Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/737

LIVERPOOL 713

demand for cottages about the beginning of the present century led to the construction of what are called "courts," being narrow culs de sac, close packed, with no thorough ventilation. This, combined with the degraded habits of a population brought together indiscriminately, resulted in a very high rate of mortality, to contend with which enormous sums have been expended in sanitary reforms of various kinds. The more modern cottages, erected on the higher grounds, are all that can be desired for that class of habitation.

Parks. – The public parks of Liverpool now form a prominent feature in the aspect of the town. The earliest, the Prince's Park, was laid out in 1843 by private enterprise. Sefton Park, the most extensive, containing about 400 acres, was commenced in 1865, and completed at a cost of £410,000. A large portion of the land round the margin has been leased for the erection of villas. Wavertree, Newsham, Sheil, and Stanley Parks have also been constructed at the public expense. Connected with Wavertree Park are the botanic gardens, with the usual plant houses, and a large and lofty palm house. The suburbs are rapidly extending, and those on the south contain many good private residences. A boulevard, about a mile in length, planted with trees in the centre, leads to the entrance to Prince's Park.

Plan of Liverpool.

Public Buildings. – The old town has been so completely renovated during the present century that scarcely any of the public buildings date from an earlier period.

The earliest, and in many respects the most interesting, is the town-hall in Castle Street. This was erected from the designs of John Wood, the architect of the squares and crescents of Bath, and was opened in 1754. The building has since undergone considerable alterations and extensions, but the main features remain unchanged. It is a classical rectangular stone building in the Corinthian style, with an advanced portico in front, and crowned with a lofty dome surmounted by a seated statue of Minerva. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1795, and was entirely remodelled in the restoration. It now contains a splendid suite of apartments, including a ball-room about 100 feet by 60, approached by a noble staircase. The building is occupied by the mayor as the municipal mansion house. A range of municipal offices was erected in Dale Street in 1860. The building is in the Palladian style, of considerable extent and imposing design, with a dominating tower and square pyramidal spire.

The crowning architectural feature of Liverpool is St George's Hall, completed in 1854. The original intention was to erect a music hall suited for the triennial festivals which had been periodically held in the town. About the