Liverpool is famed for its late 18th and 19th century architecture but of equal merit and much less well-known, are the achievements of its architects during the 1920s and 1930s, In particular the work of Herbert Rowse who is our hero of the day.  Rowse (1887-1963) was responsible for many of the buildings associated with one of the major public works project of the period, the Queensway Tunnel, as well as the recently restored Dudokian Philharmonic Hall and the India Buildings, notable for its stylish ground floor arcade. His 1932 Woodside ventilation tower built in Flemish-style ornate brick, was justly described by Gavin Stamp as one of the best C20 buildings in England.   

The tour will venture across the Mersey to Birkenhead, returning via the Queensway Tunnel to Lime Street to see Lionel Budden’s Grade 1 listed Cenotaph with its masterly panels by H. Tyson Smith. Perhaps reflecting its status as a great port city, many of the buildings we will visit display a particularly American influenced version of Art Deco, emphasising scale and gritty dynamism.  A day to ‘aRowse’ our enthusiasm for Liverpool’s inter-war School of Architecture! 

Meet 10.30 in Lime Street station by the bronze statues of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock (Tom Murphy, 2009), opposite platforms 8 and 9. We will end the tour at Lime Street at about 16.00/16.30. 

NB This is a C20th Society tour - all bookings and information via: northwestc20thsociety@hotmail.co.uk