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Liverpool Architecture Walkabout – Visiting Liverpool Central Library and Picton Reading Room.

Liverpool Architecture Walkabout – Visiting Liverpool Central Library and Picton Reading Room.

As part of my photographic tour of cities around the UK (slow moving tour, but definitely happening)… I visited the striking, impressive, alive and generally amazing city of Liverpool.

I stopped by Liverpool Central Library first, you walk a few metres inside and look up to be confronted by this abstract spiral design with walk-way criss-crosses going right up to the top. The angles allows it to look almost spaceship-like. The next photo shows how it appears once you’re right up to the top.

Almost by chance I then walked into the Picton Reading Room, which instantly takes your breath away. The ceiling of this huge room reminded me of the Leeds Corn Exchange which I have previously photographed.

You can really get lost in this architecture, in fact this photo of the ceiling taken out of context of the room starts to appear like the bottom of a hot air balloon.

Because of its relatively small size, I was finding many photogenic sights around every corner.

Staying near to the water, I enjoyed the various styles of architecture: Brutalist concrete creations right next to Modernist glass fronted offices and apartments, plus a fine collection of Art Deco buildings which include the cream building shown below (the Mersey Tunnel Ventilation Tower).

Here are a few web references for general architecture styles: Brutalist, Modernist, Art Deco, Organic, Minimalist…. in fact, this should be a whole other blog post.

Of course, as always I’m not only interested in perfect structures, let’s celebrate the more grungy side of life, too: heavily used doorways, works in progress, dilapidated buildings being torn down, new life.


Whilst in Liverpool I took the opportunity to visit one of my oldest friends, Sophie Green.. we were both on the same Graphic Design degree at the University of Derby, but even before then we come from villages next to each other back in Leicestershire. I visited her studio which is in central Liverpool. You can see her Facebook page, here.

Amongst other projects and commissions her images of Liverpool are hugely popular. She regularly shows her work at galleries and shows around and about.

Here’s Sophie standing with her superb illustrations… more can be found at Sophie Green‘s website.

… I’ll end with a photo NOT taken by me, thanks to Jess for taking this photo of me and Sophie.

Hope you like the pictures, if you have a suggestion of where I should go next on my tour of cities (although it’s usually dictated by where I get a commission, but still) then please do get in touch by commenting below this blog.

Thanks to my friend Simon Buckley who took to the streets of Liverpool with me, you can find his award winning photography of Manchester streets before sunrise at his Not Quite Light site.

Paul

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