The Neo-classical building was designed by the architect Edmund Aikin and built between 1815–16 as a subscription assembly room for the Wellington Club. It was originally used by high society for assemblies, dance balls and parties. The Wellington Club was wound up in 1922. Between 1923 and 1940 it was the Embassy Club and was used for tea dances, classes and weddings. During WW2, the building became the first base for the Rodney Youth Centre though bomb damage in 1941 damaged all of the original ceilings with the exception of the ballroom. The building officially opened as Liverpool Irish Centre on 1 February 1965 hosting ceilis, music, drama performances as well as serving as a base for clubs and societies. The Irish Centre relocated in the 1990s, and the building became derelict.
With the property in a reasonably busy region of Liverpool, we approached it early on a Sunday. However, the populated surroundings became a problem. With us two inside, @The Excursionists who joined us had to leave it as there was someone watching them in a threatening way. Their problem got worse and I'll spare the details, but we were inside and able to spend a good hour in the building. The architecture inside is some of the best I've seen, most noticeably carved statues along the coves in the main attraction: the ballroom.
Getting out was another issue altogether - I'm not sure how much I can say but it was a new experience to say the least.
The newer scaffolding staircase allowed us to get closeup to the intricate detail that went into the structure.
The ballroom itself
Couple more shots of bars and rooms. It's safe to say we were quite rushed due to the outside situation.
Here's the link to our documentary styled video on the site. We cover the building's past, present and future through cinematics and narration:
