of the outside.
The front of the building.
A World War I memorial behind the town hall.
The town hall from the back. Sorry for the darkness, but the sun was shining directly into my face and would not budge even when I asked nicely.
Nelson Monument.
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I didn't visit the Nelson memorial during my first stay in Liverpool last year, but I have to say in my defense that back then I didn't even know Liverpool had a Nelson memorial. Anyway, this time I knew it was there, so I definitely had to go visit it. I haven't been to London yet, so I can't really compare the Nelson Monument to Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, but I know for a fact that I liked it a lot. And not just because it's got Nelson's famous flag signal written on it. (Before my fellow AoS geeks ask, no, I couldn't resist making the "England expects that every man do his admiral" joke. XD)
Isn't it gorgeous?
At first I felt a bit silly for wanting this half-naked guy to be Nelson, but considering his facial features and everything, I actually think it's supposed to be him. *snicker* I love it.
England Expects.
Death is behaving like a horndog and grabbing Nelson's pecs. ;)
My adoration of Liverpool has many reasons, but two of the most important ones are definitely the memorials of the Lords Nelson and Wellington. A city that has memorials of not just one but both of my favourite historical heroes of all time must be made of awesome. :)
I hope you enjoyed this part! I'll try not to take that long with the next one. ;)