A Grand Day Out On The Tiles
- St. George’s Hall to unveil magnificent Minton tile floor to the public from February 10 - 21
- Award-winning Victorian venue celebrating first 1,000 days since royal re-opening
- Historic talks and new evening tours also on offer
ONE of Europe’s most ornate floors is set to be unveiled for a rare showing to the public as part of a series of ‘grand’ celebrations.
The exquisite Minton tile floor of Liverpool’s celebrated St George’s Hall is being revealed (from Wednesday to Monday, February 10 -21) to celebrate the first 1,000 days since the Victorian jewel was re-opened by HRH Prince Charles on St George’s Day in April 2007 after a £23m restoration.
The mosaic masterpiece, which takes pride of place in the Great Hall, consists of 30,000 hand crafted tiles and is an immaculately preserved surface after being covered in the 1880s to provide a more hardwearing surface for dancing (See Notes To Editors).
The tiles, which depict tritons, sea nymphs and boys on dolphins, as well as the city's coat of arms, were last unveiled in February 2009 and attracted over 35,000 people.
The award-winning Hall will be open from 10am to 5pm every day, and although booking isn’t necessary, there is a £1 per person admission fee. Admission is payable at the Heritage Centre Entrance on St. John’s Lane (Children under-16 go FREE with a responsible adult). Last admission is at 4.30pm.
As part of the thousand day celebrations, there will be talks delivered by city historian Steve Binns, MBE, on the History of the Concert Room plus St. George’s Hall and its famous visitors. These talks will take place every day during the reveal (except Friday, February 12) at 11am and 2pm in the concert room with £1 entry fee, payable on the door. (Children under-16 go FREE with a responsible adult).
For seven days only during the floor reveal, St. George’s Hall will for the first time be also holding evening tours. The tours, which start at 5.15pm, will be guided and last for a little over an hour. Tickets will cost £5. To book, please contact the Heritage Centre on 0151 225 6909.
Councillor Tina Gould, Liverpool City Council’s Assistant Executive Member for Heritage, said: “The re-opening of St. George’s Hall was one of the cultural highlights of the past decade and the first 1,000 days since has been hugely successful for both the hall and the city.
‘’We want to celebrate the hall in all its glory – both its history and its role today - and encourage as many people as possible to experience how one of the great architectural triumphs of the Victorian age is being brought to life in the 21st century.’’
St George’s Hall is also currently celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of Liverpool-born, four-time Prime Minster William Gladstone. The exhibition, held in the Gladstone Gallery, runs until Sunday, March 7 and features items such as records, diaries and books from his career, Gladstone merchandise such as pottery and ceramics, newspaper cuttings of the day and a bust donated by Liverpool John Moores University.
And next week on Wednesday and Thursday, February 3 - 4 the Great Hall will be home to almost 70 specially decorated penguins as part of the Go Penguins People’s Preview – which is the final opportunity for people to see the stars of Liverpool’s public art, winter blockbuster before they are auctioned on-line. For more information go to www.gopenguins.co.uk
