The first house to be built on one of Liverpool's oldest streets has been restored to its former glory.
Situated on Rodney Street in the Georgian Quarter, the Grade II* townhouse was built between 1783 and 1784 on a site leased by slavery abolitionist and former Liverpool MP William Roscoe. Spread out over five floors, the historic property was originally a residential home but later became let out for commercial use, with the German Consulate once being based there.
When Mr and Mrs James bought the townhouse in 2020 after seeing an article in the ECHO, they said it was in a state of disrepair. With original features and years of history hidden under layers of paint, the couple spent the following 12 months transforming the property back into a family home.
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The ECHO was invited for a look inside the stunning townhouse this week which is complete with hidden rooms and a well in the back garden.
Mr James told the ECHO: "I'm proud to have it as the first freehold family home again because back when it was built it was only a family home for a number of times before it was turned commercial.
"There's so much character and history in these houses and if walls could talk. I've always loved the architecture of Georgian properties and the history. It's because we saw it in the ECHO that we thought this is the one."
When it was first built, the property was loaned for an art exhibition to try and resuscitate the Academy of Arts whose vice-president was MP William Roscoe. A directory from January 1787, said Liverpool merchant Pudsey Dawson was the only resident at number 35 Rodney Street. He renewed the lease in 1809 until 1924 when Mr A Bigland lived there.
Before Mr and Mrs James bought the property in 2020, it was being used by different businesses, with a doctor, dentist and a chiropractors based on different floors. Mr James said the previous owner decided to have the property exorcised in an attempt to drive out a supposed evil spirit after they kept encountering problems when trying to sell it.
Soon after this, the sale went through and the couple started the mammoth task of restoring the five floor home.
Mr James said: "I definitely thought what the hell have we got ourselves involved in. The house had no love whatsoever and honestly, it's got so much love now.
"The outside looked kind of black so we cleaned all the brick which was covered in smog from the 1800s which blackened all the bricks. The bricks were actually red - we had no idea the colour of the bricks. The house is a completely different colour now.
"We repointed the whole house in the original mortar and took the old mortar out, allowing the house to breathe."
With the property being Grade II* listed, builders had to adhere to strict planning rules when it came to restoring the property and choosing the right materials. During the renovation, they turned the property from nine bedrooms into five bedrooms and kitted out the cellar with a games room.
One of the couple's biggest finds during the renovation was undercovering the stunning original flooring in the hallway that was hidden under layers upon layers of different materials.
Another exciting find was made outside in the garden during work on an orangery, when builders found a well with links to the spring at Liverpool Cathedral.
Mr James said: "We moved back all the soil and the digger just made this crunching noise and when they moved it back there was a huge big piece of slate. The digger had picked up the slate and there was a massive hole in the ground.
"It forms part of a medieval spring under the ground which it's the same spring from the cathedral."
The couple also believe the house has two hidden rooms, including one upstairs and one in the cellar which have voids and vents leading into them.
Mr James said: "I've tried to give it as much respect as possible for example everything I've done is solid wood and solid oak. I've not cut corners with the materials - everything is the real deal.
"With the size of it there's constant maintenance. Rodney Street has been known as the Mayfair of Liverpool. It's one of the most prestigious streets. I see tourists taking photographs all the time, the tour bus comes down here.
"A double fronted house on the end in Rodney Street - I'm pinching myself to feel how lucky I am to have a place like this."
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