Derby Square is in the city centre of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England. The square stands on what was the original site for

Liverpool Castle Liverpool Castle was a castle in Liverpool, Liverpool, England, that stood from the early 13th century to the early 18th century (1237–1726). Construction The castle was probably erected in the 1230s, between 1232 and 1235, under the orders o ...

. Records differ on when it was built, but it is believed to have been constructed any time from 1208 to 1235. Following the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, parliament ordered the castle to be destroyed and by 1715 the castle was a ruin, with its bricks and stone being recycled for other building work in the city. St George's Church was built on the square and opened in 1726. The church had to be rebuilt between 1809 and 1825 as the tower was starting to crack. This was because the church was built over part of the rubble-filled moat of the old castle and had begun to settle and crack. Funding for the church was stopped by

Liverpool Corporation Liverpool City Council is the local authority for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 the council has been a metropolitan boroug ...

after an

anti-Semetic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

sermon was preached following the appointment of a Jewish Mayor, Charles Mozley, in 1863. The church closed in 1897 and was demolished two years later. Between 1838 and 1840 the architect Edward Corbett constructed the North and South Wales Bank building, which is now known as Castle Moat House and still stands on the square.Pevsner & Pollard (2006), p321 The Victoria Monument, dedicated to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, was built on the square and was officially unveiled in 1906. The monument was given Grade II listed status in 1975. The square was damaged extensively during the 1941 blitz, though despite the heavy damage, the Victoria Monument escaped without any serious damage. In 1973, construction work began on

Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, in Derby Square, Liverpool, are operated by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. The building is used by the Crown Court, the Magistrates' Court, Liverpool District Probate Registry and the Liverpool Yo ...

, with the facility opening in 1984. The 1970s also saw the square linked to The Strand as part of Liverpool's

skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of Cover ...

project. The project was never fully implemented, and the bridges were removed in the 2000s.

References

Bibliography

* Squares in Liverpool {{Merseyside-geo-stub