Philharmonic Hall

This is Hope Street, the main street in the pretty residential area of Canning. Hope street is not just any common street! It was voted as the best street in Liverpool and then in the whole of the UK and Ireland by the Academy of Town Planning. So please pay attention. It was named after a merchant called William Hope who had his house right here. On the site of the Liverpool Philharmonic. The building you see was built in the late 1930s to replace its predecessor, which had just burnt down. Since then, it has been home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, founded in 1840 as one of Britain’s oldest symphony orchestras and the only one with its own concert hall. Although it almost never happened. The city didn’t want a venue that could only be used for one thing. They wanted to build an auditorium that could also host shows, theatre and cinema. A compromise was finally reached and work began in June 1937. The result is this behemoth, listed as a Grade II building on England’s Heritage List. Across the street, the magnificent dining room of the Philharmonic Hall is Grade I listed, meaning it is of superior heritage interest. This house was built around 1898 for brewer Robert Cain, in an exuberant style. It is five storeys high and the main bar is decorated with a musical theme. I’ll let you admire its splendid art nouveau door, its extraordinary variety of windows and its gabled facade. If you want to explore the interior and its luxurious decor, you know what to do!