Since opening its doors in 1854, St George’s Hall has come to be recognised as one of the finest neoclassical buildings in the world.
When the Victorians designed and funded this iconic landmark, they sought to lift the human heart beyond the here and now, beyond the everyday and the ordinary; creating a place where all memorable moments in Liverpool life converge.
Behind the grandeur of its impressive Great Hall and Concert Room – lauded by the likes of Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens – lay the depressing doldrums of the prison cells and law courts.
The St George’s Hall Experience: The History Whisperer™ transports visitors to a time when this extraordinary building was the meeting point of both opulence and destitution.
Just like this city, our History Whisperer, Livie, is full of heart, humour, emotion and dreams. Join her, as she leads you through the sights and sounds of prison life, in an immersive journey through Liverpool’s social history…
Image credits: Staged Kaos and Ant Clausen Photography
Accessibility
The St George’s Hall Experience: The History Whisperer™ is a digital immersive programme which operates on allocated time slots. Please note:
- For the purposes of health and safety, we can only accept a maximum of two wheelchair users per time slot.
- Induction loops are available on Reception for visitors who require hearing aids
- All other Accessibility information can be found here.
Tickets
- Tickets for The St George’s Hall Experience: The History Whisperer™ are now available to purchase on this page and via Ticket Quarter
- Adult ticket prices are £6
- Concession ticket prices (applicable to Under 16s and Over 65s) are £4
- Please note, all additional fees are already included within the above prices
- The St George’s Hall Experience: The History Whisperer™ is typically open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, but open days can vary with time to time to avoid event clashes
- Please note: The History Whisperer operates on the following time slots as follows: 10am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Visitors are advised to enter at least 10 minutes before their allotted time.
Buy Tickets
Additional Credit Information and Special Thanks…
Produced and Directed by
Rose Kay, Gazooky Studios
Cast
- Livie (on-screen): Maxine Koeck
- Livie (voice): Leah Gould
- Warder: Tim Lambert
- Jack (on-screen): Joshua Mcenaney
- Jack (Voice): Pete O’Keefe
- Nat: Jake Norton
- Judge: Nick Birkinshaw (on-screen)
- Judge (Voice): Tim Lambert
- Prisoner 1: Elissa Cooper
- Prisoner 2: Rose Kay
Gazooky Studios
- Screenplay: Rose Kay
- Performance Director: Philip Wood
- Production Assistant: Elissa Cooper
- Lead Developers: Armin Aghill, Daniel Szweda
- Concept Artist and Designer: Jamie Gregoire
- Set Designer: Hattie Lewington
- Filming Effects: Lauren Hira
- 2nd Camera: Sam Robson
Music in Mind
- Composer and Musical Director: John McHugh
- Violin 1: Kate Richardson
- Violin 2: Kate Marsden
- Viola: Rachel Jones
- Cello: Hilary Browning
CineTecture
Director of Cinematography, 1st Camera, Editor and VFX Artist:
Monika Koeck
CAVA | Centre of Architecture and the Visual Art
- Footage and Voices of If These Walls Could Talk
- Immersive Experience Consultant Richard Koeck
- Archival Research Jemma Street
- Volumetric 3D Character Dimension Studio
Immersive Interactive
Interactive hardware, sensors and maintenance provided by:
Chris Porter: Technical Director
David Salt: Software Installation Lead
Jack Taylor: Installation and commissioning
Special thanks to Jon Bradley.
Benison Sound
- Sound Engineer Steve Bennison
- Lighting Designer Adam Dennett
St George’s Hall
- Project Manager: Eliza Willis
- Operations Manager: Sharon Clare
- Head of Heritage Development & Preservation: Alan Smith
- Head of City Assets: Angie Redhead
- Facilities Manager: Tommy Hughes
- Visitor Services Officer: Peter Seddon
- Joiners: Kenny Ledger & Paddy Gerrard
- Hall Supervisors and Attendants: Neil Jackson, Mark Travis, Adam McVey, Tony Hutchinson
- Marketing Manager: Adam Yates
With special thanks to Michael Stewart (Head Designer, Culture Liverpool), Caitlin Sullivan (Design Assistant), and Jess Cavendish (Digital Marketing Manager/Consultant, Visit Liverpool).
Archive images
- Middlesex House of Correction: male prisoners treading on the boards of a treadmill: in the foreground others sit resting. Wood engraving by W.B. Gardner, 1874, after M. Fitzgerald. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark.
- Male human head louse, FlickR, Magnus Manske, Jacopo Werther, creative commons attribution.
Prisoner photographs
‘National Museum of Justice’
Other images
Provided by Liverpool Record Office, Liverpool Libraries.
Funded by:
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Liverpool City Council
Special thanks to / supported by:
- CAVA | Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts