This stately 20th-century building’s two clock towers are some of the most prominent sights in Liverpool. Towering 100 metres (330 feet) above the waterfront, the Royal Liver Building was the tallest building in Europe when it was constructed in 1911. Throughout England, nothing else compared to this monumental home of the Royal Liver Insurance company, which still occupies the building today. Though you can’t enter the building due to the active business inside, visit the Royal Liver Building to tour the exterior and study its impressive, century-old features.
Looking up at the building, you may consider its architectural style more akin to that found in New York or Chicago rather than that of any British cities. Indeed, as the first reinforced concrete building in the country, the Royal Liver Building was unprecedented in the U.K. at the time of its construction. Notice the art nouveau elements built into its façade. Overall, the building is an excellent example of early-1900s architecture.
The clock faces of the Royal Liver Building’s two towers are larger than those found on London’s Big Ben. Look closely to see a copper statue of a liver bird crowning each tower. The liver bird is the city emblem of Liverpool. Statues like those seen on top of these towers can be found on rooftops across the city, although the two atop the Royal Liver Building are the largest.
The Royal Liver Building looms over Albert Dock, which provides open views of the structure’s façade. Take a tour boat or ferry on the water for the best full view of the building in front of the Liverpool skyline.
Situated right on the waterfront of central Liverpool, the Royal Liver Building can be reached by metro.
