Woolton Hall: Difference between revisions

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Woolton Hall is a ruined country house located in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England. The earliest parts of the house date to approximately the seventeenth century, but the majority dates from the early eighteenth century and from a remodelling undertaken between 1774 and 1780 by the architect Robert Adam.

The north wing of the hall was commissioned for Richard Molyneux, later fifth viscount Molyneux. The east wing dates from the seventeenth century or earlier and was extensively remodelled by Adam for the then owner, Nicholas Ashton. The porte-cochère in front of the east wing replaced a small porch and dates from c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., as does the apsidal bay window of the north wing. Internally, the ground floor of the north wing contained a suite of rooms with early eighteenth century bolection panelling, and the east wing rooms were decorated with Adam plasterwork.

During the 20th century the hall went through a number of uses, eventually becoming a school in the 1950s, and later being abandoned with plans for its demolition. A campaign against its destruction was successful and the hall was made a Grade I listed building in 1982. Despite this, it continued to deteriorate and was declared at "immediate risk" by Historic England in 2021. Outbuildings were set alight in 2019, and in August 2025 the hall was gutted in another fire.

History

Script error: No such module "Multiple image". It is unknown who owned the land on which Woolton Hall now stands during the Middle Ages, but its owners during the Tudor period, the Brettarghs of Little Woolton, may have acquired it from a family named de Woolton. From the Brettarghs it passed to the Broughton family, and was in 1704 sold to Richard Molyneux, later fifth viscount Molyneux. Molyneux's widow died at Woolton Hall in 1766 and the house was soon after sold to a Mr Booth, who in 1772 sold it to Nicholas Ashton, a former High Sheriff of Lancashire. Shortly afterwards, Ashton commissioned the noted architect Robert Adam to remodel and expand the building.^[1]^[2]

The hall remained in the Ashton family until 1865, when Nicholas' grandson Charles Ellis sold it to James Reddecliffe Jeffery, the owner of the department store Compton House, on Church Street, Liverpool. A fire at the store on 1 December 1865 destroyed much of Jeffery's uninsured stock, eventually leading to the business failing and Woolton Hall being put up for auction in 1869.

Woolton was in the possession of the shipowner Frederick Richards Leyland in 1877. However, it is unclear whether he bought the hall from Jefferey or from the trustees of the Watt family, who according to A J Tibbles had bought the property in 1871. Leyland had been leasing nearby Speke Hall from the Watts; however in 1877 Adelaide Watt reached her majority and decided to move into Speke.^[1]^[3] Leyland was an art collector, and although the bulk of his collection was displayed at his London house, 49 Prince's Gate, Edward Burne-Jones's Night and Day and Ford Madox Brown's The Entombment were hung at Woolton.^[4]

Leyland died in 1892, and by 1898 Woolton Hall was owned by Peter McGuffie and run as a hydropathic hotel.^[1]^[5] The hall was repurposed as a military hospital during World War I and was the headquarters of the Middlesex Regiment during World War II; after this it was used as a school by the Sisters of Notre Dame until 1970.^[5]^[6] The hall was threatened with demolition in the 1980s but instead bought by local resident John Hibbert, who spent £100,000 on refurbishments to enable the hall to be used for parties.^[6] Woolton Hall was granted grade I listed building status on 28 June 1982.^[7]

In 2005, there were plans to convert the house into a retirement home and build 62 new retirement flats on the grounds of the estate.^[8] The work did not take place and the disused hall fell into disrepair.^[9] A fire in outbuildings in 2019 was attributed to arson;^[10]^[11] following that and incidents of vandalism, in 2021 the building was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register as a category A site, meaning it was at "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric".^[9]^[12]^[13] A second fire on the night of 19 August 2025 was reported by the BBC and the Independent to have "gutted" the building, leaving only interior and exterior walls standing.^[14]^[15]^[16] Young people had been observed gathering near the building before the fire broke out, and a fourteen-year-old girl was arrested and bailed on suspicion of arson.^[17]

Architecture

Exterior

The hall is built primarily of the local red sandstone, with some brick on the south side of the north wing. The north wing is eight bays long, and was commissioned by Richard Molyneux in 1704 or c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. The eastern six bays are of two storeys and have a pediment decorated with trophies over the central two bays; the western two bays are of one storey and slightly later. The wing bears some similarities to Croxteth Hall, another Molyneux property, and the Manor House in nearby Hale.^[18]^[5]

The east wing is attached to the eastern end of the north wing at right angles and is seven bays long. The outer two bays on each side break forward slightly and are of two storeys with pediments above and medallions between the windows. The central three bays are of three storeys and are fronted by a porte-cochère of c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". consisting of four paired Doric columns between rusticated antae.^[18]^[5] The building had three-storey extensions to the south and west which were demolished in the 1970s.^[5]

