In 1857 the Builder enthusiastically described the thriving state of architecture on the banks of the Mersey: 'The impression from a walk through the principal quarters of the town, after visiting other towns, is that more [building of a superior kind] must be doing in Liverpool than at any other place in the kingdom, London and Westminster perhaps not excepted. The population is larger than that of any other town ... The funds of the corporation are large, and the taste for architectural display prevails generally.'1 Earlier that year the Building News had written in similar terms, observing that whereas in Manchester the warehouse was the most notable building type and in London the club house predominated, in Liverpool 'piles of "offices", or commercial buildings, have, for some time past, given the largest scope to architectural display.'2 This was a reflection of the supreme role played by commerce in the growth and prosperity of the town.