Quarry at Sion Hill, Liverpool, 1772

The quarry at Sion Hill, later transformed into St. James's Cemetery, provided the stone from which Liverpool Town Hall and several 18th-century churches in the city were built. In the winter of 1767, to give employmenht to the poor, the spoil tips on the west side of the quarry were levelled and made into a grassy walk, and an artificial mound (visible here on the left) was formed to take advantage of the splendid views towards the river. The windmill in the distance stood roughly where the Oratory now stands, and the area to the south of it eventually became the site of the Anglican Cathedral. John Inigo Richards was a landscape artist and a successful painter of stage scenery. For many years he was principal scene painter at Covent Garden Theatre.