St George's Hall, Lime Street, Liverpool: view of the underside (soffit) of the barrel vault of the great hall at the north end

NOTES: The design for St George's Hall was won in open competition by Harvey Lonsdale Elmes in 1839. Construction began in 1841 and after Elmes's death in 1847 work was continued by the Corporation Surveyor, John Weightman, until C. R. Cockerell took over as architect in 1851. Behind the decorative grilles which form some of the panels of the vault are hollow bricks which provide the ventilation outlets. Also in the arch immediately above the organ are five large grilles and further ventilation outlets behind the rosettes in the coffers of the soffit. See RIBA130479 for a black and whiter version of this image.