page_title: Alfred Waterhouse
section_title: Public buildings
hierarchical_section_title: Alfred Waterhouse / London practice (1865–1902) / Public buildings
caption_attribution_description: English: Liverpool John Moores University Español: Universidad John Moores de Liverpool
context_page_description: Alfred Waterhouse RA PPRIBA was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known for his design for Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the country. Besides his most famous public buildings he designed other town halls, the Manchester Assize buildings—bombed in World War II, and the adjacent Strangeways Prison. He also designed several hospitals, the most architecturally interesting being the Royal Infirmary Liverpool and University College Hospital London. He was particularly active in designing buildings for universities, including both Oxford and Cambridge but also what became Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds universities. He designed many country houses, the most important being Eaton Hall in Cheshire, largely demolished in 1961-63. He designed several bank buildings and offices for insurance companies, most notably the Prudential Assurance Company. Although not a major church designer he produced several notable churches and chapels.
context_section_description: Waterhouse designed the former North Western Hotel (1868–71), Lime Street, Liverpool, in the style of French Renaissance Revival architecture, it acted as the station hotel for Liverpool Lime Street railway station. Almost symmetrical in design, built from stone, five floors high plus dormer windows in the roof, there are towers with steep pavilion roofs at each corner and also two close together in the centre of the facade these have spire-like roofs with tourelles, the windows are mainly arched, there are double-storey oriel windows at the ends of the facade. Internally there is an impressive stone staircase with wrought-iron balustrade. The building cost £80,268. The main builders were Haigh & Co; heating and ventilation was by G.N. Haden and D.O. Boyd; the stone carving was by Farmer & Brindley; ceramic tiles were manufactured by Hargreaves & Craven; stained glass, notably the ceiling over the grand staircase was by Heaton, Butler & Baine; chimneypieces were provided by W.H. Burke; the iron work was manufactured by Lester & Hodkinson; and R. Jones; the plaster ceiling roses were made by J.W. Hindshaw.
  The other major hotel designed by Waterhouse is the Metropole Hotel (1888–89) in Brighton, a seafront hotel, six floors high (a seventh was added later not by Waterhouse). It is in an Italian Renaissance style. Built from red Rowlands Castle brick and terracotta, with a Ruabon tile and zinc roof, there are decorative iron balconies along much of the facade. The facilities included an attached ballroom, with garden court, and a Turkish baths. The builders were J.T. Chappel; structural steel-work was by A. Handyside & Co.; the terracotta was manufactured by Gibbs & Canning and Joseph Cliff & Son; faience tiling was by Burmantofts; clocks were by Gillett & Co.; with the lifts by Waygood. The clerk of works was T. Holloway. Built at the cost of £14,720 (approx £1,850,000 in 2019).
  The former Liverpool Seamen's Orphan Institution and chapel (now called Newsham Park Hospital) (1870–75) (the Chapel has been demolished), built in a Gothic style with tall pavilion roofs, Built from brick with stone dressings, with slate roofs. It provided a home and school for over 300 orphans. L-shaped in plan, there is a tall tower on the south-west angle, there is also a large hall that separated the boys' and girls' wings. The builders were Haigh & Co.; structural steel work was by J. S. Bergheim; the heating and ventilation systems were by G.N. Haden and D.O. Boyd; the stone carvings were executed by Farmer & Brindley; ceramic tiling was made by W. Godwin; the window glass was made by F.T. Odell; the chimneypieces were made by the Hopton Wood Stone Co.; decorative iron work was by R. Jones and Hart Son Peard & Co.; the bell was cast by John Warner & Sons. The orphanage cost £26,925 and the Chapel £6,550.
  The former Knutsford Market Hall (1871–72) in Knutsford, Cheshire, paid for by William Egerton, 1st Baron Egerton, at a cost £6,740 (approx £770,000 in 2019). It consisted of market hall with Assembly Rooms above. Gothic in style, built from red and blue brick with a tiled roof, there is a limited amount of stone in the building. It was built by J. Parnell & Sons; heating was by G.N. Haden; the stone was carved by Farmer & Brindley; ceramic tiles were made by W. Godwin; the stained glass was by R.B. Edmundson and F.T. Odell; decorative iron work was by R. Jones and; the plaster ceiling roses were made by J.W. Hindshaw.
  Waterhouse designed the Shire Hall at Bedford in two phases (1878–81) and (1881–83), that acted as the town's assize courts. Gothic in style was built from dark red brick and red terracotta with a slate roof. The building cost for the first phase £14,495 and for the second £10,345. The builders were John Wood; heating and ventilation was by G.N. Haden and D.O. Boyd; the modelling of the terracotta was by Farmer & Brindley; the ceramic tiles were made Craven Dunnill & Co. and W. Godwin; glass was provided by F.T. Odell; chimney-pieces were by the Hopton Wood Stone Co.; furniture was made by Wells & Co. of Bedford; decorative i
caption: The former North Western Hotel, Lime Street, Liverpool, in a French Renaissance style, with its dramatic roof and towers typical of the style
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