Which UK Cities Have More Georgian Buildings Than Liverpool

[Sarah]

I absolutely adore walking through the Georgian quarter of Liverpool, the terraces are so beautiful and elegant, however, I know Liverpool has more Georgian buildings than Bath, but I was wondering if anywhere had more than Liverpool?

The only reason I ask this is because I read conflicting evidence, some places say Liverpool has the most in the UK, and others say more than anywhere outside London. I only like to know exactly as when I'm guiding people around I like to have my information accurate!

Thank you anybody who knows exactly.

[Waterways]

I absolutely adore walking through the Georgian quarter of Liverpool, the terraces are so beautiful and elegant, however, I know Liverpool has more Georgian buildings than Bath, but I was wondering if anywhere had more than Liverpool?

The only reason I ask this is because I read conflicting evidence, some places say Liverpool has the most in the UK, and others say more than anywhere outside London. I only like to know exactly as when I'm guiding people around I like to have my information accurate!

Thank you anybody who knows exactly.

Not 100% sure. I would assume London has more because of its size, and then Edinburgh with Liverpool being third.

Bath is small. It is a city because it has a cathedral not because of its size.

[Ged]

See this thread already on YO Sarah.

http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/sho...=bath+georgian

[PhilipG]

It depends on your definition of "Georgian".
Victoria was crowned in 1837, and the "Georgian Quarter" of Liverpool (inland from Rodney Street) was mostly built in her reign.
The usual claim is "More Georgian Buildings than Bath", but Bath's buildings are genuinely Georgian in age (and - it must be said - better looking).

[Waterways]

It depends on your definition of "Georgian".
Victoria was crowned in 1837, and the "Georgian Quarter" of Liverpool (inland from Rodney Street) was mostly built in her reign.

I would disagree with that. I worked for British Gas and had access to the pipeline drawings. The dates on the pipes laid were on the maps. Upper Parliament St was predominately early 1830s.

The usual claim is "More Georgian Buildings than Bath", but Bath's buildings are genuinely Georgian in age (and - it must be said - better looking).

Looks is subjective. French people I know love the red brick houses, because they don't have them in France - they are different. I preferred the French yellow stone.

Georgian is pre-Victoria and Liverpool is littered with buildings older than that. In the past 40-45 years easily half have gone. A whole city's worth.

There is also the Georgian Style which has been made for the past 300 years without a break. These are made today. Some Wimpey estates are full of them. The Georgian house was the first mass produced style of house. There was a set pattern of style - you followed the plans which were bought off-the-shelf anywhere.

Georgian houses look "balanced" as there was a set calculation to the size of windows and doors to the exterior house size, etc. The style was set mainly via the 3 x 4 ratio (the same for initial film and TV screens). This ratio is one that people naturally find attractive and when a persons facial features conform to this symmetry of the ratio of the eyes, nose, mouth an attractive person emerges to the human brain.

Many modern "Georgian" houses do not keep the symmetry of the style and hence look odd. A modern house built to the Georgian style and symmetry is every much a Georgian house as one built in 1800, a continuation of a style that has never been stopped.

They were a cheap and effective style for the time. The modern Georgian houses have only the exterior effect and deviate from the original set styles somewhat.

The from the ceiling down sash windows were a brilliant design throwing light to the far walls of the rooms. In hot weather open the top and bottom sashes and heat leaves the room at ceiling level. Cooler air enters via the opened lower sash creating a cool air current in the room. Trickle ventilation where the sashes meet in the centre, when just opening one slightly. The problem with sashes,was that they leaked air a lot and caused draughts. Modern sashes are now sealed and air-tight.

Georgian houses were built all over the UK, Ireland and North America too. Wiliamsburg in the USA is full of them, along with other north east USA cities. Some were made in New Zealand and Australia too. The tall ceilings and windows up to the ceilings were brilliant for cooling. The design made its way all over the world.

Liverpool certainly has more "Georgian style" of houses than Bath that is for sure.

There are a few books all of the same title, "The Georgian House". These explain the types and how it came about. The date of build can be set, by if the windows were flush with the outside brickwork or inset.

