Page:The Grand junction railway companion to Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham; (IA grandjunctionrai00free).pdf/173



The Town Hall and Exchange of Liverpool are well worthy of a visit. The Town Hall is situated at the end of Castle-street; the New Exchange-buildings to the north, forming three sides of a square, the Hall itself being the fourth. The interior of the Hall may be seen by the public, and the gallery which surrounds the exterior of the dome presents a complete panorama of Liverpool and the surrounding country; the view is on the west bounded by the Welsh mountains. The Exchange-buildings were finished in January, 1809, at a cost of near £111,000, which was raised by subscription in £100 shares. These buildings, with the Town Hall, form a quadrangle of 35,066 square yards, being double the space occupied by the Exchange of London. In the centre of this area is a bronze monument, erected in 1813, to the memory of the immortal Nelson. It was modelled and cast by R. Westmacott, Esq., R.A., from designs by Matthew Charles Wyatt, Esq., and cost £9,000.

The Statue of George the Third is situated at the bottom of Pembroke-place, in London-road. Here our late venerable sovereign is certainly a classical-looking personage, and the chief merit of Mr. Westmacott lies in the stretch of imagination which enabled him to convert the old brown wig and blue coat of George the Third into the waving locks and Roman toga of Marcus Aurelius.

The Sessions House is situated to the west of the