# Wellington Rooms, Liverpool July 2017



## prettyvacant71 (Aug 9, 2017)

Hello there

*A little history…*

Designed by Edmund Aitkin the Grade 2 Listed Wellington Rooms opened in 1816 as subscription assembly rooms for the Wellington Club. The neo-classical designed building has three entrances; men, ladies and sedan chairs and carriages…never come across that one before! The Wellington Rooms closed in the 1920’s, reopening as the Embassy Rooms, the Rodney Rooms, during WW2 the Rodney Youth Centre and later in 1966 it became the Irish Centre, which it is often still referred to as today and was used for functions and balls. 

The building became derelict in 1997 when a property developer took over the lease. Attempts to renovate it into a hotel have had their planning applications refused, with the residual portion of the lease passed to the Crown in 2011. Liverpool City Council owns the freehold of the site and has served notices on the leaseholder. 

In 1999 the building entered the National Heritage At Risk Register. Emergency repairs were approved and funded by Liverpool County Council and Historic England in 2016 in order to weather seal the property, as water damage from several lead thefts is deteriorating the building.

The building featured in Liverpool Echo’s “Stop the Rot Campaign”, which highlighted some of the city’s historic empty buildings, with the aim of rescuing and preserving them and bringing them back to life. Currently the building is patiently awaiting a new future.



*The explore…*

Met up with three seriously dodgy lookin Chester lads, the type that would look guilty even if they were on Jury service. We had a walk around the perimeter of the building but decided as it was broad daylight and slap bang in the city we would be drawing too much attention to try and attempt it so we left, crying like proper pussys 

I went back during the night to do a more quieter stealthier recce. However this didn’t work out to plan either. At 2am the place was actually busier than what it was during the day. It was near some student halls and hotels and there was a lot of activity going on, lots of shouting and screaming, groups of people tripping over each other, folks on spice clinging to the railings, cabs pulling up, more shouting and swearing, it got seriously hectic and I wasn’t in the mood to see any more yakin up so I left 

The next morning whilst I was having an urbex fix in Queens my mate Dez text me to say he was inside the place. So after my first visit was cut short I made my way over to here. By now it was broad daylight again, tons of folks on the street, a proper heavy monsoon was happening and I was soaked, it felt a bit like Groundhog Day. Sometimes you have just gota be blatant, I think most people were too busy trying to get out of the rain anyway. So I just did a few basic moves that I was taught in my formative years of samurai training, it requires you to be in two places at once, which I have now mastered. So I was inside the building before anyone had even seen me leave the pavement 

I was by myself and I have to admit I don’t like pitch black claustrophobic spaces, so walking into a pitch black tunnel and when I eventually found my flickering and fading torch the first thing I could see were them clear plastic hanging strips you find on fridge doorways, every Saw movie has about 10 blood splattered ones, I just wanted to find some light, which I eventually did, even though a lot of the building is in low light its still rather lovely.


Have a look yourself….






Liverpool 891 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



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Liverpool 902 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

It was still pouring down by the time I’d left so this is the only external I could grab without getting a lens full of rain.

So thanks for lookin people…

Be lucky, be safe and lay off the spice


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## HughieD (Aug 10, 2017)

Some lovely comps there PV. Loving the stained glass and friezes too! Good work.


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## smiler (Aug 10, 2017)

All good PV, Thanks, gonna carry on using Spice though, too Old too switch


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## krela (Aug 10, 2017)

This place is like a tardis, looks tiny from the outside but your pics make it look huge inside.

I come across spice regularly at work, horrible stuff. Turns people proper nuts.


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## rockfordstone (Aug 10, 2017)

it's a shame seeing places like this going to waste. they don't design 'em like that anymore. hopefully this one will get saved


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## brickworx (Aug 10, 2017)

That's beautiful!...you have been busy lately.... Ty, very nice that.


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## Wrench (Aug 10, 2017)

Nice work there it is a lovely place init? 
Cracking photos.


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## Gromr (Aug 10, 2017)

Very nice! It true, it looks tiny from the outside, would never expect to find all that inside.


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## Mearing (Aug 10, 2017)

Great photos, thank you. Still laughing at your intro!


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## Mikeymutt (Aug 10, 2017)

This is lovely..it was on the list but with the other place sealed we never bothered.you had a successful trip anyway.and came away with lovely shots


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## Rubex (Aug 11, 2017)

Lovely looking place!


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## prettyvacant71 (Aug 12, 2017)

smiler said:


> All good PV, Thanks, gonna carry on using Spice though, too Old too switch



Hahaha very good Smiler!...I would of thought you were more of a Brut man I think the only spice I will be doin these days will be turmeric, I hear its good for the knees


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## prettyvacant71 (Aug 12, 2017)

krela said:


> This place is like a tardis, looks tiny from the outside but your pics make it look huge inside.
> 
> I come across spice regularly at work, horrible stuff. Turns people proper nuts.



Yes and the scary plastic door in the cellar makes a cool whooooshing sound just like the real thing

And yeah totally agree its proper messed up!


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## prettyvacant71 (Aug 12, 2017)

Thanks for your comments folks


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