Editing Liverpool (section)

===Commercial district and cultural quarter===
[[File:St Georges Hall Liverpool 3 (6727529617).jpg|thumb|[[St George's Hall, Liverpool|St George's Hall]]]]
[[File:Municipal Buildings, Liverpool.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Municipal Buildings, Liverpool|Municipal Buildings]]]]
Liverpool's historic position as one of the most important trading ports in the world has meant that over time many grand buildings have been constructed in the city as headquarters for shipping firms, insurance companies, banks and other large firms. The great wealth this brought then allowed for the development of grand civic buildings, which were designed to allow the local administrators to 'run the city with pride'.<ref name="Liverpool City of Architecture">{{harvnb|Hughes|1999 }}</ref>

The [[commercial district]] is centred on the [[Castle Street, Liverpool|Castle Street]], [[Dale Street]] and Old Hall Street areas of the city, with many of the area's roads still following their [[England in the Middle Ages|medieval]] layout. Having developed predominantly over a period of three centuries, the area is regarded as one of the most important architectural locations in the city, as recognised by its inclusion in Liverpool's [[Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City|former World Heritage site]].<ref>{{harvnb|Liverpool City Council|2005|p=73 }}</ref>

The oldest building in the area is the [[Grade I]] [[listed building|listed]] [[Liverpool Town Hall]], which is located at the top of Castle Street and dates from 1754. Often regarded as the city's finest piece of [[Georgian architecture]], the building is known as one of the most extravagantly decorated civic buildings anywhere in Britain.<ref name="Liverpool City Council (2005), p74">{{harvnb|Liverpool City Council|2005|p=74 }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Sharples|2004|p=48 }}</ref> Also on Castle Street is the Grade I listed [[Bank of England, Liverpool|Bank of England Building]], constructed between 1845 and 1848, as one of only three provincial branches of the [[Bank of England|national bank]].<ref name="Liverpool City Council (2005), p74"/> Among the other buildings in the area are the [[Tower Buildings, Liverpool|Tower Buildings]], [[Albion House, Liverpool|Albion House]] (the former [[White Star Line]] headquarters), the [[Municipal Buildings, Liverpool|Municipal Buildings]] and [[Oriel Chambers]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_pQPhVWNTY Manchester School of Architecture video] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029112630/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_pQPhVWNTY |date=29 October 2013 }} YouTube</ref> which is considered to be one of the earliest [[Modernist]] style buildings ever built.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oriel Chambers|publisher=Liverpool Architectural Society|url=http://www.liverpoolarchitecture.com/tours/buildings/building.php?id=25|access-date=14 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922062904/http://www.liverpoolarchitecture.com/tours/buildings/building.php?id=25|archive-date=22 September 2008}}</ref>

The area around [[William Brown Street]] is referred to as the city's 'Cultural Quarter', owing to the presence of numerous civic buildings, including the [[William Brown Library]], [[Walker Art Gallery]], [[Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library|Picton Reading Rooms]] and [[World Museum Liverpool]]. The area is dominated by [[neo-classical architecture]], of which the most prominent, [[St. George's Hall, Liverpool|St George's Hall]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPHvynh3GQg&feature=PlayList&p=DC9B6CD6A63D327E&index=30 Manchester School of Architecture video] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029112643/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPHvynh3GQg&feature=PlayList&p=DC9B6CD6A63D327E&index=30 |date=29 October 2013 }} YouTube</ref> is widely regarded as the best example of a neo-classical building anywhere in Europe.<ref>{{harvnb|Liverpool City Council|2005|p=87 }}</ref> A Grade I listed building, it was constructed between 1840 and 1855 to serve a variety of civic functions in the city and its doors are inscribed with "[[SPQR|S.P.Q.L.]]" (Latin ''senatus populusque Liverpudliensis''), meaning "the senate and people of Liverpool". William Brown Street is also home to numerous public monuments and sculptures, including [[Wellington's Column]] and the [[Steble Fountain]]. Many others are located around the area, particularly in [[St John's Gardens, Liverpool|St John's Gardens]], which was specifically developed for this purpose.<ref>{{harvnb|Liverpool City Council|2005|p=93 }}</ref> The William Brown Street area has been likened to a modern recreation of the [[Roman Forum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tq3zz|title=People's Palaces: The Golden Age of Civic Architecture – BBC Four|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 January 2018|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429225451/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tq3zz|url-status=live}}</ref>