In the Buildings of England volume covering Woolton Hall, the exterior of the building is considered architecturally undistinguished and the extent of Adam's oversight is questioned.^[18]^[19]

Interior

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The ground floor of the north wing originally contained three principal rooms; a salon in the eastern three bays, the tapestry room in the centre, and the drawing room in the western three bays. The bay between the salon and tapestry room contained lobbies and a staircase. The rooms were approximately 5.2m high and originally had coved ceilings which made them higher still. The tapestry room and were combined into one room before World War Two. All three rooms were decorated with eighteenth century bolection oak panelling with classical pilasters.^[5]

The salon was at the junction of the north and east wings, and the wall between it and the rest of the east wing was a surviving fragment of the earlier house on the site. To its south was the entrance hall, which occupied the centre three bays of the wing and behind which lay the principal staircase and the octagon room. The front parlour occupied the south-east corner of the wing, with the kitchen behind. The octagon room, which was described as a library in an 1823 account of the house, the front parlour, and an upstairs room had stucco ceilings characteristic of Adam.^[5] The principal staircase was also by Adam, and had a wrought iron baluster and a moulded mahogany handrail.^[1]^[5]

Paintings

The hall contained a number of replica paintings, including those of former residents; most of the originals had been relocated to the Walker Art Gallery.

Tapestry Room
Officers of the St. George Civic Guard, Haarlem – Frans Hals

Officers of the St. George Civic Guard, Haarlem – Frans Hals
Banquet of the officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard, Haarlem – Frans Hals

Banquet of the officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard, Haarlem – Frans Hals
Canterbury Pilgrims – William Blake

Canterbury Pilgrims – William Blake
Twelfth-night – David Teniers the Younger

Twelfth-night – David Teniers the Younger
Revelry at an Inn – Jan Steen

Revelry at an Inn – Jan Steen
The Peasant Wedding – Pieter Brueghel the Elder

The Peasant Wedding – Pieter Brueghel the Elder
A School for Boys and Girls – Jan Steen

A School for Boys and Girls – Jan Steen

Dance Hall
Lady Mary Molyneux – Jacob Huysmans

Lady Mary Molyneux – Jacob Huysmans
A man of the Molyneux family, possibly 4th Viscount Molyneux – Unknown Artist

A man of the Molyneux family, possibly 4th Viscount Molyneux – Unknown Artist
Mrs John Ashton – Joseph Wright of Derby

Mrs John Ashton – Joseph Wright of Derby
Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet – Unknown Artist

Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet – Unknown Artist
A man of the Molyneux family – Unknown Artist

A man of the Molyneux family – Unknown Artist
Mary Molyneux – Unknown Artist

Mary Molyneux – Unknown Artist
Frederick Leyland – Rosa Corder (1853–1893)

Frederick Leyland – Rosa Corder (1853–1893)
Architect, Robert Adam

Architect, Robert Adam
Queen Anne

Queen Anne
King George III

King George III

Grounds

Most of the grounds were sold to Liverpool Corporation in 1920 by Colonel James P. Reynolds; of this land, Woolton Woods was dedicated for use as a public park and is now part of Woolton Woods and Camphill.^[20] An 18th-century gateway to the hall grounds^[21] and two lodges, the predominantly 19th-century Woolton Hall Lodge on Speke Road^[22] and the mid-19th-century Woodleigh Lodge on Woolton High Street,^[23]^[24] were all Grade II listed on 14 March 1975.

References

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External links

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[7] Template:National Heritage List for England

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[NHL-18] Template:National Heritage List for England

[19] Pollard and Pevsner (2006) 43: "Adam's ... enlargement of Woolton Hall (Liverpool) is a minor, and disappointing, Neoclassical work. Uncertainty remains as to whether he was involved in its execution."

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[24] Pollard and Pevsner (2006) 511.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{short description|Country house in Liverpool}}
-{{for|the [[University of Manchester]] residential hall|University of Manchester}}
+{{for|the University of Manchester residential hall|University of Manchester}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
 {{infobox Historic Site
 | name = Woolton Hall
 | image = File:Woolton Hall 2020.jpg
-| image_size = 280px
+| image_size =
 | caption = Woolton Hall in 2020.
 | locmapin = Merseyside
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 | nearest_city = [[Liverpool]]
 | area = {{convert|3.92|acre|m2}}
+| built = 1704, 1772–1780
-| built = 1704
 | built_for = Richard Molyneux
-| restored = 1772
+| architecture = [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]
-| restored_by = [[Robert Adam]]
-| architecture = [[Neoclassical architecture|Classical]]
 | designation1 = Grade I
 | designation1_date = 28 June 1982
-| designation1_number = 1217943
+| designation1_number = {{listed building England|1217943}}
+| architect = [[Robert Adam]] (part)
 }}
-'''Woolton Hall''' is a former [[English country house|country house]] located in [[Woolton]], a suburb of [[Liverpool]], [[England]]. Built in 1704 and extensively renovated in 1772 by the influential architect [[Robert Adam]], the building is praised as the finest example of Adam's work in [[the North of England]]. Throughout its first 200 years, the building was the residence of a number of notable figures, including the [[Earl of Sefton]] and Liverpool shipowner [[Frederick Richards Leyland]].
+'''Woolton Hall''' is a ruined [[English country house|country house]] located in [[Woolton]], a suburb of [[Liverpool]], England. The earliest parts of the house date to approximately the seventeenth century, but the majority dates from the early eighteenth century and from a remodelling undertaken between 1774 and 1780 by the architect [[Robert Adam]].
+The north wing of the hall was commissioned for Richard Molyneux, later fifth [[viscount Molyneux]]. The east wing dates from the seventeenth century or earlier and was extensively remodelled by Adam for the then owner, Nicholas Ashton. The [[porte-cochère]] in front of the east wing replaced a small porch and dates from {{Circa|1865}}, as does the apsidal bay window of the north wing. Internally, the ground floor of the north wing contained a suite of rooms with early eighteenth century [[bolection]] panelling, and the east wing rooms were decorated with Adam plasterwork.
-During the 20th century, the building went through a number of uses, eventually becoming a school in the 1950s, and later being [[Abandoned building|abandoned]] with plans for its demolition. A campaign against its destruction was successful and the hall was made a [[Grade I listed building]] in 1982. However, in 2021, the building was declared at "immediate risk" by [[Historic England]].<ref name="echorisk"/>
+During the 20th century the hall went through a number of uses, eventually becoming a school in the 1950s, and later being [[Abandoned building|abandoned]] with plans for its demolition. A campaign against its destruction was successful and the hall was made a [[Grade I listed building]] in 1982. Despite this, it continued to deteriorate and was declared at "immediate risk" by [[Historic England]] in 2021. Outbuildings were set alight in 2019, and in August 2025 the hall was gutted in another fire.
 ==History==
-Early records indicate that the land of Woolton Hall had been occupied since 1180 when the area of Much Woolton (now simply Woolton) came under the lordship of the holy Catholic order of the [[Knights Hospitaller]] who held the land for almost 360 years until the [[English Reformation]]. In the 16th century, [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s  [[dissolution of the monasteries]] suppressed the [[Knights Hospitaller]] leading the land being confiscated but then later restored by [[Mary I of England|Mary I]]. The land was permanently confiscated from the order in 1559 under [[Elizabeth I]] and was kept by the crown until 1609. Eventually, the land came under ownership of the Brettarghs of Holt who were reputed to have acquired it from an ancient family named "de Woolton".<ref name="HSLC1951"/>
-On the death of William Brettargh in 1609, the land was described as being home to a cottage.<ref name="BHO">{{cite web|title=Townships: Little Woolton|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp117-120|website=British History Online|publisher=British History Online|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> Sometime between 1700 and 1704, the house and surrounding estate was sold to politician [[Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux]], who built the northern block of the hall.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Paul|first1=David|title=Woolton Through Time|date=2009|publisher=Amberley Publishing|isbn=978-1848686229|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1WIAwAAQBAJ&q=William+Brettargh+1609&pg=PT36}}</ref>
 {{multiple image
- | align = left
+| align             = right
- | direction = vertical
+| direction         = vertical
- | image1 = WooltonHall1781Sandby.jpg
+| image1            = WooltonHall1781Sandby.jpg
- | width1 = 220
+| width1            = 220
- | caption1 = A 1781 watercolour by [[Paul Sandby]].
+| caption1          = 1781 watercolour by [[Paul Sandby]]
