The 150-year-old building was hit by a fallen tree following gale force winds from Storm Éowyn
The 150-year-old building was hit by a fallen tree following gale force winds from Storm Éowyn
A huge free has fallen onto the roof of a 150-year-old grade II listed building with a fascinating history. Storm Éowyn winds have caused a tree to crash down onto the gatehouse of a property on Acrefield Road in Woolton.
A passerby told the ECHO: “Half of a large tree has fallen directly on to the roof of this lovely old building. It’s really quiet on the road and there’s no activity that I can see from the street. Thankfully I can’t see too much damage because it’s a stunning building.”
The listed building was formerly Woolton’s Redbourne Hotel, a luxury hotel branded “one of the city’s top hotels” by a hotelier in 2004. During its time as a hotel it was favoured by a number of celebrities.
Robbie Williams, Joan Collins, Cilla Black, Dudley Moore, Henry Cooper and Boy George all stayed there. It also became Paul Gascoigne’s Merseyside base after he signed for Everton from Glasgow Rangers in 2000.
According to the National Archives, before the building was converted into a hotel, it was used as a Lodge to Aymestrey Court – a boarding school for ‘maladjusted boys’ between 1945 and 1955.
Elsewhere, multiple roads were closed due to fallen trees, including Spekeland Road in Wavertree, Aintree Lane in Aintree, Menlove Avenue in Woolton and Riverside Drive near the Festival Gardens site.
Fallen trees also impacted the rail network, with lines blocked on the Southport and Ellesmere Port lines, causing widespread disruption and delays.
A double yellow and amber weather warning for wind was issued by the Met Office and remains in place until 11.59pm tonight. The forecasting agency warned of gusts of up to 70mph along the coast and up to 60mph inland.
