A wing of Croxteth Hall which was destroyed 60 years ago has been reopened to the public once again.
The Queen Anne wing went up in flames in 1952 in a catastrophic blaze and destroyed everything but the exterior, causing it to be gutted and since then has remained out of bounds.
The two damaged rooms next to the old dining room are set to be restored back to its prime thanks to a £400,000 programme involving the Croxteth Estate Endowment Trust Fund. Work on the two rooms includes plastering, installing wood paneling, new windows and lighting.
As well as all the refurbishments there will be an extra bar and toilet facility added, in the hope of being able to rent out the rooms for functions and wedding parties to raise some much needed income estimated at around £140,000 a year.
Tom Douglas, the project manager of the restoration, praised Mayor Joe Anderson as an important factor behind the programme. Tom told JMU Journalism: “It has been in the development for some time but since Joe took over he’s proven the catalyst behind the project since he’s been at the helm.
“Our plan is to create the rooms in a modern contemporary interpretation of how it used to be with the help of recreating the ambience. We will include appropriate artwork from the time and also will have the windows in the manner that it used to be.”
With the rooms not in use in 60 years Tom believes it will entice new tourists.
He added: “It will play a big part to the city and beyond, attracting others to enjoy a wonderful facility and it in turn will also help generate income for the hall and give staff a better future. It has been used since the council took over in the 80s as a room for file storage.”
The project is expected to take up to five and a half months to complete but will remain open for business during the period of redevelopment.