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Article: Great symbol of a city of contrasts; The most expensive stage set for Ringo Starr? The world's biggest village hall? What is St George's Hall actually for? Peter Elson reports.(News)
- Article from:
- Daily Post (Liverpool, England)
- Article date:
- January 16, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 MGN Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Peter Elson
SHOULD St George's Hall have been built? When this colossal civic building was constructed, it deliberately cemented Liverpool's image as second city of the British Empire.
Last week, it was the sensational centrepiece of the outdoor opening ceremony for Capital of Culture, wreathed in light shows and Ringo Starr's rooftop performance.
However, while this civic showpiece was being constructed from 1844 - 1854, just a few streets away lived tens of thousands of citizens in dire poverty.
With an almost total lack of sanitation, their lives were often destroyed by epidemics of cholera and malaria which swept unchecked ...