Description

BIRKENHEAD

SJ3388NE HAMILTON SQUARE
789-1/14/78 (South East side)
29/07/50 Town Hall

GV II*

Town Hall. 1883. By C.O.Ellison; restored 1901 by Henry
Hartley. Golden ashlar over silver granite basement with Welsh
slate roof. Basement storey with 2-storeyed 9-window range
over. Central projecting portico of 5 bays carried on
projecting basement with staircase at each side with pink
marble rail and caps to balusters. Cast-iron lamp standards.
Paired doors in centre of this basement, with curved balcony
over, carried on heavy console brackets. This is flanked by
windows with wrought iron screens, between pilasters.
Rusticated basement of main block above has single window with
transom each side, and reeded cornice over. Full height
Corinthian pilasters frame the outer bays above, with
modillion cornice continued round pediment which is carried on
two tiers of Corinthian columns. Recessed in the portico,
paired doors with rosette panels and low relief frieze in
architrave. On the entablature over, high relief figures flank
a coat of arms. Oculi over side lights each side of door with
swags over and heavy moulding. Windows with transoms in
architraves each side, and round-arched windows to second
floor. Central tower over main hall rises in 3 stages with
rusticated lower stage, pediments over round arched openings
to second stage with massive volutes at angles. Blind
balustraded plinth to recessed upper stage which carries
clock. Sphinxes over this stage, the whole capped by copper
dome with finial. Return elevation to Mortimer Street divided
into unequal bays of 4, 2, 9 and 3-window ranges, stepped out
from west to east. Doorway with "Rates" inscribed over it
towards the centre, windows and detailing similar to that of
main elevation. Elevation to Brandon Street dissimilar in
arrangement, though similar in detail. Divided into unequal
bays of 1, 3, 4, 5, and 1 window ranges, with doorway in
right-hand bay. This bay is surmounted by a tower with
pedimented base and spire concealing cast-iron chimney pipe.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N and Hubbard E: Cheshire:
Harmondsworth: 1971-).

Listing NGR: SJ3264588963

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Birkenhead Town Hall at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q4916447

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas