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Whenever Woolton Hall is described, it never fails to amaze me on the weight of the following quotation: Built in 1704 and extensively renovated in 1772 by the influential architect Robert Adam, the building is praised as the finest example of Adam's work in the North of England.
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Therefore how important is Woolton Hall? Not just as a historic building in Liverpool. Not just as a 300-year-old building. Not just as a Grade 1 listed structure. But this building was praised as the finest example of Adam’s work in the North of England. Let that sink in for a moment.
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Robert Adam FRSE FRS FSAScot FSA FRSA (3 July 1728 – 3 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his older brother John, Robert took on the family business, which included lucrative work for the Board of Ordnance, after William's death.
In 1754, he left for Rome, spending nearly five years on the continent studying architecture under Charles-Louis Clérisseau and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. On his return to Britain he established a practice in London, where he was joined by his younger brother James. Here he developed the "Adam Style", and his theory of "movement" in architecture, based on his studies of antiquity and became one of the most successful and fashionable architects in the country. Adam held the post of Architect of the King's Works from 1761 to 1769. His work can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Adam
Robert Adam was a leader of the first phase of the classical revival in England and Scotland from around 1760 until his death. He influenced the development of Western architecture, both in Europe and in North America. Adam designed interiors and fittings as well as houses. Much of his work consisted of remodelling existing houses, as well as contributions to Edinburgh's townscape and designing romantic pseudo-mediaeval country houses in Scotland.
His obituary appeared in the March 1792 edition of The Gentleman's Magazine:
It is somewhat remarkable that the Arts should be deprived at the same time of two of their greatest ornaments, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Mr Adam: and it is difficult to say which of them excelled most in his particular profession... Mr Adam produced a total change in the architecture of this country: and his fertile genius in elegant ornament was not confined to the decoration of buildings but has been diffused to every branch of manufacture. His talents extend beyond the lie of his own profession: he displayed in his numerous drawings in landscape a luxuriance of composition, and an effect of light and shadow, which have scarcely been equalled...to the last period of his life, Mr Adam displayed an increasing vigour of genius and refinement of taste: for in the space of one year preceding his death, he designed eight great public works, besides twenty five private buildings, so various in their style, and so beautiful in their composition, that they have been allowed by the best judges, sufficient of themselves, to establish his fame unrivalled as an artist.
Robert Adam didn’t just have Woolton Hall to his name, some of the public buildings that he worked on are, Fort George, Scotland. The Argyll Arms, Inveraray. Royal Exchange, Edinburgh, with his brother John Adam (1753–54). Screen in front of the Old Admiralty, Whitehall, London (1760). Kedleston Hotel, Quarndon. Courts of Justice and Corn Market, Hertford, Hertfordshire, now Shire Hall (1768). Pulteney Bridge, Bath (1770). Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (1772). Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, remodelled, (1775). Drummonds Bank, Charing Cross, London. Glasgow Royal Infirmary (1791–94). Coutts Bank enclosed bridge, John Adam Street (1799).
But he didn’t stop there and there are a further list of Churches, Mausoleums and urban domestic work to his name also.
Robert Adam also had a long list of Country Houses with major work and again these are just some of his works: Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Hatchlands Park, Surrey. Douglas Castle, Lanarkshire. Harewood House, West Yorkshire. Osterley Park, west London. Syon House interior, Brentford. Newby Hall, Newby Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. Seton Castle, East Lothian. The list goes on and on.
Robert Adam had a noted style which could be recognised straight away. His influence on buildings was substantial and he was the ‘go to’ architect for when a grand design was needed to be remodelled or changed for the new owner. Every design that he produced was reflected in many architectural notes and books of the time and his work is still greatly admired to this day. Not only that, but when buildings have been demolished, parts of the Robert Adam designed structure have made their way into museums such is his work noted.
He left nearly 9,000 drawings, 8,856 of which (by both Robert and James Adam) were subsequently purchased in 1833 for £200 by the architect John Soane and are now at the Soane Museum in London. There are countless books written about Robert Adam and if one is lucky enough to own a Robert Adam designed structure, then the price reflects the fantastic work that Robert Adam completed.
So, imagine having a 300-year-old Grade 1 listed building in Liverpool in which Robert Adam’s noted work could be seen on a number of ceilings? And that building is currently in managed decline, letting in water, rotting the ceilings away slowly and filling the Hall with extensive damp? Therefore welcome to Woolton Hall!
Perhaps Robert Adam’s work needs to be shown from buildings around the UK below, before we move on to Woolton Hall itself.
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Having seen the splendour of Robert Adam designed rooms around the UK, let us now turn our attention to Woolton Hall. It is very rare to find any Robert Adam designed works in Liverpool. (Even I struggle to think of another building in Liverpool with his work). But what is more frustrating is that the Robert Adam work in Woolton Hall is simply rotting away. Perhaps in all honestly, the present owner does not realise the importance of the ceilings in Woolton Hall?
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When Robert Adam remodelled Woolton Hall, it was said that his works included: The entrance porch, the Octagon Room, the principle staircase and the entrance carriageway. However, when you explore the buildings rooms, you can see that there is more work by Robert Adam that don’t appear to be noted in the original write up. These include the ceiling of the Parlour Room, the ceiling of the 1st floor front room (the former Mrs Ashton’s room) and both I and Janet P Gnosspelius believe that the flat ceiling in the main ‘Hall’ is a false ceiling hiding the original Robert Adam ceiling in the void above!
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This is the (now) Parlour Room on the left-hand side off the entrance chamber. At first glance because of the peeling of the paintwork, it is often overlooked but this is a very simple, yet stunning ceiling designed that is classic Robert Adam.
How are we leaving this to flake away and fall down piece by piece (please note that this ceiling is now in far worse condition than this photograph).
We do know that the entrance chamber was remodelled by Robert Adam and yet changes over the years have lost the design. However, how would this have looked when you walked in the entrance chamber?
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This is the noted Octagon Room – designed by Robert Adam. It beggars belief that this room is partly trashed. The Robert Adam painting has been removed from the wall, there is extensive damp in the ceiling (see above) and yet this is one of Robert Adam’s grand designs for Woolton Hall.
How have we let Woolton Hall get to this stage where we have rotting Robert Adam ceilings falling apart? 300 years’ worth of history – a Grade 1 listed structure and this is what we are now looking at. Who has let this happen? The owners? Liverpool City Council?
Who has failed to stop these ceilings become worse? Are we to just wait until these ceilings fall down?
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This is the Robert Adam ceiling in the 1st floor room overlooking the main entrance. Formerly Mrs Ashton’s Room. The ceiling is now rotten and full of damp. This didn’t happen overnight.
Who is checking up on our heritage? Or do the powers that be not realise that this is a noted Robert Adam ceiling and think that it was put up in the 1980’s? Who has let this slip? Why has this not been part of an urgent works notice as soon as damp was spotted?
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Woolton Hall has been remodelled over the years and the Principal staircase has changed somewhat in to the last 1980’s design. However as this was a noted feature of the building, perhaps Woolton Hall would have looked like the image on the right?
A Robert Adam designed stairwell in a private house. Can we not see how elaborate this building was/is and finally serve it some protection?
The only building in Liverpool to have Robert Adam designed rooms - all rotting!
How is it possible to have a building that is still standing, a Grade 1 listed building, going back to at least 1704, with noted Robert Adam designed architecture and yet for the last twenty years, this building has been sitting there rotting away? This wasn’t just Robert Adam turning up to add a couple of items on a wall, it was noted as being praised as the finest example of Adam’s work in the North of England.
Considering Robert Adam’s work was extensive up to this point, and he took commissions all over the UK, this building is right at the top for his work. We haven’t just discovered this building lost in time, nor have we not known about these works, so why has no one paid any attention to the fine history to this building? Does the owner not realise that he has Robert Adam’s architecture in Woolton Hall? Do Liverpool City Council not really understand the importance of Adam’s work?
In the times that Liverpool City Council have gone in to inspect the building, how have these works not been attended to before? Making sure that there was no water ingress, making sure that these ceilings and rooms were secured internally so that no one could gain access? Even a false ceiling over them to protect them would have been something. Do we have to educate Liverpool City Council and the owner on the importance of Robert Adam’s works?
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