- | image2 = Woolton Hall.jpg
+| image2            = Woolton Hall.jpg
- | width2 = 220
+| width2            = 220
- | caption2  = An 1819 engraving by J.P. Neale.
+| caption2          = 1819 engraving by J.P. Neale
 }}
-In 1772, Woolton Hall was acquired by Nicholas Ashton, a former [[High Sheriff of Lancashire]], whose father was one of the original undertakers and the principal financier of [[Sankey Canal]], the first canal of the British [[Industrial Revolution]]. Shortly afterwards, Ashton commissioned the noted [[architect]] [[Robert Adam]] to remodel and expand the building extensively.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.hslc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/102-6-Harris.pdf|title=Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire for the Year 1951|publisher=The Society|year=1952}}</ref>
+It is unknown who owned the land on which Woolton Hall now stands during the Middle Ages, but its owners during the Tudor period, the Brettarghs of Little Woolton, may have acquired it from a family named de Woolton. From the Brettarghs it passed to the Broughton family, and was in 1704 sold to Richard Molyneux, later fifth [[viscount Molyneux]]. Molyneux's widow died at Woolton Hall in 1766 and the house was soon after sold to a Mr Booth, who in 1772 sold it to Nicholas Ashton, a former [[High Sheriff of Lancashire]]. Shortly afterwards, Ashton commissioned the noted architect [[Robert Adam]] to remodel and expand the building.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=Stanley A. |date=1950 |title=Robert Adam (1728–1792) Architect, and Woolton Hall, Liverpool |url=https://www.hslc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/102-6-Harris.pdf |journal=Transactions of the [[Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire]] |volume=102 |pages=161–177}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp113-117 |title=A History of the County of Lancaster |date=1907 |editor-last=Farrer |editor-first=William |series=[[British History Online]] |volume=3 |location=London |pages=113–117 |chapter=Townships: Much Woolton |editor-last2=Brownbill |editor-first2=J}}</ref>
-Nicholas Ashton died in 1833 leaving the house to his son Joseph Ashton who in turn left it to his son Charles Ellis Ashton. Charles Ellis later sold the house in 1865 to James Reddecliffe Jeffery who was the owner of Liverpool's largest department store, ''Compton House'', located on [[Church Street, Liverpool|Church Street]]. A fire at the store on 1 December 1865 destroyed much of Jeffery's uninsured stock, eventually leading to the business failing. Jeffery put the hall up for auction in 1869{{cn|date=August 2019}} but failed to find a buyer until 1877 when Liverpool shipowner [[Frederick Richards Leyland]] purchased the house for £19,000,{{fv|date=August 2019}} moving in with his family from nearby [[Speke Hall]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Merrill|first1=Linda|title=The Peacock Room : a cultural biography|date=1998|publisher=Freer Gallery of Art|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0300076118|page=295|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ha4xwgfjbmoC&q=woolton+hall+Burne-Jones&pg=PA294|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> Leyland, who was somewhat of an art enthusiast, decorated the house with paintings of varying styles including [[Edward Burne-Jones]]'s ''Night and Day'' and [[Ford Madox Brown]]'s ''The Entombment''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Items related to Frederick Richards Leyland|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/works-on-paper/watermark/explore.aspx?coll=4&per=68471&rdir=/walker/collections/works-on-paper/watermark/&page=1|website=liverpoolmuseums.org.uk|publisher=[[Walker Art Gallery]]|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Newall|first1=Christopher|title=Pre-Raphaelites: Beauty and Rebellion|date=2016|publisher=Liverpool University Press|page=60|isbn=9781781383032|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wInADAAAQBAJ&q=woolton+hall+Burne-Jones&pg=PA60|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> Leyland later sold the building to the McGuffies, a family of shipowners who demolished the west wing and converted the remainder into a [[Hydropathic Hotel]]. After living there for some 30 years, the hotel closed in 1912.<ref>{{cite web|title=Childwall Golf Club|url=http://www.liverpoolgolfcaptains.co.uk/brief_histories/childwall_gc/|website=liverpoolgolfcaptains.co.uk|publisher=The Society of Liverpool Golf Captains|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref>
+The hall remained in the Ashton family until 1865, when Nicholas' grandson Charles Ellis sold it to James Reddecliffe Jeffery, the owner of the department store [[Compton House, Liverpool|Compton House]], on [[Church Street, Liverpool|Church Street]], Liverpool. A fire at the store on 1 December 1865 destroyed much of Jeffery's uninsured stock, eventually leading to the business failing and Woolton Hall being put up for auction in 1869.
