The seeds of the Wellington Rooms were sown in 1814 when at a meeting of gentlemen, held on the 15th of August 1814 at the Kings Arms in Liverpool, it was resolved to form a club, to be called The Wellington Club, for the purpose of having Balls and other Entertainments. The Neo-clasical building was designed by the architect Edmund Aikin and built between 1815–16 as a public subscription assembly room for the Club. The building was designed with a central entrance leading into an octagonal room from which three further rooms could be accessed. These were originally used as a drawing room, refreshment room and ballroom. The building had three separate entrances which were intended for men, ladies and sedan chairs and carriages. Edmund’s life was not a long one (1780-1820) although he was influential in popularising neo-classical architecture. He did other work in Liverpool, where he eventually made his home, including the design for the building of the Royal Liverpool Institution in 1814, a centre for ‘the promotion of literature, science and the arts’ founded by William Roscoe and others. The Wellington Rooms were soon opened in 1816 to provide a worthy setting for the dance-loving Liverpool merchant princes, their friends and families. The first function was the Ladies Charity Ball held on the 31st of December 1816 and it was used by high society for assemblies, dance balls and parties and, with its gracious architecture and interior design, quickly became the centre of fashionable Liverpool life. Porches on the west for sedan chairs, and on the east for carriages have also been enclosed.
In those times Mount Pleasant, then called Martindale's-hill, was quite a country walk across the open fields and pastures extending from Myrtle Street to Paddington, and from the top of Mount Pleasant or Martindale's hill, to the rise at Edge Hill. Hunter Street and South Hunter Street, Maryland Street, Baltimore-street, etc., were named after Mr. John Hunter, an eminent tobacco merchant trading with the States, who dwelt in Mount Pleasant, and whose gardens extended to Rodney-street. His large property was opposite the club and the streets were named not only after himself but in recognition to Virginia in the USA where he traded. The Wellington Club was eventually wound up in 1922.
Between 1923 and 1940 it was converted into a private club, the Embassy
Rooms, and was used for
tea dances, classes and weddings. During WW2, the building became the
first base for the Rodney Youth Centre though bomb damage in 1941
damaged all of the original ceilings with the exception of the ballroom.
Between 1965 and 1962 it was used by Sisters of Notre Dame for
educational purposes.
Later years saw it used as a youth club and in 1965 it became a focal
point for the Irish in Liverpool when in 1965 it officially opened its
doors on the 1st of February 1965 as a community organisation known as
the Liverpool Irish Centre hosting ceilis, music, drama performances as
well as
serving as a base for clubs and societies. In his book 'Being Irish in
Liverpool', Tommy Walsh, the first chairman of the Irish Centre,
recalled the community's 100-year journey to find a 'home of our own'. The Liverpool-born Irishman, who passed away in 2010, described the
centre's opening, which was attended by then Tánaiste Frank Aiken, Irish
Ambassador Jack Molloy and Senator Tom Mullins, as a 'glittering
occasion, with massive media coverage'. In addition, he recalled the
fond memories of social events and
functions that brought the Irish community in Liverpool together.
"Friday nights drew by far the biggest crowds," he wrote. "There were no
tables and chairs and 500 young people piled in. Every Irish nurse in
Liverpool and Birkenhead was there, and every
young single Irish man too. Numerous marriages resulted from Friday
nights in the Irish Centre." Its role as the Irish Centre is obvious
from pictures inside the building taken recently. Signs for the All
Ireland and Kennedy Bars can be seen on the walls and the stage area
still exists. The Irish Centre relocated in the 1990s, and the building
became derelict.
 |
| View from stage showing the amazing ceiling |
In 2018 the city council said it was jointly funding a programme of emergency work on the Mount Pleasant building, in partnership with government heritage adviser Historic England. Liverpool’s deputy mayor, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, said ensuring the Wellington Rooms did not deteriorate further was right at the top of the authority’s 'priority list' for action. "It has an amazing history and is hugely important to the people of Liverpool," she said. "These urgent repairs are the start of a long journey to return it back to its former glory, but we are now starting to make progress in working with partners to identify a deliverable a sustainable end use." Although this effort to secure the building against further damage three years ago took place, sadly there are currently no solid plans for bringing it back into use.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/02/remembering-liverpool-structures-royal.html
No comments:
Post a Comment