The Georgian Group, who have an American branch. They campaign to save Georgian buildings and were highly critical of Liverpool council for allowing Georgian buildings to be demolished.
http://www.georgiangroup.org.uk/docs/cases/index.php

[Sarah]

Thanks for the link, Ged.

I read in Ken Pye's book, 'Discover Liverpool' that yes indeed, the Georgian buildings are late Georgian, however, he states they were definitely built in the Georgian period, before Victoria was crowned, to me just because something is late Georgian period doesn't make it less of a Georgian building, that would be like saying the 'Phil' is less of a Victorian pub because it was completed in 1900, the year before Quenn Victoria died.

I can't agree that Liverpool's Georgian buildings aren't in good condition, if you walk around Falkner Square, Falkner Street, Catherine St, Canning St, Huskisson St and Percy St amongst others, you see exactly how many there are and how beautiful they are. So much so that Liverpool is often doubling for Georgian and Victorian London in TV and film.

I'm guessing, the figures of having more than Bath is probably because both cities, and all cities for that matter, will most likely have the buildings registered, just the same as how they keep track on how many listed buildings are in a city.

Btw, thank you Waterways, it was very interesting what you wrote.

[lindylou]

I agree, that was an interesting post Waterways.
I have learned a little about architecture, and I didn't know that about sash windows cooling the room from ceiling height in hot weather. All well thought out

[PhilipG]

[Waterways]

That map is about right. The streets have been laid out for house construction and the gas mains will be under. Canning St is clearly under construction.

There is/was a gas plant at Edge Hill at Spofforth Rd. This will probably supply this part of the city. There was/is one at Grafton St serving the south end and that part of the city centre and there was one at the north end around Vauxhall Rd somewhere serving the north ends and that part of the centre.

[julieoapw]

As far as I'm aware, only London has more Georgian buildings.

As for being true Georgian buildings, you have to remember that when a monarch dies, builders don't all turn to each other and say, we'd better start a completely different style of building today. It would be weird if it happened overnight. Therefore, it's quite possible to have Georgian buildings in early Victorian Britain and even today.

Julie

[PhilipG]

I'm not putting Liverpool's Georgian or Georgian-style architecture down, but there is a difference between Bath and Liverpool.

http://images.google.com/images?q=ge...=1&sa=N&tab=wi

[christy]

I'm not putting Liverpool's Georgian or Georgian-style architecture down, but there is a difference between Bath and Liverpool.

http://images.google.com/images?q=ge...=1&sa=N&tab=wi

There is and I love Bath and its architecture.
Bath is very different though in like Edinburgh (and Birkenhead) its Georgian buildings are part of a grand masterplan whereas Liverpool's are more organic. I would say that London's and Dublin's Georgian streets are more comparable to ours because they like Liverpool's are all about spec building by developers who used catalogues to build houses that supposedly reflected good taste (they do IMHO). Bath is more about John Wood's meglomania and obsession with ancient British paganism, Classicism and related ideals. Stunning though. I love liverpools Georgioan (and Georgian style) buildings for the variation of size, scale and uses of the buildings that follow a basic ideal and pattern but allow difference within. Something that cant really be done when everything is planned anmd designed by one architect (and his son)
Just my opinion of course.
Other Georgian rich cities Bath, Bristol, Edinburgh, Dublin

[Ged]

You can see how Gambia Terrace was added to at a later date with its different styles.

[John(Zappa)]

Hi guy's
Debz D'Annunzio here hope I’m not going off the subject but a few years back a certain book by the name of "little Italy" was published and it stated that the statues in front of the walker art gallery were of Maria grazia D'Annunzio and her husband Vincenzo Volante, unfortunately this is not true which kind of makes our family look pretty silly. And we don't know where the author got this story from. The statues are of raffael and Michael Angelo and were sculptured by John Warrington Woods a few years before our family even arrived in Liverpool don't want to rant on but whenever I can I like to put the record straight. If there are any other Italians on here and are interested please take a look at myspace debzdannunzio
Debz

[Ged]

Hi Debz.

There is a thread on this here Yo regarding the old Little Italy area where I came from which gives links to the Scottie Press and Paul Sudbury's film documentary - Gardens of stone and the like - here it is:


http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/sho...ighlight=italy