The Three Graces or the three ugly sisters

For a century, ships  sailing into the Mersey port have been greeted by the majestic Three Graces. The Royal Liver Building and its less famous sisters, the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings, have dominated the skyline and earned the waterfront international recognition in the form of Unesco World Heritage Site 

From left to right 
The Three Graces of the world famous Liverpool Waterfront 
 The Royal Liver Building (1908-11) by Walter Aubrey Thomas,
 The Cunard Building (1914-16) by Willinck & Thicknesse with Arthur J. Davis 
The Port of Liverpool building  (1903-07) by Briggs & Wolstenholme with Hobbs & Thornely. 

The Royal Liver Building was, for a short time, the tallest building in Europe – when its 90 metre height was reached in 1911. It took 4 years to build . Once the home to the Royal Liver Assurance group.The Copper Liver Birds on top, by George Cowper  face outwards to the river and inwards to the city – and rise to 18 feet. Should they leave their place, it’s said,  that the city will fall. It has ten floors.

Cunard Building , constructed  / built between 1914 and 1916 . It is the former headquarters of the Cunard Lineshipping company. It is built in the Italian Palazzo style inspired by the Farnese Palace in Rome. 


The Port of Liverpool Building was erected  / built as the head office of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. It was designed by Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thorneley following an architectural  competition    in 1901. It is a monumental structure in the Edwardian Baroque style with pediments and tall lantern towers. . The iconic dome has been returned to its former glory, with its inner glass and marble cleaned and restored for the first time since the building was damaged in the Blitz. / war