Description

SJ 39 SE LIVERPOOL ALMONDS GREEN

392/4/10103 Margaret Beavan Special
School

GV II

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.
PLAN: Irregular linear form, the main range extending north-east to south-west, with small wing extending south-westwards toform an L-shaped layout.
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 windows 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 crenellated 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.
HISTORY: Doyle designed the house, originally named Eddisbury' for the Cunningham family. He worked with Norman Shaw on the White Star Shipping Line Offices in Liverpool (item 3/670) and himself designed the Royal Insurance Building on North John Street, Liverpool (item 52/821). From such commercial commissions flowed more modest projects for clients in the suburbs, such as Eddisbury.
The house forms part of a group, together with the entrance lodge, No 20, Haymans Green (item 4/10105) and the boundary wall, gatepiers and wall post box (item 4/10106)

Listing NGR: SJ3938393433

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26609419

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
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  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability