Old Hall Street and Lime Street: Liverpool Old Town’s Northern Edge

Old Hall Street: Commercial Power

Old Hall Street was one of Liverpool’s most important commercial streets in the 19th century, home to the Cotton Exchange, insurance companies and shipping offices. The Cotton Exchange building, a magnificent Edwardian baroque structure, remains the street’s most impressive building. The Albany, a Victorian office building with a remarkable internal courtyard, is another highlight.

Lime Street and St George’s Hall

Lime Street is defined by two extraordinary Victorian structures that together represent some of the finest civic architecture in Britain. Liverpool Lime Street station — with its great iron and glass train shed — has been the gateway to the city since 1836. Across the road, St George’s Hall is a colossal neoclassical building, widely considered one of the finest examples of the style anywhere in the world.

St George’s Hall

St George’s Hall deserves extended attention. Built between 1840 and 1854, it combines concert hall and law court functions in a building of extraordinary scale and quality. The Great Hall interior, with its ornate tiled floor (uncovered only occasionally for public viewing), is among the finest Victorian interiors in existence. Free guided tours are available on selected days.

The Cultural Quarter

The area around Lime Street also contains Liverpool’s main museums — the Walker Art Gallery, the World Museum and the Central Library — making it one of the richest cultural concentrations in northern England, all within easy walking distance of the Old Town.

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