Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Hamilton square built elsewhere.

A quick question, was the section of Hamilton Square that is the town hall an after thought when it was designed and the building materials that would of been used to continue the buildings all the way round, that fill the rest of the square, have been built elsewhere. Where they built on park road near Radnor place or devonshire road near slatey road. If you go on street view you will see what I mean???

I hOpe that makes sense?? I have written this on a mobile !

From what i understand the first side was built as a practise in oxton in devonshire park then the hamilton square development took place a few years later.

It was built to incorporate the town hall as one side.

I hope this helps

thanks pacef8 that helps answer that question, i noticed the similarity on a short walk around birkenhead today. Wondered if they where connected.

Cheers again!

Why would they need to practise the building of Hamilton sq, It wasn't as if architecture and the ability to build fine buildings was not already established.

Some history of the Birkenhead town hall in this topic here

the missing part of hamilton square that you're looking for is st aidens terrace which is in between shrewsbury road claughton and the roundabout at the top of forest road.i,ve known about this for 50 years

Kenyon Terrace in Devonshire Road is Grade II listed.
Quite a number of properties on Park Road are also Grade II listed.
Yet St Aidans Terrace isn't.

SOURCE

I seem to remember reading, probably in the 1960s, that Gillespie Graham had been 'unhappy' when he learnt that only three sides of his square were to be built, and insisted that the fourth side be built or he would withdraw. The fourth side was built on Westminster Road which was later renamed St Aidens Terrace.

I went down for a quick check this morning, but I'm not sure I'm convinced:

thanks for the link DD
I would be interested in a new topic listed buildings and their pics possibly before they disappear have to tell me how to do the clicky
source button

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/merseyside/birkenhead

According to the English Heritage site, St Aidans Terrace is listed Grade II

Listing Text:

BIRKENHEAD

SJ28NE ST AIDAN'S TERRACE, Claughton
789-1/3/207 (North side)
28/03/74 Nos.1-9 (Consecutive)
with railings to front

GV II

Includes: No.44 FOREST ROAD Claughton.
Terrace of 9 houses. c1850. Ashlar-faced over brick with Welsh
slate roof. 3-storeyed with basements. Symmetrically-planned
terrace with advanced outer and stepped central bays. Each
house comprises 5-window range with central doorway and 2
windows to principal rooms each side. Outer bays have doorway
in Doric portico porch and round arched sash windows to ground
floor. Sash windows to first floor have alternately segmental
and triangular pedimented heads carried on brackets. Central
house similar. Linking ranges have doorways in architraves
with engaged shafts, canted bay window to one room, two 4-pane
sash windows to the other. Upper windows have stressed
entablatures carried on brackets. End wall stacks.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N and Hubbard E: Cheshire:
Harmondsworth: 1971-).

Listing NGR: SJ3476492903

Amazing information from everyone thanks for sharing!!

Hamilton Sq was completed by the 1850s and described as a beautiful quadrangle, the exception was the site of the town hall, the commissioners reserved the site around 1835 to build the town hall, this was around the time the first town hall was opened. Because of costs, plans to build the existing town hall were shelved until its foundation stone was laid in 1883.
Is it being suggested by contributors that St Aidan's terrace should have slotted in to the site of the town hall. I have to agree with upton, not convinced.

Thanks Upton, I thought it quite strange because I remembered St Aidans being discussed as of historical importance.

Should have used a primary source

Wasn't the town hall re-built after a fire. What's there now wouldn't have been "original".

There was a fire in 1901 which caused the clock tower to come down and damage was caused to the council chamber and anterooms. It was renovated and the clock tower was rebuilt to a different design, the dome was changed.