The Port of Liverpool Building (formerly Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Offices, more commonly known as the Dock Office), is a Grade II listed building located at the Pier Head. Along with the neighbouring Liver Building and Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's "Three Graces", which line the city's waterfront. It is also part of Liverpool's UNESCO designated World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City.
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A pre-1914 view from the Mersey, showing a gap on the left,
where the
Cunard Building is now located
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History
The history of the Port of Liverpool Building dates back to
1898, when the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB) decided to close down and
infill George's Dock, which was located on the site of what is the Pier Head
today. The land was sold to the Liverpool Corporation in 1900, although the
MDHB opted to keep the southern section, so that they could build a new central
headquarters for the company, having been previously located at various sites
around the city, including the Old Custom's House.
In 1900, a committee was set up by the MDHB to plan and
develop a new building for the company. Under the leadership of Robert
Gladstone, a competition was launched for local architects to submit designs
for the new building. Alfred Waterhouse, a renowned local architect was brought
in to help judge the competition and prizes of £300, £200 and £100 were offered
for the three best designs. In total, seven entries were submitted, with the
winning design being that of the architects Sir Arnold Thornley and F.B. Hobbs,
which had been developed in collaboration with Briggs and Wolstenholme. Due to
boundary changes of the land on which the building was to be built, amendments
were made to the design, most notably with the central dome, which was only
added at the last minute. In 1903, with the design now confirmed, the MDHB
requested that a number of builders submit a tender document for the
construction of the building to the revised design. Over 30 builders were
contacted, with William Brown & Son of Manchester winning the contract
to construct the new building. Work began in 1904, with the first nine months
of construction focusing on laying the building's foundations, which were dug
to a depth of 30–40 ft below ground level. The building's frame was built from
reinforced concrete, which was then clad in Portland Stone, a design that meant
the building was more fire resistant than with other structural forms. It was
completed in 1907 at a cost of approximately £250,000, although when the cost
of furniture, fittings and professional fees was taken into account, the total
cost was nearer £350,000. Staff from the MDHB headquarters officially moved
into the building on 15 July 1907, with
staff from departments located in other areas of the city moving in throughout
the rest of the year. The building acted as the head offices of the MDHB
(renamed the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company in 1972) for some 87 years.
Architectural design
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| Central Dome |
The building's central dome is the main focal point of the
building, although it was not part of the original design. The Port of
Liverpool Building is one of the Three Graces that line the Pier Head and the
architectural features were designed to be reflective of Liverpool's importance
to the maintenance of the British Empire .
However, the building that exists today is actually a modified version of the
originally chosen design. Initially, the plan had called for the main entrance
of the building to be located on the south west corner, but boundary changes to
land on which it was to be built, meant that building model was significantly
revised to give it the symmetrical look it has today. Even more notably, the
initial model didn't include the large dome that sits so prominently above the
building today. Inspired by an unused design for Liverpool 's
Anglican Cathedral, which had been developed several years earlier, the
architects added the dome to the design in order to give the building a more
imposing look. This decision, however, was not without controversy, as many
board members believed that it should not be down to the Port Authority to
"beautify the town". Nonetheless, it was added to the design,
becoming the focal point of the building itself.
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statues of women representing
"Commerce" and "Industry"" |
Designed in Edwardian Baroque style, the Port of Liverpool
Building's structural form has been likened to those of Renaissance palaces.
Approximately 264 by 216 feet (80 by 66 m) in size, the building rises to 220
feet (67 m) in height, making it the thirteenth tallest building in the city.
Covering five floors, the main body of the building is 80 ft tall to the
cornice. The main entrance is located in the centre of the river-facing side of
the building and is flanked by two three-metre high, stone statues of women
representing "Commerce" and "Industry", which were designed
by Charles John Allen. Each corner of the building is canted and has a tall
hexagonal turret that is topped by a stone cupola, which would have originally
been crowned by a lantern. Due to the centrally domed design of the building,
it has been compared architecturally to many other buildings throughout the
world, including Belfast City Hall , the Capitol
Building , St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul 's Cathedral.
