Its grounds are famous for an urban legend
St Andrews Church on Rodney Street and the surrounding grounds(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
A historic building tucked away down a Liverpool street first opened its doors nearly 200 years ago – but today lives a very different life in city centre. Located on Rodney Street, St Andrews Church dates back to 1823 and its grounds have long been the centre of an urban myth.
In the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church, you can see a 15-foot structure in the shape of a pyramid, built above the tomb of civil engineer and prolific gambler William Mackenzie. Legend has it that Mackenzie was entombed while seated upright at a table with a winning hand of cards between his fingers, after losing his soul in a game of poker against the devil – it was said if he was never buried that Satan could never claim his prize – Mackenzie’s soul.
The church has been closed for many years and more recently, the site has become student accommodation for 100 students. In the last year, the Grade II listed building has been sympathetically restored once more, offering modern student accommodation featuring a cinema room, brand new kitchens with integrated appliances, an atrium communal space with games area and much more.
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As part of the Liverpool ECHO’s How It Used To Be series, we visited St Andrew Church to see what life is like there today and hear more about the grounds’ fascinating history. Daryl Tomlinson, director for Xenia Lettings, said the restored site “offers some of the most stunning student accommodation” he’s seen.
Daryl, 42, told the ECHO: “It was designed by Daniel Stewart and John Foster Jr and it has been around for many years. It was constructed in 1823 and today it now stands there as the Grade II listed building that we know.
The famous William Mackenzie monument(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
“For us, it’s a real local, important, building of significant heritage. It’s been sympathetically restored over recent years.
“On the grounds it’s situated in, it does have the William Mackenzie monument, who died in 1851. The structure to him is also Grade II listed.
“There’s a tradition that he was a bit of a gambling man and when we met with the developer, he was telling us that he sold his soul to the devil and has been buried upright. So there’s a bit of the urban legend and a myth around it and it’s believed that his ghost haunts Rodney Street, so it adds a little bit of character to it as well.”
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Daryl said the team first met with developers well over a year ago and have worked to transform the building and restore it, while also retaining its original features and character. Daryl, who lives in Wallasey, said: “I think externally we were keen to get our Xenia Lettings branding up, but we were respectful too.
“The façade of the building, we didn’t want to compromise that in any way. We’ve not put any heavy anchors or drill bits in to damage the front elevation in any way, shape or form.
“The original features, they’re all still perfectly intact. It’s got like a Greek architecture feel to it from the front, but once you then step inside, you feel like you’re stepping inside a really slick, ultra modern, students hub.
St Andrews Church has a long history in the city(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
“The communal spaces have all been lovely and beautifully adapted for contemporary living, but it still has that balance outside of its heritage. With it being a Grade II listed building, we’ve worked with the builders and the developers to pay homage to that.”
Daryl said because of the building’s “striking atrium,” the site will be known as The Atrium at St Andrews Church. The team recently ran a test event seeing people visit and stay ahead of its official opening and earlier this week, an open day event was also held.
The building has been transformed(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
Daryl said: “I’ve been in the industry for 20 years now and it to me offers some of the most stunning student accommodation I’ve seen. I was a student 20 years ago and I would love to have had something like this.
“You come into The Atrium and it’s a nice big, bright space. The whole ceiling area is windowed to allow so much natural light in. We’ve got a cinema room which has just been recently restored with all new furniture.
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“We’ve got the laundry room, we’ve got games tables with pool, football tables, laundry room. The communal area is great and we’ve got 10 brand new kitchens fitted, all with new integrated appliances.
“We’ll have an on-site team and just where it’s positioned, it’s a short walk to the campuses of the key universities. It’s right in the heart of the desirable Georgian Quarter.
A look at one of the bedrooms(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
“You’re a stone’s throw away from plenty of boutiques, cafes, bars, restaurants, libraries. It’s a quiet historic city street that’s steeped in beautiful architecture all around. I think it’s great for students who want to be close to the action and the nightlife, but not right on top of it.”
Daryl said the restoration has been a “real passion project” and that the team are proud to be part of the building’s next chapter. He said: “If you go to visit a university, sometimes you’re just there for the university.
Daryl Tomlinson, director for Xenia Lettings(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
“I think with Liverpool, you really come in and you’re brought in by the city. You leave with a love for it.
“It’s a standalone city. When students come here now, they’re being welcomed into a building with a long heritage We’ve had lots of people popping in looking, saying what’s going on here and it’s just nice to restore it, to give it like a new lease of life.
Daryl Tomlinson, director for Xenia Lettings, and the team(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
“It’s just great to restore something like this. It’s been a real passive project of ours. Many of our buildings that we’ve got up around the country, or in Scotland, have been purpose built for students accommodation and some of them have been converted.
“We’ve also got up on Edge Lane it’s St Cyprian’s Church which had been reconverted as well that we oversaw. But this one’s a real special one for us where we were delighted to gain the instruction for and work with the developers and I think there’ will be 100 very lucky students who move into this one.”
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