The former Margaret Beaven School is situated on the corner of Hayman’s Green and Almonds Green in West Derby, Liverpool. It was designed and built in 1884 by the noted architect James Francis Doyle and is Grade II listed.
The building was originally designed for the Latham Family as a private villa and called Eddesbury. This Grade II building has been severely fire damaged numerous times, lost the top portion of the roof and upper floors and stands completely unloved in its own plot...(until restoration!) After a disastrous fire in July 2022, the building was heavily fire damaged. Most of the original interior has been lost and all of the upper attic rooms have been totally gutted with part of the roof collapsing in on itself. For the overview of the history of the building’s architectural merits, we would like to turn to the overview by English Heritage who describe the building as:
​School, formerly villa. Dated 1884, with late C20 alterations and additions. By J. Francis Doyle, architect, of Liverpool. Smooth red brick with sandstone dressings, tall clustered shaft chimney stacks and a Westmorland slate roof covering, laid to diminishing courses. Free Renaissance style.
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PLAN: Irregular linear form, the main range extending north-east to south-west, with small wing extending south-westwards to form an L-shaped layout.
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FRONT (north-east) ELEVATION: 6 bays, 2 storeys and attics with advanced off-centre entrance bay. The doorway is set back within an open porch, supported by paired Tuscan columns rising from a tall plinth. Wide porch canopy with railed balustrade. Double 3-panel doors beneath semi-circular fanlight, set within moulded surround with strapwork enrichment.
Above, set back from doorway canopy, a tall 3-light mullioned window flanked by paired pilasters which support a moulded cornice band. Attic gablet with segmental pediment to apex. Advanced gable to left-hand end with tall ground floor 4-light mullioned window, and with 3-light windows to upper floors. To right and left of entrance, recessed bays with wide crenellations to parapet. To right of right-hand set-back, a gabled bay with oriel window to first floor, above 3-light window. End bay set back at attic storey level. Right hand end return with secondary stair windows. Set-back service bay to right-hand end.
REAR (south-west) ELEVATION: Main range with advanced bays at bays 1 and 5. Left-hand bay with wide Dutch gable and 1:2:1 window to ground and first floors, separated by narrow pilasters. Set-back centre bays, with centre doorway with 4-centred arch headed surround now enclosed within late C20 covered way.
Above doorway, stepped 4 light mullion and transom stair window, flanked by 2 and 3 light windows to each floor. Advanced canted 2-storey bay window with crenelated parapet to bay 5, with gabled dormer set above. Lower 2-bay service range to left with C20 covered way to front links with hipped roofed single storey range extending south-westwards with advanced wide centre bay, altered late C20 with insertion of glazed double doors. Remodelled south-west gable.
INTERIOR: Spacious stair hall with square panelled walls. Substantial turned baluster stair with moulded handrail and carved newel posts with elaborate finials. Wainscot panelling to flanking staircase walls. Room with canted bay window with elaborate ribbed ceiling plaster and sculpted plaster frieze. Marble surround and decorative tilework to hearth and sculpted plaster overmantel with broken pediment. Panelled room to south-west end of main range with panelled inglenook within which is set a massive stone hearth surround with carved mantle cornice and heads to jambs. Other rooms retain original fittings, including stone hearth surrounds, decorative hearth tilework and timber panelling. The building was listed as Grade 2 in 1998.
James Latham was born in 1830 in Scotland Road, Liverpool, to Henry Latham and Sarah Tatlock, and was baptised on the 6th May in St Michael’s in the Hamlet, Toxteth. In 1851, he was listed as living as a Lodger in New Hall, West Derby. On the 23rd October 1854, he married Caroline Roscoe in Poulton Lancashire and in 1859, they had a son Gerald, and in 1861, a daughter Georginne. In 1881, James Latham, his wife Caroline, his son Gerald, and his daughter Georgina were living at 7 Haymans Green in West Derby. James was listed as a General Produce Broker and worked, together with his son, out of 4 Parana Buildings, 17 Tithebarn Street. Eddesbury was commissioned by the Latham Family as their private villa and James Francis Doyle took on the contract to complete this building between 1884 and 1885. They moved in straight away into their grand Villa and enjoyed the building, a stone throw from their previous address.
