Other Buildings outside Liverpool

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The Old Town Hall, Birkenhead
Birkenhead Town Hall was completed in 1887 and the design, by C.O. Ellison, was inspired by Bolton Town Hall. It was damaged by fire in 1901 and the tower was subsequently rebuilt to a new design. Viewed from across the river, the 200 ft (60 m) clock tower is a prominent feature of the skyline. The building was restored starting in 1991.
The north-east side
The north-west side and gardens
Hamilton Square, Birkenhead
The construction of Hamilton Square was begun around 1825 to designs by James Gillespie Graham but was mainly realised during 1836-46. The classical buildings, faced with white sandstone from Storeton, look Scottish in style and indeed Graham did similar work in Edinburgh. The square is very large and cannot be seen in its entirety from any one place.
The earliest buildings of 1825-6 are those at the northern corner of the square. They include the house of William Laird, who may have influenced the design of the square as a whole. The north side was completed in 1839 and the south and west sides during 1839-44.
The war memorial was constructed in 1925 to the design of Lionel Budden. In the centre of the square is the Queen Victoria Monument, constructed in 1905 to the design of Edmund Kirby.
The eastern corner and gardens
The War Memorial

 

Brimstage Hall
Brimstage village is over 1000 years old and is still relatively unspoilt. The tower of Brimstage Hall dates back to at least 1350, possibly 1175. The main part of the hall is 16th century. The outlying buildings have now been converted into craft shops and restaurants.
 
Halton Castle
The first Halton Castle was built of wood, probably in the motte and bailey pattern, shortly after the Norman Conquest (ca. 1070) and became the seat of the Barony of Halton. The site could hardly have been better chosen - a rocky outcrop on a hill overlooking the River Mersey, with a view especially of the Welsh hills and any marauding Welshmen who may have been looking for trouble at that time. The 3rd Baron began reconstructing the castle in sandstone quarried from the rock in the early 12th century.
The castle became an administrative centre in 1274 and was used as a court and a prison. Much new building ensued in the following centuries. The castle was in a ruinous state after the English Civil War though part was still in use as a court until 1738, when the gatehouse was demolished and a new courthouse built using the same stone. This became the Castle Hotel in 1908.
The castle is described in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848):
  Halton is traditionally said to have been a favourite hunting-seat of the great John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The castle, occupying a commanding situation on the brow of a hill overlooking a great part of Cheshire, with an extensive view across the river Mersey into Lancashire, was built soon after the Conquest; and the town which arose under its protection, obtained the grant of a weekly market and two annual fairs, which have been long discontinued. During the civil war, the castle was garrisoned for the king, in the early part of 1643; but in the following year it was taken by the parliamentarians. There are few remains of the building; the only habitable part, apparently rebuilt since the Restoration, has been converted into an inn.
 
 
Acknowledgements and Further Reading
The Pevsner guide, The Buildings of England - Cheshire (2011), by Clare Hartwell, Matthew Hyde, Edward Hubbard and Nikolaus Pevsner, is particularly indispensible for much more architectural detail than could be attempted here.
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