-After a short spell as the headquarters of the [[Middlesex Regiment]] and as an army hospital in the 1950s, the building was converted into a fee-paying [[Single-sex education|girls']] school under the management of the [[Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur|Convent of Notre Dame]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ENG-LANCS-WOOLTON-MUCH-L Archives|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ENG-LANCS-WOOLTON-MUCH/2006-10/1160513217|website=ancestry.com|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> In 1970, the small school merged with [[Notre Dame Catholic College, Liverpool|Notre Dame High School]] located on [[Mount Pleasant, Liverpool|Mount Pleasant]] to form Notre Dame Woolton (now [[St Julie's Catholic High School]]). As the school expanded, new modern buildings were built nearby leading to Woolton Hall being abandoned.<ref>{{cite web|title=Woolton Hall|url=http://liverpool-schools.co.uk/html/woolton_hall.html|website=Liverpool-schools.co.uk|access-date=13 October 2016}}</ref>
+Woolton was in the possession of the shipowner [[Frederick Richards Leyland]] in 1877. However, it is unclear whether he bought the hall from Jefferey or from the trustees of the Watt family, who according to A J Tibbles had bought the property in 1871. Leyland had been leasing nearby [[Speke Hall]] from the Watts; however in 1877 Adelaide Watt reached her majority and decided to move into Speke.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tibbles |first=A J |date=May 1994 |title=Speke Hall and Frederick Leyland: Antiquarian Refinements |journal=Apollo |volume=139 |pages=34–37}} cited in {{cite book |last1=Merrill |first1=Linda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ha4xwgfjbmoC&q=woolton+hall+Burne-Jones&pg=PA294 |title=The Peacock Room : a cultural biography |date=1998 |publisher=[[Freer Gallery of Art]] |isbn=0300076118 |location=Washington, DC |pages=294–295 }}</ref> Leyland was an art collector, and although the bulk of his collection was displayed at his London house, 49 Prince's Gate, [[Edward Burne-Jones]]'s ''Night and Day'' and [[Ford Madox Brown]]'s ''The Entombment'' were hung at Woolton.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Newall|first1=Christopher|title=Pre-Raphaelites: Beauty and Rebellion|date=2016|publisher=Liverpool University Press|page=60|isbn=9781781383032|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wInADAAAQBAJ&q=woolton+hall+Burne-Jones&pg=PA60}}</ref>
-Soon, the building fell into disrepair, eventually being marked for demolition in the 1980s. The building was saved after local resident John Hibbert purchased the Hall and spent £100,000 in refurbishments;<ref>{{cite web|title=Historic mansion facelift plans alarm neighbours|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/historic-mansion-facelift-plans-alarm-3535082|website=Echo.co.uk|date=4 February 2005|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> soon after, on 28 June 1982, Woolton Hall became a [[Grade I listed building]].<ref name="HistoricEngland">{{cite web|title=Woolton Hall|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1217943|website=[[Historic England]]|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> In 2005, there were plans to convert the house into a retirement home and build 62 other new retirement flats on the grounds of the estate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historic mansion face lift plans alarm neighbours; Concern over plans for 62 retirement care flats.|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Historic+mansion+face+lift+plans+alarm+neighbours%3B+Concern+over+plans...-a0128087391|publisher=[[Liverpool Daily Post]]|access-date=15 October 2016|date=February 4, 2005}}</ref> In 2021, following years of stagnation, a major fire in 2019<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirkham |first1=Jenny |title=Fire Crews Battle to save Woolton Hall after ‘Explosion’ |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/live-woolton-hall-mansion-fire-16356857 |website=Liverpool Echo |publisher=Liverpool Echo |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> and incidents of vandalism, the building was added to Historic England's "[[Heritage at Risk Register]]" as a category A site, the highest priority, meaning the building is at "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric".<ref name="echorisk">{{Cite web |title=Fears for the future of Woolton Hall as historic gem left to rot |last=Hadfield |first=Charlotte |work=Liverpool Echo |date=6 June 2021 |access-date=4 November 2021 |url= https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/fears-future-woolton-hall-dilapidated-20751978}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Woolton Hall, Speke Road - Liverpool|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/192688|publisher=[[Historic England]]|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>
+Leyland died in 1892, and by 1898 Woolton Hall was owned by Peter McGuffie and run as a [[hydropathic hotel]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="BofE" /> The hall was repurposed as a military hospital during [[World War I]] and was the headquarters of the [[Middlesex Regiment]] during [[World War II]]; after this it was used as a school by the Sisters of Notre Dame until 1970.<ref name="BofE" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wild |first=Jonathan |title=The History of Woolton Hall: The Owners |url=https://www.wooltonhall.co.uk/theowners |access-date=2025-08-24 |website=Save Woolton Hall |language=en}}</ref> The hall was threatened with demolition in the 1980s but instead bought by local resident John Hibbert, who spent £100,000 on refurbishments to enable the hall to be used for parties.<ref name=":0" /> Woolton Hall was granted [[grade I listed building]] status on 28 June 1982.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1217943|desc=Woolton Hall|access-date=24 August 2025|date=28 June 1982}}</ref>