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The marriage certificate of James and Caroline, 1854.
Register of Municipal Voters 1889
However, their residence in Eddesbury was to be short lived. From 1885, they lived at the address till the death of his wife Caroline in October 1890. Faced with life without her, he moved back to the family address of Heatherlea, Haymans Green and died only a couple of months later on the 16th December 1890. James Latham was buried at Walton on the Hill. The family census for the son Gerald shows him living back at the Haymans Green address and thus Eddesbury was abandoned by the family at this point.
Probate for James Latham
After Eddesbury was abandoned by the Latham family, it appeared to stand empty for a few years until the Cunningham family moved in. The earliest reference to the Cunningham family living there is the 1894 census. But first, we would like to like to explore more about the Cunningham family, and more so of Danson.
Danson Cunningham was born on the 18th April 1841 in West Derby and was baptised in Holy Trinity church, Wavertree on the 6th of January 1842. James Cunningham (Father) and Danson (son) are listed in the 1851 census living in Larkfield Terrace, Wavertree. James was listed as a Cotton Broker at the time. In 1856, his mother (Anne) passed away. The 1861 census shows James (Father) and Danson (Son) having moved up in the world and living in one of large properties in Sunneyside behind Princes Park. We then move to the 1881 census to show that Danson had then moved to 31 Falkner Square and appeared to be house sharing at the time.
In 1884, Danson marries Augusta Amelia (nee Irwin) in Dungannon, Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Augusta was born in 1863 in Dungannon.
Then the family grew with the birth of James Cyril Cunningham (1886-1954), and sadly in the same year, his father James died. In 1887, the birth of Tom Eric Cunningham (1887-1974), the birth of Robert J Cunningham (1889-1933), the birth of Saib A Cunningham (1890), and the birth of Jack Armande Cunningham (1891-1956). In 1891, the family are still living at Falkner Square. In 1894, we see the first confirmation of Danson living and or owning Eddesbury as listed in the 1894 Kelly’s Directory.
In 1901, we see Danson being listed on an incoming passenger list from New York to Liverpool. Perhaps this was for business reasons? A further review of the 1901 census confirms that he was living at Eddesbury with the family and several servants.
In 1905 he takes a couple of years out of the UK and travels to New York from Liverpool on the SS Baltic with the family. Could it be that life in America wasn’t suitable as he returned with the family in 1907? We must look at the 1911 census which shows the greatest level of detail for the family.
We see that he is still living at Eddesbury with his family, sons, but also an entourage of people including two nieces, a Governess, two visitors (!) and many servants. This would have been the greatest time for Eddesbury with a full and compete household! In 1915, Danson Cunningham of Eddesbury dies on the 10th June 1915 at Tunbridge Wells. Was he visiting family, on business or looking to move elsewhere? His address was still listed at Eddesbury at the time. Probate to his widow and two others, his estate at just under £100,000. Danson Cunningham was buried at All Saints Childwall, Liverpool. The 1920 census shows Danson's son, Robert still living at Eddesbury.
Liverpool Corporation took ownership soon after and was named The Margaret Beaven School. Margaret Beaven became the first female Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1927. She also stood to be a Member of Parliament in the general election two years later. The school was well used and a noted building in the area. The building was finally listed by Historic England in 1998 for its architecture and the noted architect who had designed other buildings within the area including partly responsible for the former White Star Line HQ at 30 James Street.
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The former school was closed for good in 2004 and the City Council had no use for it. The site had fallen into disrepair but at one point it was used for the BBC show Young Dracula.
