Royal Liver Building, Pier Head, Liverpool

9 October 2019 · Liverpool

The Royal Liver Building commands the Pier Head corner with the quiet confidence of something that has never needed to announce itself. Shot from street level at the building's corner, the Edwardian baroque facade rises in a strong diagonal wedge — eleven storeys of Portland stone topped by twin clock towers and the copper Liver Birds standing watch over the Mersey. The overcast sky keeps the light flat and even, letting the ornate stonework read clearly from base to cornice. Grade I listed and one of the Three Graces of Liverpool waterfront, it remains the most architecturally distinctive building on the river.