European architectural mainstream
The superb art deco architecture
of the old Liverpool Speke Airport only gets a brief mention in Wikipedia. And yet this 1930s Grade II listed terminal building is part of the architectural mainstream, influenced by German and Dutch airport design, as well as North American. It's showcased with some superb photos in an excellent book I recently acquired and used as source material for this article
It's ideal for me as it's in French, English and German: Regarding Liverpool's status among European cities, the title speaks for itself: Berlin. Tempelhof, Liverpool Speke, Paris Le Bourget. The old Speke Airport terminal was directly influenced by Hamburg's old Fuhlsbüttel terminal designed by Friedrich Dyrssen and Peter Averhoff. And that's another hidden parallel to add to those in my Liverpool-Hamburg article.
Liverpool Airport dates from the mid-1930s. The Corporation wanted to maintain Liverpool's leading position as a seaport by adding a world-class airport. The aerodrome first opened in the 1930s in the grounds of the ancient Speke Hall. In the early years, farm buildings were used. A grand terminal was planned but never built. Airlines included Imperial Airways and later, Aer Lingus. The architect was Edward Bloomfield of Liverpool Corporation public buildings department. First, the control tower appeared, rising up like a lighthouse.
With its octagonal shape, it was influenced by airport design in North America. The rest of the terminal was built around it, curved like Fuhlsbüttel and similar to an ocean liner, like the old Dublin Airport terminal, which was built around the same time. In the war, Speke was a base for military aircraft. Planes were built in the nearby hangars, which also have art deco features and are listed. After the war, Manchester's Ringway Airport took the lead in Northern England due to its more central location and as there was more space to expand. The Beatles famously arrived here from London on a Bristol Britannia after returning from their US tour, greeted by fans on the terraces. After a new terminal was opened, the old terminal was eventually refurbished, extended and in 2001 became a Marriot hotel. Today it's run by Crowne Plaza.
Round the back, the old apron, like the terminal building, GradeII listed, has been retained. It's a great place for aviation enthusiasts like me. You can sit in the cockpit of a BAe Jetstream 41 and take off over Liverpool using a PC-based flight simulator. A Bristol Britannia is under renovation - though sadly it won't fly again. The apron is now cut off from the runway and surrounded by industrial units. This magnificent terminal is a testament to Liverpool's importance at a European and world level. At least now it functions in a role that's related to its original purpose and it's accessible to the public. For more information search for Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group and also search for Britannia.
Aircraft Preservation Trust. Oriel Chambers on Water Street is not the most famous building in Liverpool but it's certainly one of its most architecturally significant. It's a groundbreaking building in different ways, most strikingly, its remarkably large windows.
Each one consists of a front and
Side panes, in the shape of an oriel window.
An oriel window is a bay window that sticks out but doesn't extend to the ground. It's been a feature of European and Middle Eastern architecture for centuries. Oriel chambers has 56 of these oriel windows, each one within a metal frame with a stepped back section underneath typical of a traditional oriel window. I can think of no other building with this remarkable feature.
Also, this is one of the first buildings to use a cast-iron frame faced in stone. These large shiny glass windows reflect the surrounding buildings in a magical way. They're like jewels reflecting the light. And when was this building constructed? 1864. This Grade I listed building was way ahead of its time. The techniques it used didn't come into wider use for at least another half a century. It was designed by Liverpool architect Peter Ellis. Another groundbreaking building of his is 16 Cook Street, not far away.
Astonishingly, Oriel Chambers was badly received by some critics at the time. Wikipedia quotes 'The Builder' of 20 January 1866. "The plainest brick warehouse in town is infinitely superior as a building to that large agglomeration of protruding plate-glass bubbles in Water Street termed Oriel Chambers.". Today Oriel Chambers is a working building, occupied by barristers. In the basement there is an excellent cafe, A Small Fish In A Big Pond. Speak to the manager. She can tell you some remarkable stories about the history of the building, including the. Oriel Restaurant and bar that once occupied the basement.
It's been vacant for decades. Its manageress was Miss Peck. I wonder what secrets it holds. This is a futuristic building, a testament to Liverpool's ingenuity and forward-looking nature. As we ride past, look at how the windows reflect the neighbouring buildings, including the one next to it, 8 Water Street, which pays tribute to, but can never equal, the magnificent. Oriel Chambers. Just round the corner is the Queensway Tunnel ventilation tower and offices, or George's. Dock Building.
Recently a new road layout was completed, including a new cycle lane. I think the modern white colour of the paving stones is a mistake. It tries to outshine the white facades of the buildings, making them look grey. Maybe the paving will become weathered with time. The building stands next to the famous Three Graces.
People argue about the Fourth Grace, but
Surely this should be the fourth grace.
The exterior was designed by award-winning architect
Herbert rowse, who also did india.
Buildings and the Philharmonic Hall.
He designed the original toll booths, one of which is preserved outside. It's important to note that he didn't design the entire tunnel project, just the exterior of this building plus the five other ventilators on both sides of the river. This is a truly magical building that couldn't be built today, in fact it couldn't have been built since World War 2. Which architect today would build in an art deco style with Egyptian influences? There are many details to discover, including this art deco style decorative frieze. The colour scheme of emerald green and gold harks back to the 1930s. The patterns remind me a little of the art deco super cinemas of the time like the Stockport. Plaza. There are many works of art, including these two sitting sculptures in basalt.
They symbolise night and day, paying tribute to the tunnel's near-continuous 24-hour operation since it opened in 1934. The scale is monumental, the tower is monolithic, the ornamentation very appealing. "At the corners of the north and south facades are four bas-relief or mispronounced in English, bas-relief panels, depicting 'Civil Engineering' and 'Construction' and 'Architecture' and 'Decoration' The east façade on The Strand holds a memorial to the 17 men who died during the nine years of the tunnel's construction.".
This information from Wikipedia. But this building was not built for art or culture but to house the fans, machinery, ventilation shafts and other equipment needed to remove exhaust fumes from the tunnel. Its purpose is deadly serious but the way it does it is full of style and artifice, The building also looks wonderful at night, when the multicolour floodlighting comes on. That's one of the great things about modern floodlighting technology. It allows the changing use of colour, not just on festival dates but every night of the year.
An interesting feature of the tower is the funny face, formed by the two sculptures near the top and the rectangular slot underneath them. This effect is accentuated by the floodlighting. The shadows above the wings look like eyebrows. And the vertical columns look like tears - at least that's what one person I know thinks. She calls it 'the crying building'. But I don't see anything to cry about here - unlike some of the more recent constructions to have appeared on the Liverpool skyline. The George's Dock building has been Grade II listed since 1980. This is a relatively new building, at only 87 years young.
Compare that to the nearby tower of St Nicholas Church, 210 years old. We can hear the pealing of the bells in the background. There are regular tunnel tours, including a look at part of the interior of the building. Search for 'Mersey Tunnel Tours Merseytravel'. I hope you found this article interesting, maybe even inspiring.