Birkenhead Town Hall

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 flanka 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-).