-===Ownership===
+In 2005, there were plans to convert the house into a retirement home and build 62 new retirement flats on the grounds of the estate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historic mansion face lift plans alarm neighbours; Concern over plans for 62 retirement care flats.|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Historic+mansion+face+lift+plans+alarm+neighbours%3B+Concern+over+plans...-a0128087391|publisher=[[Liverpool Daily Post]]|access-date=15 October 2016|date=February 4, 2005}}</ref> The work did not take place and the [[Disused building|disused]] hall fell into disrepair.<ref name=atrisk>{{cite web|title=Woolton Hall, Speke Road - Liverpool|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/heritage-at-risk/search-register/list-entry/192688|publisher=[[Historic England]]|access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> A fire in outbuildings in 2019 was attributed to arson;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirkham |first1=Jenny |title=Fire Crews Battle to save Woolton Hall after 'Explosion' |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/live-woolton-hall-mansion-fire-16356857 |access-date=25 January 2023 |newspaper=Liverpool Echo}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=31 May 2019 |title=Woolton Hall fire: Arson investigation launched |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-48472069 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> following that and incidents of vandalism, in 2021 the building was added to Historic England's [[Heritage at Risk Register]] as a category A site, meaning it was at "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric".<ref name=atrisk/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fears for the future of Woolton Hall as historic gem left to rot |last=Hadfield |first=Charlotte |work=Liverpool Echo |date=6 June 2021 |access-date=4 November 2021 |url= https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/fears-future-woolton-hall-dilapidated-20751978}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Humphries |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/owner-woolton-hall-launches-attack-21669379 |title=Owner of Woolton Hall launches attack on Liverpool Council after ECHO demands answers |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |date=8 October 2021 |orig-date=25 September 2021 }}</ref> A second fire on the night of 19 August 2025 was reported by the BBC and the ''Independent'' to have "gutted" the building, leaving only interior and exterior walls standing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddington |first=Marc |date=30 August 2025 |title=How a battle to save a piece of history was lost |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewy91gj1p4o |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250905163501/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewy91gj1p4o |archive-date=5 September 2025 |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-08-19 |title=Large building Fire, Woolton, Liverpool |url=https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/media-centre/latest-incidents/large-building-fire-woolton-liverpool/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |publisher=[[Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Eleanor |last=Barlow |url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/woolton-hall-fire-liverpool-manor-b2810868.html |title=Abandoned Grade I-listed manor house gutted by large fire |newspaper=The Independent |date=20 August 2025 }}</ref> Young people had been observed gathering near the building before the fire broke out, and a fourteen-year-old girl was arrested and [[bail]]ed on suspicion of arson.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Burnell |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyrjrnvv9yo |title=Girl, 14, arrested over manor house fire |publisher=BBC News |date=21 August 2025 }}</ref>
-* Molyneux family 1704–1766
-* Rev Bartholomew Booth 1771-1772
-* Ashton family 1772–1865
-* Judge James Reddecliffe Jeffery 1865–1877
-* Sir [[Frederick Leyland]] 1877–1898
-* Captain Peter McGuffie  1898–1948
-* Sisters of Notre Dame 1948–1970
-* Mr J.B Hibbert & family 1980 – c.1985
-* Jim Murray c.1985 - c.2005
-* Jim Murray and Abid Chudary c.2005 - Present
 ==Architecture==
 ===Exterior===
-From its outside, the slate roofed two-storey structure is built entirely of stone consisting of seven bay windows, two of which break forward under [[pediments]]. The windows, although now boarded up, have [[architraves]] and are sashed with glazing bars. The façade of the building was re-fronted in 1865 by [[Robert Adam]] to include a [[porte-cochère]] which covers the entrance. This consists of four paired [[Doric columns]] between [[Rustication (architecture)|rusticated]] [[Anta (architecture)|antae]], [[entablature]] and [[Baluster|balustrade]].<ref name=HistoricEngland/>
+The hall is built primarily of the local red sandstone, with some brick on the south side of the north wing. The north wing is eight bays long, and was commissioned by Richard Molyneux in 1704 or {{Circa|1709–1714}}. The eastern six bays are of two storeys and have a [[pediment]] decorated with trophies over the central two bays; the western two bays are of one storey and slightly later. The wing bears some similarities to [[Croxteth Hall]], another Molyneux property, and the [[Manor House, Hale|Manor House]] in nearby [[Hale, Halton|Hale]].<ref name=NHL>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1217943|desc=Woolton Hall|access-date=22 August 2025}}</ref><ref name=BofE>{{Cite book |last=Pollard |first=Richard |title=Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780300109108 |series=[[The Buildings of England]] |location=New Haven; London}}</ref>
