Young Vic
No self-respecting British or former imperial city is without its statue of Queen Victoria, but most depict her in her final Jubilee years, with crown surmounting a widow's peak. The equestrian statue outside St. George's Hall, Liverpool is unusual in depicting an altogether younger and more vigrous monarch. I believe it dates from 1872 - at the nadir of the "Widow of Windsor" period of extended mourning for Prince Albert, when Queen Victoria was a virtual recluse and absent from most of public life.
St. George's Hall and surrounding buildings is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Liverpool and represents the final flourish of the classical style in Britain. Niklaus Pevsner rated it as one of the finest neo-Grecian buildings in the world. The architect was Sir Christopher Cockerill, but by the time construction was completed after 13 years in 1954, the classical style was not longer in mode and Gothic was sweeping in.
Intruding to the left is the St. John's Beacon (1969), conceived originally simply as a ventilation shaft. As with its London Post Office Tower counterpart, the revolving retaurant is long shut. While it is an inescapable landmark on the Liverpool skyline, St. John's Beacon has not yet won its place in popular affection.
Young Vic
No self-respecting British or former imperial city is without its statue of Queen Victoria, but most depict her in her final Jubilee years, with crown surmounting a widow's peak. The equestrian statue outside St. George's Hall, Liverpool is unusual in depicting an altogether younger and more vigrous monarch. I believe it dates from 1872 - at the nadir of the "Widow of Windsor" period of extended mourning for Prince Albert, when Queen Victoria was a virtual recluse and absent from most of public life.
St. George's Hall and surrounding buildings is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Liverpool and represents the final flourish of the classical style in Britain. Niklaus Pevsner rated it as one of the finest neo-Grecian buildings in the world. The architect was Sir Christopher Cockerill, but by the time construction was completed after 13 years in 1954, the classical style was not longer in mode and Gothic was sweeping in.
Intruding to the left is the St. John's Beacon (1969), conceived originally simply as a ventilation shaft. As with its London Post Office Tower counterpart, the revolving retaurant is long shut. While it is an inescapable landmark on the Liverpool skyline, St. John's Beacon has not yet won its place in popular affection.