A fire tore through the manor house last August – but some still hope it could be restored to its former glory
A fire ravaged Woolton Hall in August 2025(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Questions remain about the future of an historic building which was gutted by a huge fire six months ago. Scenes of the blaze at Woolton Hall on the evening of Thursday August 19 2025 made national headlines.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) worked through the night to battle the flames which led to the roof of the building falling down and a cordon being set up around the grounds. The inside of the hall was gutted by the blaze but the structure remained intact.
Merseyside Police announced a few days later that a 14 year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of arson and conditionally bailed as the force launched a joint investigation between themselves and MFRS. Six months on, the force has told the ECHO that the teenage girl has been released with no further action – and they are appealing for new witnesses.
The hall had been derelict for around 20 years before the fire. To understand why, you need to look back at its history.
Grand beginnings and worrying decline
The grand manor house, on Speke Road in Woolton, was built in 1704. During its first two centuries of use, it was a home for the rich and powerful, including the Earl of Sefton and ship owner Frederick Richards Leyland.
The hall then had a number of uses in the 20th century, including as a private school and an army hospital. It was saved from demolition and designated a Grade I listed building in 1982 and later used for weddings and other private events.
What Woolton Hall looked like from the outside a few years ago before the fire(Image: The Derelict Explorer)
The ECHO understands Woolton Hall has been owned by a company called Woolton Hall Limited since 2005 and we have previously attempted to contact the company’s directors.
It was declared as being at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric” by Historic England in 2021, after being hit by a different fire in 2019.
A planning application to convert Woolton Hall into a nursing home was submitted in the 2000s but the required funding for the project was not raised.
What the hall looked like inside before the fire(Image: The Derelict Explorer)
Before the fire, in May 2025, the ECHO was told that Liverpool council had blocked efforts to install iron railings, which would stop people breaking in, as it wouldn’t be compatible with the building’s grade I listed status.
However, a spokesperson for the city council said there were no applications to install railings in its planning system. They added that there had been “no contact for a while now” between colleagues in the conservation department and the relevant parties.
‘I saw the aerial photos. I couldn’t believe it’
Karen Dobie, who is part of a Woolton Hall campaign group, used to work there herself in the 1980s as a waitress when it was used as a venue for weddings and private events.
Speaking to the ECHO, Karen, 53, who is originally from Halewood but now lives in Litherland, said the issue is very personal to her and she has continued to fight for answers while she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
On how she discovered the hall had gone up in flames, Karen said: “I got a phone call and was told, you better get online, Woolton Hall is ablaze.
The fire at Woolton Hall on August 19 2025(Image: Liverpool Echo/Marianna Longo)
“I am gutted, I am devastated. I saw the aerial photos. I couldn’t believe it. All these years we’ve been campaigning to try and get the hall sorted. I’ve contacted everyone about it.”
Describing what it was like working there in its heyday, Karen said: “I used to work there in the 1980s. I did all the silver service, weddings, parties, you name it.
The sign for Woolton Hall on Speke Road, with old adverts for wedding hire visible beneath the keep out signs(Image: Marianna Longo/Liverpool Echo)
“I’ve had a lot of family members who had weddings. It was absolutely breathtaking. It had all armour, statues, going up the stairs. I used to love sitting by the open fire, waiting for my taxi.”
Tom Wright, 26, from Belle Vale, is another member of the group and has previously explored the site on his YouTube channel. Tom said: “It was good to be part of the movement to try and protect it. It’s unfortunate what happened. It’s really sad to see. I was in disbelief when I heard about the fire, and so devastated.”
Future up in the air
Six months on from the fire, what will become of Woolton Hall seems as uncertain as ever.
In November, Karen submitted a freedom of information request (FOI) to Liverpool City Council about the building.
Karen asked the council for copies of any notices served on the owners for repair works, any written interactions or correspondence between Liverpool City Council and the owners, minutes of any planning meetings where the future of Woolton Hall was discussed and whether the hall would be repaired or completely demolished.
Inside the fire damaged Woolton Hall after the fire last year(Image: Merseyside Police)
Responding earlier this month, the council said that no notices for repair works have been served on the owner.
