Liverpool - Mersey Tunnel

Today we are going to look at a ventilation shaft. 

 Hold on....do not click out yet.  It might sound rather mundane, but this little treasure is one of Liverpool's oft-ignored Art Deco treasures.   

Background to the Tunnel

At the time of its construction in 1925 the Mersey Tunnel  was the largest underwater tunnel in the world.   Four lanes of traffic run under the River bringing Birkenhead and North Wales within easy reach of Liverpool.     The official opening ceremony took place nine years later in 1934 when Queen Mary and King George V arrived to ‘cut the ribbon’ and open the tunnel for use.   A second tunnel under the River Mersey was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971.

Our Art Deco Treasure

All the tunnels needed ventilation and this building, by Herbert James Rowse (1887-1963),  is the finest of those shafts.  Thousands drive by this every day without giving it a second glance, but I highly recommend you park the car and take some time walking around all four sides.  

 

 The large rectangular building is one of three ventilation shafts to the tunnels on this side of the river.  If you stand by the River you can look across the river and see three similar shafts on the Birkenhead skyline.  This building is not only extracting all the car fumes out of the tunnel, but also pumping clean air in.  It also doubles up as offices and a control centre.

But it is the little things that bring this building to life.   

 There are some rather abrupt slashes of green around the building which at first jarred me, then, gradually, as I warmed to the building's design I accepted what had initially seem like an intrusion.  The contrast between the light earthy Portland stone and this flash of colour strangely began to complement each other.

 

On the main road side is a sobering reminder of the lives that were lost creating the tunnel.

  If you walk around this building you will discover some nice sculpture work by Edmund Charles Thompson (1898-1961) and George T. Capstick including:

‘Speed’ with his helmet and goggles representing the thousands of cars motoring deep beneath our feet.

‘Night and Day’ representing the ever open tunnel running 24/7 with the sun in the lap of the first, and a star in the second.  

  Sculpted panels representing Engineering, Construction, Architecture and Decoration

This is one of the many fascinating buildings and stories to be found around Liverpool's Pier Head.  To find more Liverpool treasures download our FREE tour of Liverpool's Pier Head on www.obelisktours.co.uk