A 14-year-old old girl who was arrested on suspicion of arson has been conditionally bailed
Inside fire damaged Woolton Hall(Image: Merseyside Police)
A historic Liverpool building has been completely destroyed as new photos from inside the property show the sheer scale of devastation caused by a fire. Merseyside Police have confirmed a 14-year-old old girl who was arrested on suspicion of arson has been conditionally bailed.
Emergency services were called to Woolton Hall shortly after 8pm on Tuesday, August 19, after a huge fire broke out, with smoke and flames visible for miles around. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) worked through the night to battle the flames which tore through every area of the site and led to the roof falling down.
Dating back to 1704, Woolton Hall is located on Speke Road in Woolton and over the centuries has been a manor home, a private school and an army hospital. The former country house was renovated by architect Robert Adam in 1772 and has had various owners, the most notable being the Earl of Sefton and Liverpool shipowner Frederick Richards Leyland.
Inside fire damaged Woolton Hall(Image: Merseyside Police)
In the 1950s, the house became a school before sadly being abandoned and left to decay for decades. The demolition of Woolton Hall has been proposed on a number of occasions, but nothing concrete ever materialised, while Historic England declared the building an “immediate risk” in 2021.
Merseyside Police have now released new photographs detailing the aftermath of the fire which shows the hall in ruins. Several of the sandstone walls are leaning and may topple, most of the windows and many of the floors -previously held up by timber beams and lintels – they have all been incinerated.
Inside fire damaged Woolton Hall(Image: Merseyside Police)
Woolton officers have also issued a safety warning, urging parents and guardians to warn their children about the dangers of going into Woolton Hall after it suffered extensive fire damage. Before and since the incident, Police confirmed, there have been a number of reports of youths going into the derelict building, despite it being structurally unsafe.
Temporary fencing is in place and ground level access to the building is secure, but police said some have ignored warning signs around the site to enter it. In response, officers have been engaged in patrols in the area to deter them.
Community Inspector Michelle Ingram said: “Breaking into a private premises can, in some circumstances, amount to a criminal offence as well as being a civil matter.
Fire fighters at the scene of a fire at Woolton Hall in August 2025(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“But more importantly than that, those entering Woolton Hall in its current state are putting themselves at very serious risk of injury.
“Liverpool City Council are working with the building owners and police to alleviate the dangers at the site and make sure it is secure.
“With rubble, unstable floors and damaged beams and girders as well as exposed wiring, the site is extremely dangerous and I want to appeal to parents and guardians to discourage their children from going anywhere near it for their own sake.
“Please speak to your children and make sure you know where they are and what they are doing for their own safety and the safety of others.”
Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.