Royal Liver Building

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The Royal Liver Building

The Royal Liver Building - Matthew Street Festival 2006

Liver birds tower over Dale Street and the Guildhall

The Royal Liver Building as seen from the Pier Head

The Royal Liver Building (prounced [ˈlaɪvə]) is one of the city of Liverpool's most recognisable landmarks. It stands at 90 metres (295 feet) and has 13 floors. Since its completion in 1911, it has overlooked the River Mersey from its waterfront location on the Pier Head, and forms one of the 'three graces' along with the Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building. It was designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas, and is one of the earliest examples of multi-storey reinforced concrete construction. This is reflected in the building's Grade 1 Listed Building status.

The building is crowned by a pair of clock towers from which a ship's crew could tell the time as it passed en route along the river. The clock faces are actually larger than that of London's famous landmark, Big Ben, and hold the distinction of being the largest electronically driven clocks in the UK. In 1953, electronic chimes were installed to serve as a memorial to the members of the Royal Liver Friendly Society who died during the two World Wars. At night-time, the clock dials are illuminated.

Atop each tower stand the mythical Liver Birds, designed by Carl Bernard Bartels. Popular legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port.

The building remains the head office for the Royal Liver Friendly Society.