​In 2016, the site was sold into private ownership. Sadly, nothing was done to the building, and it faced further vandalism attacks as well as small pockets of fire being started throughout the building on numerous occasions. Flames ripped through the building in May 2018. Further attacks took place on the building, but the worst was to happen in July 2022. Someone had broken in yet again and this time caused a serious fire which would go on to gut the entire property. Four fire engines and aerial appliances arrived to find the building well alight.
The fire service stayed throughout the night, but the result was terrible for the building. Most of the roof gone, the attic rooms completely gone with just metal beams showing what used to be there. Original fireplaces were completely gutted, and every part of the building blackened by smoke, as well as heavily water damaged from the water poured into it to stop the fire. Even more frustratingly, after the fire was put out and the building was inspected, no further action was taken on the property or the owners to try and salvage any part of the building. Since the fire in 2022, it has stood there for nearly two years without a roof. And thus, any remaining part of the building’s original listed interior will be absolutely rotten and will probably have to be skipped.
Showing the main staircase at Eddesbury when it was a working school, and the damaged caused by the main fire.
We see the main entrance and tower structure at the front of Eddesbury. As you can see, the top floor has completely gone, crashing down in to the first floor. It is by great luck that the gable ends have not collapsed.
The video on the left shows Eddesbury before the main fire. The video on the right shows the devastation of the building and the upper floors. We thought that this would be the final nail for the building and demolition would start.......
EDDESBURY TO BE RESTORED!
On the following pages, we have provided the full campaign to Eddesbury, and that subject will be explained separately, however, I wanted to add my personal involvement with Hassett Homes – the new owners of Eddesbury, and how they are now involved in the total restoration of this fine Grade 2 listed building!
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After a good few years of campaigning on Eddesbury, I was contacted by the Proprietor of Hassett Homes. Hassett Homes have a fantastic portfolio of new build houses and Eddesbury had caught their eye. It was back in 2021 that the Proprietor of the business contacted me by e-mail. He had seen the sterling work that I had done on the campaign already and the determination, much like Sandfield Tower around the corner (also Grade II listed) to have this building recognised for its historical beauty and the direct connection with my favourite architect, James Francis Doyle.​
He said that he had been in touch with Liverpool City Council and they had directed him to my campaign so that he could already see the historical background to the campaign and the history and images I had collected over time on the building.
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Now, naturally, a Historian and a Developer should never mix. They will want two different things to happen. A Historian wants the buildings restored to its former glory, and a Developer will want to rip the building apart and start again for their own plans. However, right from the start, the Proprietor allowed me personal access to their plans right from the start, and what I saw really excited me about this building. They were planning to purchase the building and restore the building to its former glory, dividing up the building into spacious apartments, and building a small courtyard of houses around the perimeter of Eddesbury so that this would then go towards funding the restoration of the building.
Having never been involved in this process before, the Proprietor laid his cards on the table. He proved from the get-go that this was to be a sensible and sensitive restoration. The business has been inside Eddesbury and taken images of all the interior and exterior from every angle, and had then ‘lidar scanned’ each and every room (a 3D model) so that they could capture the layout of the building ‘as is’ and so when the building was restored, they could provide a ‘then and now’ opportunity to see how the interior once looked compared to the new apartments.
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I was shown detailed plans of what they were offering within the building, the removal of some of the later outbuildings that had been added on, and designs of the courtyard. It was absolutely amazing to see that this could finally happen, and I gave my full approval of this project advising them, that any future planning applications I would give 100% because the scheme was fantastic. How many developers would purchase a listed building, partly fire damaged, and self-fund a project like this? Not many! ​​
EDDESBURY ON FIRE
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By now, my campaign had taken on a new light. I had completed the brief history of this fine building, together with the help from local historian Natalie Jones, and my campaign was well recognised both locally and nationally. It was no secret that this building was a target for the ‘urban explorer’ and sadly I watched on as there were reports of small fires in Eddesbury, thankfully nothing serious, and between the current and new owners of the building, they had ringfenced the perimeter of the building with a large metal fence to keep everyone out.
