12 Hanover Street

12 Hanover Street
12 Hanover Street
General information
Location	Hanover Street, Liverpool, England
Coordinates	53°24′09″N2°59′18″W / 53.4024329°N 2.9883133°W / 53.4024329; -2.9883133
Year built	1889–1890
Design and construction
Architect	Edmund Kirby
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	12, Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 4AA
Designated	14 March 1975
Reference no.	1207393

12 Hanover Street is a former warehouse building that has been converted into an office. ^[1] It is located on Hanover Street in the centre of Liverpool, England and is a Grade II listed building. ^[2]

A blue plaque describing the building's history

History

Built between 1889–1890 for Ellis & Co, provision dealers, it originally consisted of a warehouse with offices on the upper floor. The building incorporated an earlier cement and tile warehouse building on Argyle Street that dates back to 1863. ^[3] Ellis & Co were owned by local MP Burton William Ellis and traded on the site until the 1960s. ^[4]

In the early 1990s, it was bought by Liverpool Housing Trust who used it as offices for nearly forty years. ^[5] It was sold in 2020 to a property development company who wanted to turn it into a five-star hotel. ^[6] The hotel never opened and the building is currently owned and occupied by an insurance company. ^[7]

Architecture

The building is four storeys, plus a basement, and its frontage is made up of twelve bays. It is constructed of red brick with a slate roof. ^[8] The red bricks and terracota used were from the Ruabon Terracotta Works in Wrexham, Wales. ^[3] During conversion to offices in the 1990s many of the original features, such as brick walls, exposed columns and vaulted ceilings were retained. ^[5]

See also

• Architecture of Liverpool
• Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L1

References

1. "12, Hanover Street, Non Civil Parish - 1207393 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
2. Historic England. "Municipal Buildings, Liverpool (1068281)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 April 2020.
3. Plaques, Open. "Blue plaque № 30406". openplaques.org. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
4. "Biographical Sketches - Mr Burton W. Ellis, C.C". Daily Post. 29 April 1908.
5. McDonough, Tony (5 September 2019). "Liverpool city centre office building goes on the market for £4m". Liverpool Business News. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
6. Whelan, Dan (2 March 2020). "Living Brick plots five-star Liverpool hotel". Place North West. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
7. "Locations | The Acorn Group". www.theacorngroup.com. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
8. "12, Hanover Street, Non Civil Parish - 1207393 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2025.