Liverpool's St George's Hall is one of Europe's finest examples of neo-classical architecture. Built in 1854 the concert hall's designer Harvey Lonsdale Elmes was also commissioned to build two court rooms for the city. The Hall was built primarily to provide a venue for the triennial music festivals. The magnificent Great Hall incorporates Britain's third biggest pipe organ and a Minton tiled floor so precious that it's permanently covered. The interior of the hall is 169 feet long and surrounded by 12 statues of historic figures including Sir Robert Peel, William Gladstone and George Stephenson. The hall also houses the Civil Court - Liverpool's city fathers decided to include both buildings under the same roof to save money. The Civil Court held all the non-criminal trials in Liverpool until 1984.
Over nearly a century, 132 men and seven women were sentenced to death while standing in the dock in these courts. St George's Hall is an architectural gem which also boasts some engineering innovations - it claims to have the country's first working air conditioning system. | 
