Liverpool boasts some of the most beautiful examples of classical architecture in the country.
Many of our finest buildings date from the late-18th century onwards and were built at the time the city grew into one of the foremost trading powers of the British Empire.
The richness of architecture has seen the city described by English Heritage, as England's finest Victorian city and was recognised in 2004, when several areas were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
READ MORE: 24 photos showing why Lewis's was Liverpool's favourite department store for decades
However, shortsightedness by city developers and councils of the time has meant some of the city's most stunning buildings have been sacrificed in the name of progress.
Sadly, the only way we can revisit these lost treasures is through photographs and remind ourselves what our already stunning city may have looked like had they survived.
We decided to reminisce about this by taking a look back in our archives at some of the places we wish were still here.
Sailors' Home - Liverpool ONE
The site which John Lewis now occupies in Liverpool ONE, was where the Sailors' Home once stood.
From 1852 to 1969, the building provided board and lodgings, as well as a range of other services, to thousands of merchant seamen.
The Canning Place building offered educational and recreational opportunities, in contrast to the temptations on offer in the docklands area.
The Sailors’ Home was built not only to provide safe board and lodging but also a bank, medical facilities and a register of good character which allowed ship owners to find suitable crewmen.
The home, which could hold 500 men, was not a religious institution and always welcomed foreign seamen who may have met prejudice from lodging houses.
In April 1860, there was a disastrous fire at the Sailors' Home which caused the building to be closed for two years while the interior was rebuilt.
Miraculously, the building also survived relatively unscathed from German bombs during the Blitz in World War Two.
The home had stood empty since 1969 but several artefacts were preserved after the building was demolished in 1974.
Futurist cinema on Lime Street
The cinema officially opened as the 'Lime Street Picture House' - the city centre's first purpose-built cinema in 1912.
Its grand entrance foyer had a black and white tiled floor and the walls were made of Sicilian marble.
The cinema also had a full orchestra for silent films as well as seats for 1029 customers
In October 1920, a new company is formed, named 'Futurist (Liverpool) LTD' to buy the cinema, which is how we know it as The Futurist today.
The Futurist suffered bomb damage during the Second World War but It was quickly rebuilt and was showing films only months later.
The futurist closed in 1982 and lay derelict for years. A campaign was launched to save the facade of the derelict building in 2012, as plans to demolish the building as part of the redevelopment of Lime Street met strong opposition from heritage Campaigners.
Efforts to save the facade ended when the structure was found to be too damaged to repair and the building was demolished in 2016.
Victorian buildings in St George's Place
This now unremarkable area outside Lime Street station was once Liverpool's answer to Piccadilly Circus.
What's now a sidewall of the massive St Johns Centre was once a varied block of Victorian buildings that became home to shops and a popular Chinese restaurant.
Those buildings would be missed in their own right, but what made them worthy of a place in this list were the colourful illuminated signs and adverts on them.
The photo showing St George's Place by night is perhaps just a snapshot in time, but there's no mistaking the romantic neon mood that's reminiscent of 1960s London or even New York.
The most famous was the Guinness Clock – but here were also adverts for Manns and Double Diamond beers, as well as for Schweppes, Martell and even the Co-op.
All of the buildings were demolished to make way for the St John's Market complex.
Explore history and nostalgia by taking a trip down Memory Lane
Custom house on the site of Liverpool's Old Dock
Described as Liverpool's Fourth Grace, this magnificent building might well be Liverpool's most famous lost landmark.
The giant domed structure, designed by renowned Liverpool architect John Foster, was built on the site of Liverpool's Old Dock and was opened in 1839.
It was built in a giant H shape, with columnated facades facing Canning Dock and the streets around, and housed dock offices and customs offices.
The building was gutted in the May 1941 Blitz but its shell survived for another seven years.
It could have been rebuilt – but was controversially pulled down in 1948. Today, the area which formed the base of the building makes up part of the Liverpool ONE shopping complex including the Hilton hotel.
David Lewis Theatre and Hostel on Great George Place
This monolithic building once dominated the area below Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral.
The David Lewis building, which included a theatre, a hostel, and a club, was built in 1906.
David Lewis, founder of the famous Lewis’s department store chain, left his fortune to benefit working-class people – and the trust that bore his name built the centre that became known as the Davy Lou.
The Beatles played there in 1961 and the venue hosted theatrical productions, films and sporting events.
It was pulled down in the late 1970s for road widening, along with other buildings nearby.
Its site is today occupied by housing. Apart from the cathedral behind, the only other building recognisable from old pictures of Great George Place is the Wedding House.
Cotton Exchange on Old Hall Street
This stunning original Cotton Exchange building opened in 1906 but you would struggle to recognise the same building today.
The original neoclassical boasted towers and columns but the frontage was destroyed in 1967 and in its place stands dull grey office block Cotton House.
In October 1906, the Liverpool Courier previewed the opening of the Cotton Exchange. It said: “The front, in particular, is an exceptionally fine piece of work.
“A well-proportioned tower at each end, a colonnade against a blank wall shielding the Exchange roof from view, and a loggia stretching low across the building are the principal features in a most striking front design.”
Described at the time as a "white elephant", the building's facade fell victim to the wrecking ball in 1967.
Things could have been even worse for the Cotton Exchange. After the facade was demolished there were plans to build Liverpool’s tallest office block at the back of the site where the historic buildings survive – but those plans were abandoned in 1969.
As well as the surviving buildings behind Cotton House, there are also many remnants of the past hidden below ground.
The ECHO has launched a 48-page Christmas nostalgia supplement in print. It's perfect as a stocking filler and yours for just £2.50. You can order a copy here.
