Royal Insurance Building

SJ 3490 SW LIVERPOOL NORTH JOHN STREET (east side)

392/52/821 Nos. 1 to 9 (odd) (Royal Insurance Building) 28.6.52

GV II*

Office building. 1903. J. Francis Doyle. Portland stone with grey granite basement and ground floor. 4 storeys with attics and basement. 11 bays, 3 bays to Dale Street. Rusticated basement and ground floor. Round-headed windows with tripartite sashes. 1st floor windows with Gibbs surrounds and iron balconies. 2nd and 3rd floors recessed behind attached Doric colonnade and entablature. Lower dormers with architraves, keystones and alternate segmental and triangular pediments, others flat topped with small paned casements. Tall cross-axial stacks with corners. Entrance bay has round-headed doorway with rusticated Doric columns in antis surmounted by 1st floor round-headed window with rusticated attached portico carrying broken segmental pediment with sculptured figures. Over this a roof with campanile in 3 stages with octagonal cupola and gilded dome. Dale Street facade has 1st floor Venetian window and 2nd floor relief frieze by Allen. 2 turrets with round-arched openings at top surmounted by cupolas and finials flank gable with top window with rusticated Ionic pilasters, entablature and iron balcony. Ground floor hall with richly moulded coffered ceiling. An early use of steel-frame construction.

Listing NGR: SJ3433390522