Lining the waterfront at Pier Head, the Cunard Building is one of Liverpool’s most recognisable structures. It forms part of the celebrated trio known as the Three Graces, alongside the Royal Liver Building and the Port of Liverpool Building. Together, these three buildings define the city’s riverside skyline and form part of Liverpool’s former UNESCO-designated World Heritage site, the Maritime Mercantile City. The building holds a Grade II* listing, reflecting its architectural and historical significance.
Architecture and Design
Construction began in 1914 and was completed in 1917, with the work carried out by the firm Holland, Hannen and Cubitts. The architects William Edward Willink and Philip Coldwell Thicknesse drew heavily on Italian Renaissance and Greek Revival styles, taking particular inspiration from the grand palaces of Italy — most notably the Farnese Palace in Rome. Arthur J. Davis of Mewes and Davis contributed as a consultant on the project. The exterior is notable for its ornate sculptures, which decorate the sides of the building, and the overall form echoes the scale and grandeur of Renaissance Italian palace design.
Cunard Line and the Trans-Atlantic Trade
The building was commissioned in 1914 by the Cunard Steamship Company, which had outgrown its previous Liverpool offices. The site chosen was the former George’s Dock, positioned between the two neighbouring Pier Head buildings. From its opening until the 1960s, it was the headquarters of the Cunard Line. In 1934, Cunard merged with the White Star Line to create Cunard White Star Line, at that point the largest passenger steamship company in the world. The merged firm used the building as its central headquarters, and several famous ships were designed and developed there, including the RMS Queen Mary, the RMS Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Elizabeth 2. The lower floors were given over to passenger facilities for trans-Atlantic departures from Liverpool, with separate waiting rooms for first, second and third class passengers, a booking hall, luggage storage and a currency exchange. The building faces Albion House diagonally across the Strand — the former headquarters of the White Star Line.
The Building Today
Liverpool City Council now owns the Cunard Building, and it houses a mix of public and private sector organisations. Among the tenants is The British Music Experience, a museum dedicated to the history of British popular music. The building still carries the Cunard name, a reminder of the company that shaped much of Liverpool’s identity as a global maritime port.