The Council met the owners on site on March 21, 2024, December 4, 2024 and June 4, 2025. Woolton Hall has been discussed in numerous officer-level meetings, but these have not been minuted. A briefing note on Woolton Hall was discussed by the planning and building control management team on November 26 2025.
The council added that options for the building’s future are still being considered, taking into account the private ownership of the building and the potential implications and risks for the council.
A spokesperson for the local authority said previously it would be “fully co-operating with any investigation that will be led by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police.”
Tom Wright and his dog outside Woolton Hall on Speke Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The issue has also reached the top of levels of government. Rick Barker, 45, also a member of the Woolton Hall campaign group, wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer back in September to ask whether the government could help with rebuilding it.
The letter was passed on to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and has been seen by the ECHO.
A staff member revealed that the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy contacted Historic England last year about the condition of the building.
The letter said: “Last year the Secretary of State consulted Historic England to gain a greater understanding of the condition of the building and what actions were being taken.
“Historic England recognised that the building was in a concerning condition and as a consequence it was included on the Heritage at Risk register in 2021.
“As such, Historic England were monitoring the building through site visits and were in contact with the council and owner. They advised that they were optimistic that a solution between the owners and council would be found.”
Hope remains
Fire crew tackling the blaze(Image: Liverpool Echo/Marianna Longo)
Despite the fire, both Tom and Karen believe that Woolton Hall can still be preserved, perhaps through a new developer or the community raising money to run it themselves.
Tom said: “The structure is still standing and something can be made of it in the future. Unfortunately I haven’t got the power to do much more and I’ve definitely still got hope.”
She said: “After the fire, people kept saying it was the end. But it’s not. The structure is still standing.
“There’s a little bit of hope that a property developer, a millionaire, I don’t know what, could change it and make it as beautiful as it used to be here. I’ve done all this while going through breast cancer and surgery. I will not stop fighting for this hall.”
However, others are more pessimistic. Many of those living on Speke Road, where Woolton Hall is located, vividly recall seeing smoke fill the air after the fire. They now fear the hall could be knocked down and replaced with housing on what is already a busy road.
Pat Edwards, 82, said: “I remember sitting at my table and thinking, ‘those clouds are moving fast’. Then the fire engines came. I’ve lived here for seven years and it’s been empty all that time.
“I don’t know what they could do with it other than turn it into houses or flats. I’d be against that. The traffic is bad enough as it is around here and there’s already a school next to it.”
Rodney Nelson, 69, feels the space could be left as somewhere for young children in the area to explore. He said: “I don’t mean leaving it abandoned. The hall not being publicly accessible never bothered me because I never felt deprived of something.
“Kids should have ruins to play in. I used to play on the Glasgow railway line growing up. I’ve been in there myself before the fire, several years ago. We lost our cat and we thought he might be there. It was possible to get in to that area.
“The obsession with building yet another housing estate, capitalising on the story of the hall, is rather sickening.”
Some had little hope that anything can be done, given the building’s listed status and how long it has stood disused.
Barbara Moffatt, 83, said: “It’s too late to do anything now. No-one cared about it until the fire. I contacted everyone about it before then and nothing was done.”
Police appealing for new information
Merseyside Police are now appealing for new information following a joint investigation with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service into a fire at Woolton Hall. A spokesperson for the force said the fire was reported at 8.20pm on August 19.
It was also reported that a large group of youths had been seen in the grounds. An extensive joint investigation was carried out by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police to establish the full circumstances of the fire.
The access road to Woolton Hall from Speke Road is blocked off(Image: Marianna Longo/Liverpool Echo)
Detectives assessed CCTV footage and spoke with several witness of the incident.
A 14-year-old girl from Liverpool who was arrested on suspicion of arson has now been released with no further action.
Detective Inspector Natalie Charlesworth said: “Our detectives will review any new information we receive from anyone who was there at the time of the fire at Woolton Hall or from a parent or guardian of a child who was out that night on Tuesday 19 August.
“Please look back on that night and if you remember any further details or have any new information come forward and contact Merseyside Police so we can continue our investigations.”
Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also report information via the website or call 101, quoting incident reference 25000688649.