The Royal Liver Buildings built 1908 - 1910, situated on the waterfront at the Pier Head. Designed by W. Aubrey Thomas and opened in 1911 as the headquarters of the Royal Liver Friendly Society. Seventeen storeys high including six in the towers, it is faced in granite and was one of the first buildings to use reinforced concrete in a multi-storey structure. It is one of three fine buildings forming the famous Mersey waterfront, well known to seafarers sailing into the port of Liverpool.
The building is complete with two towers. Only the clock tower can be seen in the photograph. The clock was designed by Gent & Co.Ltd. It is the largest electrical turret clock in England, the dial of which is bigger the that of Big Ben, London. Hear the clock chime. Capping each tower is a mythical Liver Bird 18 feet tall. The other buildings are the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building (The Dock Board).
The Liver Bird (pictured left) originates from the period in 1207 when King John granted letters patent to Liverpool. The eagle of St John, the emblem of the House of King John, was adopted as the corporate seal. The seal was lost during the English civil War of 1642 - 1651. A replacement seal in 1655 depicted the eagle more as a seagull but later became regarded as a cormorant, a bird which is still prevalent in and around the docks of the Mersey river.
