Derby Square is defined by the Queen Victoria Monument, a large Beaux-Arts structure that anchors the center of the space. Unveiled in nineteen oh six, the monument features a bronze statue of the queen shielded by a domed canopy of…
Castle Street Merchant Architecture
Trace the immense wealth of Victorian Liverpool through the majestic banks, ornate trading chambers, and hidden alleys around Castle Street. We will stand before towering stone facades and pioneering glass office buildings to see how global commerce shaped the city's streets.
Listen to this tour in the Mira app →Walk it in street view
1. Derby Square
2. Bank of England Building
The Bank of England building at thirty-one Castle Street is identified by its heavy stone facade and a striking row of Roman Doric columns that appear to tie the ground and first floors together. Designed by architect Charles Robert…
3. Oriel Chambers
Oriel Chambers is defined by the grid of protruding bay windows that line its facade, giving the building its name. Completed in eighteen sixty-four at the corner of Water Street and Covent Garden, it was designed by the Liverpool…
4. Liverpool Town Hall
Liverpool Town Hall is marked by a distinctive dome topped with a statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. Completed in seventeen fifty-four, this Grade one listed building stands at the intersection of High Street, Castle Street, and…
5. Exchange Flags
Exchange Flags is defined by a large, open-air square framed by a pair of massive, eleven-story office buildings known as Walker House and Horton House. This site sits directly behind the Liverpool Town Hall and historically functioned as…
6. Hargreaves Buildings
The Hargreaves Building on Chapel Street is distinguished by rows of arched windows set into its ashlar stone facade and granite basement. Completed in eighteen sixty-one, the structure was designed by the local architect Sir James Picton…
7. The Albany Building Liverpool
The Albany Building on Old Hall Street is a sandstone structure defined by its eleven-bay facade and a central, open-air courtyard. Built in eighteen fifty-six, it served as a headquarters for cotton brokers, who required that central…
8. Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building
The Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building occupies a full city block between Old Hall Street and Bixteth Street. You can identify the older sections of the complex by the huge, light-filled windows designed for inspecting cotton samples and…