This is my Wednesday ~ The Minton Floor

Last Wednesday we visited St George's Hall, one of Liverpool's most famous landmarks.

(google images)

 It is said to be the finest neo-classical Grade One building in Europe, and is a UNESCO World heritage site. It was completed in 1855, at the height of Liverpool's prosperity, and housed a cultural venue in the Great Hall, where the rich could attend concerts and listen to readings by the likes of Charles Dickens. It was also a Law Court, where the poor could be gaoled for drunkenness and theft.

During Liverpool's decline in the late 20th Century, the interior of the building was neglected and it was eventually closed to the public.  As the city's fortunes have improved, the hall has been restored to its former glory and it was re-opened in 2007.

Come and have a peek inside.

Great bronze doors lead into the Great Hall

The Hall is huge, and is sumptuously decorated in typical Victorian style.

However, it is the floor which we had come to see. It is magnificently laid with 30,000 Minton encaustic tiles.  This wonderful floor is usually covered by a wooden sprung dance floor which was in fitted in 1883.Fortunately, the wooden blocks are lifted on rare occasions for public viewing of the floor underneath. 

Well, it just so happens that the tiles are on view during part of January, and, as neither of us had seen them before, we popped in on our way home from work. It was quite dark inside, so the photographs don't do it justice!

These sections of floor are around the edge of the room and are not covered up, and you can see how the colours have faded and the pattern worn away. 

I've been in to the Great Hall a few times for school events, but had never seen the floor before. It was well worth the £1 fee. Just amazing!

You can also take a free tour of the old Law Courts and the prison cells, but it was getting late, so we'll have to save it for another day.