On entering the building through the principal entrance in the east portico, and turning to the right along the eastern corridor, the three rooms on the right hand are for witnesses, and adjoining them on the north is a retiring room for the Jury, then the vestibule of the north entrance, in which there is a descent of several steps, giving access from three doors at the level of the street, on the right and left of which are cloakrooms, under the floor of the upper vestibule. The vestibule is in the shape or plan frequently called horseshoe, that is, it consists of a large semicircle, with the addition of a small parallellogram, the semicircle being outwards, round the interior of the semicircle is a gallery on the level of the upper floor of the vestibule, the rest of the area being occupied by the steps and the "crush room" The vestibule is finished in an extremely simple manner, the order introduced Doric, freely treated, the wall spaces between the pilasters decorated with casts of bassi-relievei after the Elgin marbles. From the vestibule are two staircases giving access to the small concert room, which is small in comparison with the great hall, but is calculated to accommodate an audience of 1200 or 1500 persons. This room is over the vestibule and of the same shape, the orchestra being placed on the straight side.. The room is to be fitted up with seats on the floor and in boxes, but is very unfinished.
Returning to the principal floor, and entering the western corridor, the first room on the right hand after leaving the north vestibule, is the under-sheriff's room, then the prothonotary's office, a retiring room for solicitors, a room for the clerks of barristers and solicitors, a retiring room for the Jury, the court of the Vice Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 29ft 6ins by 23ft, with a retiring room, a robing room for barristers, the library, 41ft by 23ft, a second robing room for barristers, the sheriff's court, 29ft 6ins by 23ft, with retiring room, a retiring room for the Jury, the crown office, office for the clerks of the crown and peace, a room for arbitrations, bringing us to the south-west angle of the building. Then, proceeding through a handsome staircase, we enter the south vestibule, having access through one large door into the south portico. Passing through the vestibule we enter another staircase in which is the muniment room, entered through a retiring room, and again entering the eastern corridor, we find three witness rooms, corresponding with those at the north end of the same corridor. The centre of the building is occupied by the great hall, with the civil court to the north, the crown court to the south, each court being provided with usual retiring room for the presiding judge. The courts and hall are of course entered from corridors, as also the judge's retiring rooms. If now we return to the staircase in the south-east corner, and ascend to the upper floor, we find the retiring room for the grand jury at the top of the stairs, and the grand jury room over the south vestibule. Passing through this room we come to the staircase in the south-west angle, out of which is a waiting room for the witnesses in attendance on the grand jury, and then proceeding along the western corridor, we have on the left hand a store room, the high sheriff's room, committee room, or room for arbitrations, the office for the clerk of prosecutions at sessions, and at the north end of the corridor four retiring rooms in connection with the smaller concert room, the centre portion of this, the corridor forming the western gallery of the hall. In the basement at the west side of the building, beginning at the south end, are two rooms for gaolers, and four for the housekeeper. Then the culinary department, including butler's pantry, larder, wine cellar, and extensive accommodation for cooking, furnished with two large hoists for raising the dinner to the western corridor for conveyance to the hall. The cuisine appears to be on scale sufficiently commodious to satisfy a correspondent, who, in the Mercury of January 10th, 1840, directs the attention of the committee of St George's Hall to the necessity of providing ample accommodation in this department. He observes, "There are many large establishments suitable for getting up dinners on a very large scale, under the direction of able caterers, but there is still a great want of a public kitchen were dinners could be provided for twice or three times the number that can be accommodated at any of the places were public dinners are now supplied."
If this writer still survives, he may rejoice in the spacious apartments that are here appropriated to the purpose he so cordially advocated. At the north end of the basement are six rooms for the keeper of the court. Near each end of the basement is a hydrant immediately connected with the main from the reservoir, in case of fire an unlimited supply of water can be immediately obtained, which, by attaching hose to the hydrant, may be conveyed to any pile of the extensive pile.
In the sub-basement are thirteen cells for prisoners awaiting trial at the assizes, one of which is appropriated to the gas-meter of the great-hall, a kitchen for turnkeys, lumber rooms, and cellars for fuel etc. Without the building at this level is a carriage porch, with gates at each end. During the assizes the prisoners for trial are brought in the van each morning from Kirkdale, and entering this porch at the south end, the gates are secured before the door of the van is unbarred. The prisoners are then disposed in their several cells, which are fitted up with every requisite, including a bell to which a signal plate is attached. Should a prisoner require attention, he pulls his bell, and the signal plate flies out from the wall, and enables the attendant to see at once in which cell he is required. In connection with the dock, in the court, is a staircase communicating with the basement of the building, by which the prisoners are led in as their cases are called on, and in order to prevent loss of time by having to fetch each prisoner from his cell, as required, there is a waiting room attached to these stairs, where those immediately in succession to the one in the court are kept in readiness. It sometimes happens, as during the winter assize, that both courts are required for the criminal business, so both are furnished with the requisite conveniences, part of the fittings in the centre of the nisi prius court being removable, and the requisite dock fittings kept in reserve.
The whole of the basement and sub-basement to the east of the western corridor, with the exception of the stairs to the docks and the waiting room for prisoners, is appropriated as a cavern for the winds, where those mysterious rites, unseen by ordinary mortals, are performed under the auspices of that arch-enchanter, Dr D. B. REID, who send the four winds to do his bidding through every corner of the vast domain, granting to his subjects, "airs from heaven or blasts from hell" at his discretion.
