The Town Hall, Liverpool, from the South

This view illustrates the dignified architecture of Liverpool's Castle Street in the early 19th century. The terrace on the left was built after the widening of the street in 1786 and its design is attributed to James Wyatt (1746-1813), one of the architects of the Town Hall. The shops and offices it contains are not given individual architectural expression but are unified by a continous grand facade, decorated with giant pillasters and a central pediment. Westall specialised in topographical watercolours, and this is one of several Liverpool views by him which were engraved and published in his Great Britain Illustrated.