Liverpool: grandeur & frustration

Liverpool is the grandest of Northern cities but it is also the most frustrating. Water Street, the Three Graces, William Brown Street, St Georges Hall and Lime Street Station form some of the finest townscape in the country, and are reflective not only of the city’s brilliant success but also a significant architectural culture. The 1866 proto-modernism of Oriel Chambers is a case in point, so too is the impressive career of Herbert J. Rowse. Despite a number of good buildings in the postwar period (Metropolitan Cathedral, Tate & Lyle Sugar Silo) the city suffered from economic decline, aggressive road engineering, failed planning schemes and population dispersal. Regeneration has successfully focused on retail, leisure and culture, with notable examples including Liverpool One, The Everyman Theatre and the Albert Docks. However, too often this has been accompanied by a negligent approach towards conservation and design, such as the demolition of the Futurist Cinema and the Liverpool Waters scheme.