Royal Liver Building
Subscribe now to instantly view this image
Subscribe to the Architects’ Journal (AJ) for instant access to the AJ Buildings Library, an online database of nearly 2,000 exemplar buildings in photographs, plans, elevations and details.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
Facade of the building viewed from Pierhead
Architectural Review Download Original
Sixteen-storey granite office building situated on the George Dock in the Pierhead area of Liverpool
The Royal Liver Friendly Society desired an exceptionally tall and impressive office building to be erected at the north end of Pierhead. The grey granite facade and monolithic nature of the Liver Building make it a dominant and striking feature on the waterfront.
The building, with its reinforced concrete skeleton and granite cladding compromises a basement and ten floors, with the two towers adding another six storeys of height. These towers are crowned by five metre high bronze Liver birds.
Primarily an office building, its largest occupant was the the Canadian Pacific Railway, occupying the basement and ground floor levels. The interior has a grand, clean and efficient style, with indulgences such as mahogany, African walnut and intricately carved and plastered ceilings. The walls, staircases and floors are covered in Durato, a material produced to cope with the heat expansion from the heating pipes.
Two interesting features of the project are the lift and heating elements. Eighteen high speed lifts were put in place to serve the public and goods services, the largest lift installation in the UK. The heating system used a series of pipes set in to the floors and walls, adding to convenience and cleanliness.
Data
- Begun: May 1908
- Completed: Jul 1911
- Sector: Office
- Total cost: £650,000
- Address: Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1HT, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: W. Aubrey Thomas
- Project architect: W. Aubrey Thomas
- Client: Royal Liver Friendly Society
- Main contractor: William Brown & Sons of Manchester
- Main contractor: E. Nuttall & Co of Manchester
- Consultant engineer: H. Riall Sankey of Westminster
Suppliers
- Window Supplier: Henry Hope & Sons Ltd
- Lifts: Waygood & Co
- Heating: Richard Crittall & Co
- Fit-out: Waring & Gillow of Liverpool
- Light fittings: General Electric Co.., Ltd
AJBL Sponsor
Thrislington Cubicles
Builders of the worlds best toilet cubicles, vanity units, lockers and panels at our factory in the United Kingdom since the 1960s