The unassuming street lies in between Sefton Park and Princes Park
12:05, 09 Nov 2025Updated 12:05, 09 Nov 2025
The idyllic south Liverpool street is just a short walk from Sefton Park(Image: Danny Gutmann/Liverpool Echo)
It’s the weekend and the leafy Victorian Sefton and Princes Parks of south Liverpool witness the usual ebb and flow of families and dog walkers. One of the city’s most picturesque destinations sits tucked away just around a little-known corner – a ‘best kept secret’, of sorts.
The all but concealed cul-de-sac known as Windermere Terrace is sandwiched neatly between Sefton Park and Princes Park, and filled with some of the city’s most stunning period homes, many of which are Grade II listed.
As I turn in the road, the familiar sounds of birdsong and crunching autumnal leaves underfoot provide a calming respite from the hum and buzz of cars just a few hundred yards back behind me.
Along the main strip of the street sits a row of Victorian villas, once thought to be the residences of wealthy sea merchants when they were first built in the mid-1850s.
A number of properties on the street are Grade II listed(Image: Danny Gutmann/Liverpool Echo)
While the elegant street has seen many changes since its grandest properties were built in the 19th century, the homes have managed to retain their original beauty in the decades that have followed.
The south Liverpool street has more to boast about than just its incredible Venetian windows and stunning views of Princes Park. Behind the walls of one of the city’s oldest streets have lived a number of famous faces down the years. Perhaps the most notable is revered Litherland-born poet, Roger McGough, 88, who is thought to have lived with his wife in the cul-de-sac for over a decade.
Roger McGough is believed to have lived on the street with his wife for over a decade(Image: Gavin Trafford)
While Windermere Terrace remains unknown by many scousers, the last two decades have seen it play host to a whole range of different filming projects as movie industry crews descend on the street. One of the first times cameras began rolling on the L8 street came in 2001 when one home was briefly transformed to become the backdrop to ITV’s The Forsyte Saga, starring Damian Lewis.
In a conversation with the Liverpool ECHO in 2014 long-time resident of the street, Ingrid Spiegl looked back to a somewhat unfortunate incident during filming. She said: “Damien Lewis broke my door knob,”
Ingrid Spiegl from her home in Windermere Terrace, Toxteth which has been used for filming Foyles War
The incident was taken in good humour. She added: “He was rattling it. It was a china one and it broke. My late husband glued it back together again with a piece of paper ‘saying Damian Lewis broke this door knob’ because we think that’s a thing to be proud of.”
Meanwhile as camera crews returned to her address in later years to film Foyle’s War, with stars Michael Kitchen and Honeysuckle Weeks make their way into her home. She said: “I saw Mr Kitchen, he doffed his hat at me a couple of times, which was nice.”
The homes boast stunning views overlooking Princes Park(Image: Danny Gutmann/Liverpool Echo)
While nearby Sefton Park, Princes Park and Lark Lane attract more visitors, it seems that Windermere Terrace and the residents that live there are more than happy for this quiet and unassuming street to continue to enjoy its time away from the hustle and bustle of south Liverpool.