18. Philharmonic Hall
Where: Liverpool
Opened: 1939
Seats: 1,700
The Art Deco home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and Orchestra stands on the site of the original concert hall. Opened in 1849, that earlier hall was widely admired for its acoustic before being destroyed by fire in 1933. Mercifully, an autograph book dating back to the original hall’s founding, along with some instruments and autographed pictures, had been stored in a fireproof safe, so has survived to the present day.
Building of the new hall was delayed by the Liverpool City Corporation insisting that it should also be suited for cinema showings: a screen designed into the new building, raised from the stage by a mechanical hoist, is still an admired historic feature today. The new building was designed by Herbert Rowse to emulate the admired acoustic of the original while creating what was for that time a smart new appearance.
The hall’s distinctive appearance is complemented by its glass door panels and first-floor windows – etched by Hector Whistler – and the foyers and bars remain magnificent examples of Art Deco style. Twice refurbished, in 2015 a smaller performing space, The Music Room, was added to the hall.