+The east wing is attached to the eastern end of the north wing at right angles and is seven bays long. The outer two bays on each side break forward slightly and are of two storeys with pediments above and medallions between the windows. The central three bays are of three storeys and are fronted by a [[porte-cochère]] of {{Circa|1865}} consisting of four paired [[Doric columns]] between [[Rustication (architecture)|rusticated]] [[Anta (architecture)|antae]].<ref name=NHL/><ref name=BofE/> The building had three-storey extensions to the south and west which were demolished in the 1970s.<ref name="BofE" />
+In the ''[[Buildings of England]]'' volume covering Woolton Hall, the exterior of the building is considered architecturally undistinguished and the extent of Adam's oversight is questioned.<ref name=NHL/><ref>Pollard and Pevsner (2006) 43: "Adam's&nbsp;... enlargement of Woolton Hall (Liverpool) is a minor, and disappointing, Neoclassical work. Uncertainty remains as to whether he was involved in its execution."</ref>
 ===Interior===
 {{multiple image
- | align = right
+| align             = right
- | image1 = Woolton Hall interior 1.jpg
+| image1            = Woolton Hall interior 1.jpg
- | width1 = 160
+| width1            = 160
- | caption1 = Tapestry Room.
+| caption1          = Tapestry Room.
- | image2 = Woolton Hall staircase.jpg
+| image2            = Woolton Hall staircase.jpg
- | width2 = 160
+| width2            = 160
- | caption2  = Principal staircase.
+| caption2          = Principal staircase
 }}
-Passing through the front entrance is a large lobby flanked by two main halls. The lobby has marble flooring and an imposing oak fireplace which is one of the buildings original features, having been designed by Adam. Adjacent to the fireplace are three doors with the leftmost allowing access to a kitchen area and a stairwell. The door directly to the fireplace's left leads to an octagonal shaped [[turquoise]] room with and a decorated ceiling that contains a circular painting of [[Frederic Leighton|Frederic Leighton's]] ''The Garden of the Hesperides''. The door on the right leads to the building's main staircase.<ref name="W.H. Reid, 1823">{{cite book|last1=Neale|first1=John Preston|last2=Moule|first2=Thomas|title=A Views of the seats, Mansions, Castles, etc. of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (Volume 6)|publisher=W.H. Reid, 1823|location=London|page=168|url=https://archive.org/stream/viewsseatsnoble01moulgoog#page/n168/mode/2up|access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref>
-Regarding the two main halls, the left side hall is a function room with two full-length windows, a stone set bar and fireplace and a back kitchen area. The hall's ceiling is decorated with painted with gold foliage centred around a bust of a man dressed in 18th-century clothing. On the right side of the building is a dance hall and adjoining tapestry room with high ceilings and oak panelled walls.<ref name="W.H. Reid, 1823"/>
+The ground floor of the north wing originally contained three principal rooms; a salon in the eastern three bays, the tapestry room in the centre, and the drawing room in the western three bays. The bay between the salon and tapestry room contained lobbies and a staircase. The rooms were approximately 5.2m high and originally had coved ceilings which made them higher still. The tapestry room and were combined into one room before World War Two. All three rooms were decorated with eighteenth century [[bolection]] oak panelling with classical pilasters.<ref name="BofE" />
-The dance hall with two large front facing windows is decorated with paintings of previous residents and a large painting of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Ann]] which sits above a brick fireplace. Next to this is a wooden bar area that leads into the tapestry room while at the room's centre is a [[parquet]] dance floor which has been damaged to reveal stone flooring underneath. The tapestry room is an elongated semi-circular area decorated with mostly [[Flemish painting|Flemish]] paintings and two glass candle-style [[chandeliers]]. Set back to back with the dance hall's fireplace is another fireplace creating a mirror image, this time with a portrait of [[King George III]] hanging above.
-The principal staircase which ascends to the second floor is another of Adam's original features consisting of wrought iron [[baluster]] and a moulded [[mahogany]] handrail.<ref name="HSLC1951">{{cite book|title=Transactions Of The Historic Society Of Lancashire and Cheshire|date=1951|publisher=Historic Society Of Lancashire and Cheshire|edition=Volume 102|url=http://www.hslc.org.uk/documents/PDFS/1950.pdf}}</ref> The upper floors boast large opens rooms with original Adam's ceilings, as well as many smaller rooms which have acted as bedrooms and classrooms throughout the hall's history.<ref>{{cite AV media