Maritime references are a common feature in the building's decoration The Port
of Liverpool Building was constructed using a reinforced concrete frame, which
not only made the building structurally strong, but also much more fire
resistant than buildings in the past. As a result of being built on the site of
the former George’s Dock, the building required deeper than normal foundations
and in total, some 35,000 tons of cement were used. Due to the building’s
proximity to the River Mersey, extensive work was carried out during the
development of the basement level in order to make sure it was water resistant.
Asphalt was used extensively to coat the floors and walls of the basement, in
order to make sure it stayed dry.
Internally, the building's form is centered around a
full-height, octagonal hall that sits below the central dome. The hall has
round, arched openings from the first floor upwards, providing large gallery
spaces, whilst its floor is decorated with a mosaic depicting the points of a
compass. Office spaces are located off long central corridors, which are
decorated with white Calcutta Marble. A large portion of the building costs
(approximately 25%) were spent on decorations and fittings; the inside of the
building is lavishly decorated using expensive materials including mahogany
from Spain and oak from Danzig for the woodwork, bronze for the floor furniture
and fittings, and white marble for the floors and walls. One noted interior
feature is the grey granite grand staircase, which is lined with stained glass
windows adorned with images of Poseidon, anchors, ships bells and shells and
well as dedications to countries of the British Empire including Singapore , South
Africa , Canada
and Australia .
The grand nature of the inside of the building has seen it used as a film set
in several productions, including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV series).
Throughout the building, there a numerous references to the
sea and the maritime operations of both Liverpool and the British
Empire . The main entrance gates are decorated with a globe
supported by dolphins, while the cast iron gates and gate piers are decorated
with mermaids, shells, anchors, and have shields with the initials "M.D.
& H.B.". The outside light fittings are designed such that the lights
themselves appear to be held in the hands of the Roman God Neptune. Similarly,
the lifts of building are also decorated with maritime references, in the form
of gilded emblems representing the globe, seahorses and anchors. In the central
hall, the frieze between the ground and first floor is adorned with the words
of psalm 107: "They that go down to the sea in ships that do business in
great waters these see the works of the Lord and his wonders of the deep. Anno
Domini MCMVII"
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company remained the owners of
the building until 2001 when it was acquired by Liverpool-based property group
Downing. Plans submitted in 2005 for the restoration of the building were
approved by Liverpool City Council. The scheme involved major internal and
external work that would fully restore the Grade II listed building. The plans
included opening the building to the public, by creating a new viewing floor
inside the dome and a publicly accessible sunken piazza on the riverside
frontage that would providing a small parade of restaurants, cafes and shops. A
sixth level of the building, which had been "dismantled" in the
aftermath of the Second World War was also to be restored, providing a series
of luxury apartments. The first stage of the renovation was completed in early
2008, when the restoration of the Portland stone on the river facing side of
the building was completed. The £10m restoration project was fully completed in
early 2009, when the last scaffolding was removed from the outside of the
building and 20,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) of refurbished office space was completed.
pier+head.jpg) |
| Port of Liverpool Building Photograph: Johnny Lockhart |
The building was designed by Sir Arnold Thornley and F.B.
Hobbs and was developed in collaboration with Briggs and Wolstenholme. It was
constructed between 1904 and 1907, with a reinforced concrete frame that is
clad in Portland Stone. The building acted as the headquarters of the Mersey
Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB) for 87 years, from 1907 to 1994, when the
company relocated to new premises at Seaforth Dock. In 2001, it was sold to
Liverpool-based property developer Downing and between 2006 and 2009 underwent
a major £10m restoration that restored many original features of the building,
while creating high value residential and office space.The Port of Liverpool
Building is designed in Edwardian Baroque style and is noted for the large dome
that sits atop it, acting as the focal point of the building. It is
approximately rectangular in shape with canted corners that are topped with stone
cupolas. At 220 feet (67 m) the building is the fourteenth tallest building in Liverpool . Like the neighbouring Cunard
Building
Links
Sources
Wikipedia
Pevsner Architectural Guides:Liverpool .
Photographs: UrbexForum
Downing.com
Johnny Lockhart
