Grade II* St Agnes' Vicarage and a Hall Grade II in Liverpool are both on top 10 Endangered Buildings list 2024
Photos by Dominic Roberts

A pair of fine heritage buildings in Sefton Park are on:- 'The Victorian Society's Top 10 Endangered Buildings List 2024' that has been launched by Griff Rhys Jones, the Society's President. The buildings are in a perilous state and require urgent repair to ensure their continued survival.

Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society said:- "Liverpool knows it is a great City. It was a powerhouse of the northwest. It contains dozens of fabulous monuments to that energy that make any visit exciting. This group of exquisite and unique buildings is 1 of those. Character. Charm. Delight. But in urgent need of help. Please help, Liverpool. This is 1 of your own. Let's get it sorted."

This highly original Vicarage and hall were designed by 1 of the greatest Victorian architects to accompany the extraordinary Grade I-listed Church of St Agnes and St Pancras, described by Pevsner as:- "the most beautiful Victorian Church of Liverpool." As a group the Vicarage, Hall and Church represent 1 of the most impressive such ensembles in the country. All were commissioned by the Liverpool stockbroking dynasty, the Horsfall family, which funded 7 Churches across Merseyside; and the Vicarage and hall were in fact built in the same Sefton Park street as the benefactors lived. The hall is in brick with a tile roof in the Gothic style. Connected to the Church by a passage, the hall has lean-to aisles, a horizontal set of windows above head height, and a small lower room on the end with cusped windows. Separating the hall from the road is the Vicarage, which was built between:- 1885 and 1887 and paid for by Howard Douglas Horsfall's mother. The Vicarage may have been designed with input from:- Shaw's then Chief Clerk, William Lethaby, as its architectural treatment is original and was never repeated by Shaw.

Both buildings are in a very poor state of repair. The condition of the hall is especially concerning. In the short term, both buildings require immediate works of remediation and repair to ensure that they are secure from weather and intruders. These are exceptional works by 1 of the most distinguished designers of the later Victorian period, and in the longer term, a strategy for their sympathetic reuse is vital.

James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said:- "Pearson's staggering Church and Shaw's hall and Vicarage represent a genuinely remarkable collection of C19 buildings. It is unbelievable that buildings of the quality and interest of the hall and Vicarage should have been allowed to fall into such a serious state of dilapidation. Works to make the buildings wind and watertight are required immediately, and in the longer term a solution that will see them saved and put to appropriate use."

For more information about the Victorian Society please visit:- VictorianSociety.Org.UK and follow them on:- Twitter.

New Liverpool Manchester Railway Board to lead transformation of rail connectivity

A new Liverpool Manchester Railway Board has been established to maximise the economic and social benefits of a new railway between:- the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, on:- Wednesday, 22 May 2024.

On the 200th Anniversary of the formation of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company, which oversaw the construction of the world's 1st interCity passenger railway, the Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region launched the Board and set out their preferred options for improvements to rail infrastructure linking the North West's 2 largest City Regions.

The plans include transformational investment in City Centre Stations in Liverpool and a modern, underground station, at Manchester Piccadilly. A new, high speed rail line would run through new Stations at Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport, connecting the Investment Zones in Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester via prime development sites.

Following the scrapping of the Northern Legs of HS2, the Government invited the 2 Mayors to advise on the best solution for improved connectivity between:- Liverpool and Manchester, as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme.

Announced on:- 22 May 2024 at the UK"s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), the Liverpool - Manchester Railway Board will advance a place based, bottom up approach to deliver world class connectivity and turbocharge the economy of the North West.

The new Board will be chaired by the 2 Mayors with the leaders of Manchester City Council, Cllr Bev Craig, and Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson, serving as Vice Chairs, and will involve local authorities along the route, as well as the Port of Liverpool, Manchester Airports Group, and other stakeholder organisations.

The Board will be tasked with working with the Government and engaging with the private sector to help build the business case for the most ambitious line possible. Expressions of interest are now being invited from private sector partners who are interested in engaging with the Board.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram is joined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, at the unveiling of the New Liverpool - Manchester Rail Board

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram is joined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson at the unveiling of the New Liverpool - Manchester Railway Board

Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:- "From the world's 1st passenger railway powered by Stephenson's Rocket to the Dockers' Umbrella, our Region has been revolutionising Britain's railways for centuries. But sadly, Regions across the North have been forced to contend with infrastructure that wouldn't look out of place 100 years ago. It suffocates growth and holds the country's economy back. Transformative investment in better rail connectivity between our 2 City Regions cannot and is more than just a Regional project. This is a nationally important infrastructure scheme that would help to unlock the North's enormous potential and deliver a greater return to the Treasury. There are fantastic, passionate leaders across the North in business, infrastructure and a wide range of sectors. We want their help: come and join us to deliver the same transformation that the Liverpool - Manchester Railway did 200 years ago."

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:- "Our Region was home to the 1st Inter City Railway anywhere in the world, but today our rail network is now not fit for purpose after decades of underinvestment. The scale of economic opportunity right along the line is huge, with Investment Zones in both City Regions and several major development sites, but the North West can only reach its potential with better rail connectivity. We've been successful in making the case to Government for our preferred options; in Greater Manchester that means a new, Underground Station at Piccadilly. The new Board will help us accelerate these plans and capitalise on a once in a generation opportunity to build the railway the North needs."

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, said:- "For Liverpool and the North West to truly realise our economic potential, we need a new age of the train; with a focus on investment in infrastructure. The benefit of a better connection between:- Liverpool and Manchester would not only supercharge our economies, the impact would be felt throughout the UK. This Region gave birth to the era of customer train journeys. It"s time we upgraded for the 21st century."

Leader of Manchester City Council, Councillor Bev Craig, said:- "Improving rail connections across the North of England is absolutely fundamental to our future success. Investing in better links between our 2 great Cities is a vital step towards that and it's important that we get on with delivering it and that we get it right, maximising the opportunities which will be created. This board will be a strong start. But we also need to see Northern Powerhouse Rail delivered in full, from Liverpool to Hull; with an underground Manchester Piccadilly station at its heart and improved North South rail connections to ensure adequate capacity."