+The salon was at the junction of the north and east wings, and the wall between it and the rest of the east wing was a surviving fragment of the earlier house on the site. To its south was the entrance hall, which occupied the centre three bays of the wing and behind which lay the principal staircase and the octagon room. The front parlour occupied the south-east corner of the wing, with the kitchen behind. The octagon room, which was described as a library in an 1823 account of the house, the front parlour, and an upstairs room had stucco ceilings characteristic of Adam.<ref name="BofE" /> The principal staircase was also by Adam, and had a wrought iron [[baluster]] and a moulded [[mahogany]] handrail.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="BofE" />
- | year = 2015
- | title = Tour with Mr Hilbert at Woolton Hall
- | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCerEps68HE
- | access-date = 17 October 2016
- | publisher = [[YouTube]]
-}}</ref>
 ==Paintings==
-The hall contains a number of replica paintings including those of former residents; most of the originals have since been relocated to the [[Walker Art Gallery]].
+The hall contained a number of replica paintings, including those of former residents; most of the originals had been relocated to the [[Walker Art Gallery]].
 <gallery caption="Tapestry Room" widths="100px" heights="100px" perrow="7">
 File:Frans Hals 013.jpg|''Officers of the St. George Civic Guard, Haarlem'' – [[Frans Hals]]
 File:WLANL - legalizefreedom - Banket van de officieren van de Cluveniersdoelen, 1627.jpg|''Banquet of the officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard, Haarlem'' – [[Frans Hals]]
-File:William Blake - Canterbury Pilgrims Picture.jpg|''Canterbury Pilgrims'' – William Blake
+File:William Blake - Canterbury Pilgrims Picture.jpg|''Canterbury Pilgrims'' – [[William Blake]]
 File:David Teniers (II) - Twelfth-night (The King Drinks) - WGA22083.jpg|''Twelfth-night'' – [[David Teniers the Younger]]
 File:Jan Steen - Revelry at an Inn - WGA21761.jpg|''Revelry at an Inn'' – [[Jan Steen]]
@@ Line 113: / Line 95: @@
 File:Frederick Richards Leyland, by Rosa Corder.jpg|[[Frederick Leyland]] – [[Rosa Corder]] (1853–1893)
 File:Robert-adam.jpg|Architect, [[Robert Adam]]
-File:Willem Wissing and Jan van der Vaardt - Queen Anne, when Princess of Denmark, 1665 – 1714 - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Ann]]
+File:Willem Wissing and Jan van der Vaardt - Queen Anne, when Princess of Denmark, 1665 – 1714 - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]
 File:Allan Ramsay - King George III in coronation robes - Google Art Project.jpg|[[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]]
 </gallery>
+==Grounds==
+Most of the grounds were sold to [[Liverpool Corporation]] in 1920 by Colonel James P. Reynolds; of this land, Woolton Woods was dedicated for use as a public park and is now part of [[Woolton Woods and Camphill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Parks_and_recreation/Parks_and_gardens/Camphill_and_Woolton_Woods/index.asp |title=Camphill and Woolton Woods |website=The City of Liverpool: Parks and Gardens |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503005006/http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Parks_and_recreation/Parks_and_gardens/Camphill_and_Woolton_Woods/index.asp |archive-date=3 May 2008 |url-status=dead}} <!-- Listing has moved and new version doesn't have history --></ref> An 18th-century gateway to the hall grounds<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1063788?section=official-list-entry |title=Gateway to Woolton Hall Park |website=Historic England |access-date=11 September 2025 }}</ref> and two lodges, the predominantly 19th-century Woolton Hall Lodge on Speke Road<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1359839?section=official-list-entry |title=Woolton Hall Lodge, Speke Road |website=Historic England |access-date=11 September 2025 }}</ref> and the mid-19th-century Woodleigh Lodge on Woolton High Street,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1218687?section=official-list-entry |title=Woodleigh (former Lodge to Woolton Hall), High Street |website=Historic England |access-date=11 September 2025 }}</ref><ref>Pollard and Pevsner (2006) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl_ghLUNVGsC&pg=PG511 511].</ref> were all [[Grade II listed]] on 14 March 1975.
 ==See also==
+[[File:Northeast gate to Woolton Wood.jpg|thumb|18th-century gateway to the hall park]]
 *[[Architecture of Liverpool]]
 *[[Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool]]
@@ Line 124: / Line 110: @@
 *[[Much Woolton Old School]]
 *[[St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool|St. Peter's Church, Woolton]]
+{{clear}}
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
-{{commons category}}
+*{{commons category-inline|Woolton Hall}}
-*[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1217943 Historic England - Woolton Hall]
 *[https://www.wooltonhall.co.uk/ The History of Woolton Hall]
@@ Line 138: / Line 123: @@
 [[Category:Unused buildings in Liverpool]]
 [[Category:Structures on the Heritage at Risk register]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed by arson]]

Woolton Hall: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:34, 11 September 2025

Contents

History

Architecture

Exterior

Interior

Paintings

Grounds

See also

References

External links

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Woolton Hall: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:34, 11 September 2025

History

Architecture

Exterior

Interior

Paintings

Grounds

See also

References

External links

Navigation menu

Search