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Liver Building. Photo outsourced from

Top 10 Facts about Liver Building

The royal liver building is a grade I listed building in Liverpool. It is located on the pier head, one of the liver pools Three Graces.

It was constructed between 1908 and 1911, and its main purpose was to serve as a home for the Royal Liver Insurance.

It was formally part of Liverpool’s formerly UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and is currently four of the tallest building in Liverpool.

The building has two clock towers and two iconic liver birds standing on top and can be seen from all over the city.

The liver building is one of the iconic buildings in Liverpool, admired and loved by visitors and local people.

One can visit and learn plenty of information about it. Get to learn more about liver building in these top 10 facts.

1. A local architect designed the liver building

Audrey Thomas Portrait-

The building was designed by Walter Aubrey Thomas, a Liverpool-based architect. He was born in New Brighton, Cheshire, in 1864.

Walter was based out in Dale Street, and he was known for designing countless buildings in Liverpool.

Some of the buildings designed by Walter is Tower Building on the Strand, New Zealand. House, Lord Street Arcade, which has extraordinary stripes and arch.

2. The Royal Liver Building is Iconic Landmark in Liverpool City

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It is one of the iconic symbols of Liverpool city and has two fabled liver birds which watch over the city and the sea.

The liver building is listed as a Grade I building. Grade I building is recognized for outstanding architectural merit and national significance, and liver building lies there.

The listing made the building iconic and an important part of the UNESCO World
Heritage site, the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City.

Controversially UNESCO withdrew its status in July 2021 because officials believed the building was under threat due to a proposed construction project near it.

3. A Germany designed the liver birds

The liver birds were designed by Carl Benard Bartel, a German in Stuttgart. He moved to England in 1887 after falling in love with the country.

A competition was held to get the best architect to build and design the two birds that would be placed on the roof of the liver building, and Benard Bartels won.

The first world war began a few years after the building was completed. There was an anti-German family. Bartels was forcibly removed from England to the Isle of Man camp before being deported to German.

The honor was made on the buildings on 100 the anniversary more than 50years after the Benard Bartels died. Tim Olden received the award on behalf of Bartels in 1955.

The designer of the bird was publicly revealed in the 20th century, and this fact was hidden because he was a German.

4. The liver building was built out of reinforced concrete

The construction of the building was done using reinforced concrete for the structure of the building.

Reinforced concrete is a composite material in which concrete’s relatively low
tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility.

The exterior is cladded in granite. The granite in the liver building has a pale shade of brown and this makes it unique.

5. For many years it was the tallest building in Britain

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The liver building is said to be the UK’S first skyscraper with 13 storeys but other buildings have already been built, reaching much greater heights.

After its completion, it remained tallest for 50 years, from 1911 to 1961. It’s 322 feet to the top of the spires. The building remains one of the tallest buildings in northwest England.

6. It was built by the Royal Liver Company

The company designed the building as an office to accommodate 6,000 employees of the Royal Liver Group.

The building remained the headquarters unity Royal Liver Assurance and later merged into the Royal London Group in 2011.

The group is said to be moved out of the building, and in 2019, it is reported to accommodate around 2,000 staff working in a range of companies.

In 2016 the building was put for sale for the first time in history for 40 million Euros. In 2017 Luxembourg-based investment group, Corestate capital, along with Everton Fc with the Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri for 48 million Euros.

In 2019, as part of a larger repositing of the building, a visitor attraction was opened, giving the public the chance to tour the west clock tower of the building.

7. The building is crowned by a pair of a clock tower

Liver Building clocks. photo from

The clocks were made by Gent and Co of Leicester and were called the George clocks were set in motion when George Fredrick Earnest, the prince of walls, officially became King George V.

The clock tower has four clock faces; on the west tower, they are three clocks and the east tower has only one clock face.

During construction, one of the clocks was turned into a huge banqueting table. Sitting at the table, where senior people from the Liver Assurance Group Liver Corporation.

8. The liver building was renovated in the past, and in 2019

In 2019 it was renovated to match the standards of today’s companies.

The building has not been preserved in its original state, and most working buildings have changed from time to time.

The exterior still looks the same no changes have been made.

9. The liver birds are said to protect the city

Liver Bird on the Liver Building-

The liver birds are called Bella and Bertie. They are made of sculptures weighing tons and are tied down with cables.
The birds face the opposite direction. It is believed that Bella watches over the ships and their crew and Bertie watches over the city and its people.

The two birds stand proudly on top of the building and are said to protect the city.

10. The clocks faces are the largest electronically driven clocks in the UK

The clock faces are big at 25 feet; because of their sizes, they are electronically driven.

This brings together traditional and modern elements, and the clock towers confirm
classic architectural principles in the world.