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Friday 1st July 2022 was a night that I won’t forget in a hurry. I had just finished work for the week and was settling down for the evening to work on a new campaign, when a local resident had e-mailed me to say that there was heavy smoke coming from the direction of Eddesbury, and that the Fire Service had been called.
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It looked serious and there were reports of a major fire with the road being blocked. I spoke with the Liverpool Echo and made them aware that a large fire was taking place at Eddesbury. They sent a reporter down and were told by the Fire Service that the building was ‘well alight’. We all feared the worst that Eddesbury would be completely lost, and it was most upsetting. It was frustrating that I couldn’t get anywhere near the building, yet my phone was going off left right and centre with calls and texts from people who knew of my campaigning, and I felt powerless apart from waiting for the reports coming in.
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Part of the Echo report mentioned:
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Campaigner and local historian Jonathon Wild has previously drawn attention to the sorry state of the former school, said: "It’s very sad to hear about it. I have campaigned on this building as well as campaigning for Sandfield Tower. How many fires will it take for the powers that be to secure our abandoned buildings once and for all? "It's one of James Frances Doyle’s finest designs with its original interior and ornate fireplaces. I have campaigned heavily to have this building recognised and restored since it was sold into private hands from Liverpool City Council."
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While I was waiting for updates, I sent texts and e-mail’s to the Proprietor of Hassett Homes as I was one of the first to be told about the fire and felt as an interested party, they should also know as soon as possible. The fire continued into the night, and it was a major incident requiring an ariel appliance and the road to be shut off.
By the following day, the fire was out, and It was plain to see the devastation of the building from the fire. Although the structure was still standing, most of the roof had gone, crashing down into the attic rooms, taking these out, and in turn this had opened up the first floor into a void. Charred beams, serious water ingress and twisted metal was all that was left of the upper parts of the building, with some of the original James Francis Doyle designed fireplaces nothing more than charred wood.
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That morning, the prospective owner was allowed in to inspect the building. He took extensive photographs of all of the building, even of the upper levels, and allowed me to have a copy for safe keeping, asking me to file them away and for them not to be seen publicly. These images have sat on my PC for three years and I often go back and review these images to see the absolute devastation of the building.
However, all was not lost.
For any owner of a listed building who sees the building after a fire, it must be terrible. Even more so when it is a developer who has just purchased the building. As with any fire/developer story, I stood on any rumours before they started and advised everyone of the sterling work that Hassett Homes had done with the building before the fire and there was absolutely no reason to believe anything other than some local scallies had got in. I had full faith in that they would see this building through and supported them 100% during their planning application to have this building restored.
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Perhaps the second date that will stick in my mind is the 19th August 2023. News broke in spectacular fashion, and it was just what the Doctor ordered with a new dawn for Eddesbury:
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Hassett Homes will now press ahead with its plans for a residential project in West Derby which includes a Grade II-listed Victorian Mansion. Originally called Eddesbury and located in Almonds Green, the mansion was designed by Liverpool architect Francis Doyle for a family of wealthy grocers. It was completed in 1884. It later housed Margaret Beavan special school but has been empty since 2004. Under the plans approved on Tuesday, Hassett will build 32 new homes in and around the mansion. They will include 11 detached houses, four semi-detached houses, three contemporary terraces, three coach houses and 11 apartments within the mansion itself. Jamie Blennerhassett, managing director of Hassett Homes, said work would begin in spring, adding: “I’m delighted with the outcome and my thanks go to Liverpool City Council for its collaborative approach throughout.
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After years of campaigning to Liverpool City Council (and most of it falling on deaf ears), a local developer had been given full approval to restore this building to its former glory. I couldn’t smile wide enough knowing that I had played a small part in assisting the developer in recognising this fantastic historical building, and that a major building by the architect James Francis Doyle would be restored to its former glory!!
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THE HISTORY OF EDDESBURY