Day 18: St George's Hall~

Ok, I know this is long overdue, almost a week late.. but have been pretty busy the past few days.. The story last Wednesday was that we had a 2 and a half hours break in between classes again, so instead of sitting around dreaming or chatting, we decided to do something meaningful.. The original plan was to go visit the World Museum, cos its free entry (most museums here are free), but halfway there, we stumbled into this obscure doorway saying:

Since its also in the guide book we were given and also free entry, we decided to go have a look.. since it was very hot and sunny outside, and we still had half the distance to get to the world museum anyway..

At the entrance..

Still not impressed with the place, cos I didnt know what it was exactly, and it looked pretty bare to me.. Just some pictures and mirrors on the walls.. Only until later did I realise it was an old (very old) courthouse.. and its listed as a heritage building for its architecture..

First few exhibits we saw (and i still wasn't that impressed yet..):

Supposedly the earliest air-conditioning system

This is called 'Bricks with holes' we could lift the bricks to compare the weight of normal and holey bricks, and the holey ones are much lighter.. The building was built with these type of bricks..

Inside..

Then we went up the stairs to the next floor where we found this:

Click the picture to read..

This is St George.. How do you do?

This is the Liver Bird that Liverpool is named after..

Okay, and I was still not that impressed yet.. still wondering what the heck was this place.. Then the next rooms shut me up a little..

Like I said, St George's Hall used to be a courthouse..

This pic is a little eerie, so was the vibe of the place, if I was alone there, I think i would have felt a little uncomfortable.. It was too quiet and old..

In the judge's chair..

In the dock..

There was more to that room than meets the eye, but more on that later.. The next room was the judges' chamber, where in the old days, the judges used to rest and it was just as interesting~

Caricatures on the wall

This funny mirror where you can pretend you are wearing a horsehair wig..


Ancient fireplace..

2 silly ppl with a mirror :)

I think this picture is cute.. like 千手观音..

Olden days lavatory, they had a sign warning people not to sit on it, who would dare sit on that?! Looks like it cld collapse due to old age.. haha..

Another room.. This room is an exhibit showing the connection between Liverpool and Wales.. something like that..

Postcards, you can write your own..

Another fireplace, with a head.. :S

Those vents are the air-con vents.. and the kaypoh touching everything is me as usual.. the slats can be opened and closed , very fun.. haha..

Going up some more..

The sign is self-explanatory~

Prepare yourself for the 'most beautiful room in Liverpool'!

Entryway.. Hold your breath..


They were preparing for a function..

Details on the walls..

the intricate ceiling.. You have to see for yourself to fully appreciate the beauty..

This is soooo pretty!! and awe-inspiring too..

On the way in..

Finally a picture with all 4 of us.. Some kind soul offered to help us take a picture, the nice thing abt UK, you don't even have to ask, people will just offer :D

The next room is just plain eerie.. Thats the room we missed before, ithe entrance is some dark winding steps in the courtroom.. Its actually considered the dungeon where prisoners awaited their fate after being sentences.. They play some eerie sounds as you go in and the stench of decay and death is so strong, its really horrible to be down there.. Trust me, there really is an unnatural smell down there..

Going down the narrow steps..

eerie passageway..

trying to change the atmosphere~

One of the cells.. didnt really dare to go in the others..

Thats the central heating system, it just looks eerie to me.. :S

To me, the only good abt going down there was finding these little dragons, that we were told to look out for in the building, a total of 4 of them.. So incongrous with the setting..

Last exhibit in the building that we saw, Superlambanana! a brown one.. such a funny place to find one.. :)

Super cute!

Then it was back to the entrance hall and out into the sunshine again.. but not before fooling ard a little bit.. Hehe..

A poster of the great hall's front, which I missed taking a picture of..

I have stepped on the grounds of St George's hall, this is proof! :D

Glad to be outside again soaking up the cheery sunshine.. The stupid dungeon place affected my mood a little.. All the statues and stuff shown below are outside the building (st george's hall)..

The outside view of the hall..

The Earl of Beaconsfield (1804-1881)

He died of natural causes cause the horse's 2 front feet are on the ground..

Taking a picture with an army, hehe..

Finally, just fooling ard before climbing back up the hill to where our uni is situated for our next class..

In conclusion, I went in with no expectation whatsoever, and I was shocked by the load of interesting stuff I came across that day.. Lots more museums to explore after this.. Its lucky that most museums and art galleries here don't charge an entrance fee.. :)