The great vault is intersected on each side by lateral arches, springing from pillar to pillar across the front of the galleries, giving more loftiness to the design, and concentrating the thrust of the arch upon the columns and their massive abutments. Both the main vault and the lateral arches are semicircles in section.
The ceiling is formed of plaster upon the brick vaulting. Above the crown of the lateral arches the ceiling of the main vault is divided into three great divisions in the circumference of the arch, and into five great divisions in its length, thus forming 15 primary compartments in the whole ceiling. Each of these compartments is subdivided according to a general design, which consists of a small square panel, containing a gold star in each angle of the primary divisions. Between these four small panels are oblong panels containing various ornaments, the upper horizontal panel is filled with plaster mouldings intersecting diagonally, the ground of the lozenge so formed is the brick vault, the perforations of the hollow bricks relieving the heaviness of the flat surface. The lower horizontal panel contains mermaids carrying lyres, or blowing conch shells, on the either side of a mask or the head of a trident. The two vertical panels contain the caduceus or a lictor's rod, both terminated in enriched finials. The centre of each primary compartment is filled with a coat of arms or the device of St George and the Dragon, in the central compartment are the royal arms, flanked east and west by the arms of the County of Lancaster, north and south of the royal arms are county arms, flanked by the arms of the borough of Liverpool and north and south of the county arms are the borough arms, flanked by St George and the Dragon. The mouldings of the panels are enriched in various ways, chiefly with the guilloche and egg and dart, both of them highly reprehensible according to Mr RUSKIN'S teachings, but probably few will deny that the effect of the ceiling above the crown of the lateral arches is extremely pleasing, that effect being greatly augmented by the judicious yet sparing introduction of colour [light cobalt blue] as the ground of the panel, and gilding and colouring in the arms and devices. Before leaving this part of the subject, it may be mentioned, to give some idea of the scale of the enrichments, that the supporters in the arms of Liverpool are 3ft high and the extreme height of the hall is 84ft. It is said that during the progress of the ceiling, a man employed by the contractor had one of the most marvellous escapes on record. He fell off the scaffold to the floor, a height of 82ft, alighting to his feet he went out to the front, and, telling a fellow workman, that he had, had, a great fall and was much shaken, fainted, but so little was he injured that he returned to his work in a fortnight afterwards.
At the intersections of the lateral arches, are the prows of the vessels, on the antique model, from which are suspended the gas pendants for lighting the hall, and the spandrels of these arches are filled with allegorical female figures of colossal size, said to represent the Virtues. Below these is the entablature of the polished porphyry columns, the caps of which are of plaster, painted in imitation of the porphyry, curvilinear frieze of the entablature is also painted porphyry, which seems rather erroneous, since it subjects the painter to an unequal competition with nature, or throws suspicion upon the genuineness of the natural production.
The columns stand upon a dado of red and blue granite, all polished, and continued round the hall, the combination of colours very agreeable. In the wall at the back of the boxes, on the west side, are large windows rising nearly to the entablature, above the entablature, the semicircular space included within the arch is divided into compartments, containing in the centre arch the arms of Liverpool, modelled in plaster, in the arch north and south of this is the device of St George and the Dragon, and north and south of these the county arms, and under each coat of arms or device is the monogram, S.P.Q.L, ["Senatus Populus Que Liverpooliensis" - "The Senate [or council] and People of Liverpool"] in a wreathe of oak leaves. The arched recesses on the east side are similar, except that there are no windows, the plaster on the wall being divided into horizontal rustications.
Between the piers built behind the columns is a balustrade in front of the gallery, which is constructed of square dies of green marble, with moulded balusters of alabaster or Derbyshire spar, and a hand rail of black marble. Below this balustrade the wall space is occupied in three compartments on each side, by very handsome brass doors of elaborate design, with a niche on either side of each. On the south of the central west door is NOBLE'S fine statue Sir Robert PEEL, a commission from the subscribers. The figure is erect in the attitude of speech, dressed in the well-known frock coat, relieved by the drapery of a cloak. In the other two compartments, on each side, the wall space is divided into three niches, one square and two semicircular, the backs of the square niches are formed of green marble. In the southern square niche on the west side is GIBSON'S statue of Robert STEPHENSON, a commission from the directors of the Grand Junction Railway Company before that concern was incorporated with the London and Birmingham into the modern, London and North-western Railway. STEPHENSON is represented sitting, the likeness is more correct than in BAILY'S statue at Euston Square. These statues show how much accessories will add to the splendour and interest of the hall.
In each end of the hall is a semicircular headed recess, square on plan, and the width of the great vault, that at the south is finished with columns of porphyry, similar to those which carry the lateral arches, and a screen of smaller columns of grey granite, and handsome brass tracery, similar to the doors, this screen divides the hall from the crown courts. The recess at the north end was to have been finished in the same way, but as no place had been provided for the organ, it is here erected, and the two porphyry columns have been removed to the exterior of the building and are erected opposite the railway station, their alleged purpose to carry lamps. It was the intention of Mr ELMES to produce a vista from court to court through the hall, the entire length of the three apartments being nearly 300ft.
It is much to be regretted that Mr ELMES overlooked this important provision in a concert hall, as the organ and orchestra, not having been provided for, have necessarily an intrusive appearance, and seriously interfere with the effect of the hall and with the available space.
Copyright 2002 - To date