Liverpool Central Library recently underwent a substantial refurbishment, during which it acquired a roof terrace boasting impressive views of the city. The vista takes in landmarks from St George’s Hall to the tops of the Liver Buildings. I visited the terrace for the first time yesterday, accompanied by my trusty A5 sketchbook and fine line pens.

This sketch took around 45 minutes to an hour to complete and was a very enjoyable experience in some late winter sunshine and relative solitude. The composition includes the Imperial Buildings at its centre, at the junction of Whitechapel and Victoria Street. I was attracted to the way in which this building in particular echoed Impressionist compositions of the Hausmannised Paris of the 1870s and 80s. The drawing depicts the view from the library rooftop over St John’s Gardens in the foreground, over the Imperial Buildings, up Victoria Street, with glimpses of Wirral’s gentle hills appearing through the modern buildings in the distance.