36 C O N T E X T 1 3 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 4 Foster’s most important building was his Custom House. The commission came about when in 1811 the Corporation of Liverpool decided that the ‘Old Dock’ had become obsolete and was to be infilled. In 1826 Foster in his position as Surveyor to the Corporation was instructed to prepare plans. His Greek revival style perfectly suited to manifest Liverpool’s position of power and strength on any visitors to the port.The foundation stone was laid on 12 August 1828, with construction completed by 1839.2 The Picture of Liverpool described it as ‘one of the most magnificent structures in the Kingdom’.3 Just as the building completed its first century, its fate was sealed. Liverpool was the heaviest bombed place in the UK after London, with many of Foster’s works destroyed during the Blitzkrieg. The Custom House was first hit on 31 August 1940, damaging the roof and central glass dome. The devastating May Blitz of 1941 dealt the killer blow. Incendiary bombs on 3 and 6 May caused fires to rip through the building.4 Despite this devastation, the external shell of the building remained relatively intact. But this proved inadequate to secure the restoration and retention of the building. During the war, Liverpudlians were preoccupied with surviving the Blitz themselves, never mind saving their architecture.There were, however, prominent figures in The north portico, showing the glass dome (Photo: RT Bailey, Liverpool Records Office) discussion about just that. Due to the extreme level of destruction of Liverpool’s building fabric, a large-scale redesign was planned. Alfred Ernest Shennan proposed a ring road, linking the three main train termini. This would require the demolition of the Custom House, as the road was to pass over the site.5 When demolition became the most likely outcome for the Custom House, the interest of conservationists and scholars was roused.WilliamHolford, professor of civic design at the University of Liverpool at the time, who would go on to draft the Town and County Planning Act 1947 (which created the first formal record of listed buildings), and pioneering conservation groups, such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Georgian Group, was among the protagonists. As the debate on the future of the building began, Holford wrote to the Ministry ofWorks and Planning on 30 January 1943. His letter was not totally in favour of restoration, claiming that very few people would canvass for restoration. According to Holford, Lionel Budden, professor of architecture at the University of Liverpool, claimed that it was a clumsily constructed building, yet held monumental value. Holford’s own opinion was that ‘the Custom House is outstanding only by comparison with the architectural desert around it’. He found the siting of the building to be wanting, the construction of the overhead railway blocking the imposing view from the docks and the building not being quite axial with the surrounding cityscape. Holford also felt that the accommodation was poor and that the hulking mass of the building was causing overcrowding in the busy surrounding streets. ‘My feeling is, therefore, that there is little to be said for preserving the whole of it at great cost in its present position.’ Holford’s conclusion was a small sum should be spent on repairing the shell so that this would not be beyond repair if at a later date a use was found. Holford suggested that if nothing else was possible, the porticoes should be kept and used monumentally in the redevelopment of Liverpool.6 In 1944, SPAB joined the debate, through a little push Far right:The north portico in March 1947 (Photo: Stuart Bale, Liverpool Records Office) A view from South Castle Street in around 1890 (Frith Series, Liverpool Records Office) References 1 Joseph Sharples and Richard Pollard, Liverpool (New Haven, Conn,Yale University Press, 2004), p232 2 School of Architecture, An Historical Survey, op cit, Chapter – Custom House 3 The Picture of Liverpool or a Stranger’s Guide (Liverpool: Jones and Woodward, 1835), p189 4 Neil Holmes, Liverpool Blitzed: seventy years on (Wellington:Halsgrove, 2011), p28 5 John Frederick Smith, Gordon Hemm and Sir Alfred Ernest Shennan, Liverpool: past, present, future (Liverpool: Northern Publishing Company, 1948), p71 6William Holford, Letter to Ministry ofWorks & Planning Department, 30 Jan 1943, Georgian Group Casework Archive – ‘A’ series, Box 64 (Liverpool), London, 6 Fitzroy Square
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