| Greenbank House | |
|---|---|
 Front elevation | |
| Location | Liverpool, Merseyside |
| Coordinates | 53°23′10″N2°55′26″W / 53.386°N 2.924°W |
| Built | c.1787 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1356362 |
  Location in Merseyside | |
Greenbank House, is a Grade II*-listed building in Liverpool, England. It stands within the University of Liverpool's Greenbank Halls of Residence site, between Greenbank Road and Greenbank Lane.
The original house was built in the early eighteenth century on part of the Toxteth Park estate. In 1788, William Rathbone IV leased the family house and estate, which consisted of 24 acres of land, from the Earl of Sefton to serve as a country retreat for his young family. [1]
The Rathbone family purchased the freehold of Greenbank House in 1809, the year of William Rathbone IV's death. Following his death, the house was left to his widow Hannah Mary Rathbone for her lifetime. [2] She made a number of substantial alterations to the building. A large part was rebuilt in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style and a cast-iron screen was added to the house to form a verandah and balcony. Internal changes were also made. [1] [3]
In 1812, following the marriage of William Rathbone V to Elizabeth Greg, Hannah Mary retired to a purpose built cottage nearby. [2] The American artist John James Audubon visited the Rathbone family at Greenbank House during his visit to Liverpool in the 1820s. [4] The writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia Peabody Hawthorne were also guests of the Rathbones during Hawthorne's time in Liverpool as the United States consul. [5]
Some of the land had passed from Rathbone family control in 1897, when Liverpool Corporation entered into an agreement with the Rathbone Family to purchase the piece of land, part of which is now Greenbank Park. Greenbank was occupied by Hugh Reynolds Rathbone and Emily Evelyn Rathbone in 1918 on the death of Emily Acheson Rathbone, widow of William Rathbone VI. Hugh Reynolds Rathbone had strong connections with the University of Liverpool, and towards the ends of their lives Hugh and Emily donated parts of the Greenbank estate to the University as a site for student accommodation. On land donated in 1929, the University built Derby Hall, which opened in 1939. [6]
The house and remaining estate remained in Rathbone hands until the death of Hugh Reynolds Rathbone on 19 January 1940. Between 1939 and 1948 remaining parts of the estate were donated by Hugh and Emily's children. The house itself was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1940, but in 1944 it too was donated to the University. [7] It formed an annexe to Derby Hall until 1963-4, when it was converted for use as a student and staff social club. [3]
The University of Liverpool is in the process of renovating the house, with the intention of reinstating its original features. On completion, the house will be used for university teaching facilities. [8]
The main facade house consists of three bays, over two stories. There is a central, ground floor portico flanked by two canted, crenelated bay windows. The south facade consists of four bays, covered by a two-storey, cast-iron veranda, installed in the early 19th century. [1] Pollard and Pevsner, believe the ironwork was likely produced at the Coalbrookdale foundry, which at the time was owned by Hannah Rathbone's father. [9] An extension in red sandstone was added in 1868, with a conservatory being built in 1869. [8]
The majority of the original interior is extant and is a mixture of Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. The principal rooms contain both Gothic Revival and Neoclassical fireplaces and decorative plasterwork. The entrance hall features a plaster vaulted ceiling, with wheel-shaped ceiling bosses. [1]
The property has been marked by an English Heritage Blue Plaque since 29 July 2001, which honours Eleanor Rathbone (1872–1946), suffragist and pioneer of the state-funded family allowance, and her father, social reformer William Rathbone VI (1819–1902), who created the first system of district nursing. [10] The plaque was unveiled by William Rathbone X in 2001. [11]
Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council ward. Located approximately 3.5 miles south east of Liverpool City Centre, it is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, Garston and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the population was 12,650, increasing to 13,816 at the 2011 Census.
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William Rathbone VI was an English merchant and businessman noted for his philanthropic and public work. He was also a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1868 and 1895.
In England, the Rathbone family of Liverpool were nonconformist merchants and ship-owners who were known to engage in philanthropy and public service. The family origins trace back to Gawsworth, Cheshire, where the first William Rathbone was born in 1669; it was his son, William Rathbone II, who left Gawsworth for the growing port of Liverpool, where he worked as a sawyer and most likely established a timber business. Having arrived in Liverpool prior to 1730, the family subsequently became involved in the building and ownership of ships, as well as general commerce. In 1788, William Rathbone IV leased the family house and estate of Greenbank, then part of the Toxteth Park estate, to serve as a country retreat for his young family, and purchased the freehold of Greenbank House in 1809, the year of his death.
Nuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) SSE of Oxford. It occupies several miles close to the east bank of the River Thames.
William Rathbone V was an English merchant and politician, serving as Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
William Rathbone IV was an English ship-owner and merchant involved in the organisation of American trade with Liverpool, England. He was a political radical, supporting the abolition of the slave trade and universal suffrage. He was a member of the noted Rathbone family.
Richard Rathbone was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool in England.
Hugh Reynolds Rathbone was a British merchant and politician, who sat as a Member of Parliament (MP) and was a member of the noted Rathbone family.
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William Henry Romaine-Walker (1854–1940) was an English architect and interior decorator.
The architecture of Liverpool is rooted in the city's development into a major port of the British Empire. It encompasses a variety of architectural styles of the past 300 years, while next to nothing remains of its medieval structures which would have dated back as far as the 13th century. Erected 1716–18, Bluecoat Chambers is supposed to be the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool.
There are over 2500 listed buildings in Liverpool, England. A listed building is one considered to be of special architectural, historical or cultural significance, which is protected from being demolished, extended or altered, unless special permission is granted by the relevant planning authorities. Of the listed buildings in Liverpool, at least 85 are classified as Grade II* listed and are recognised as being particularly important with more than special architectural or historic interest. The following list provides information on all the Grade II* listed buildings located in all the L postcodes outside the city centre.
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Culshaw and Sumners was a firm of English architects and surveyors who practised in Liverpool in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The work of the practice reflected the growing economic prosperity of the city during this period. Much of its work was routine and mundane, but it did produce some notable buildings, including office blocks, warehouses, domestic properties, workhouses, churches, and a hospital. The firm was established by 1839 by William Culshaw, who was joined by Henry Sumners in 1861. Following Culshaw's death in 1874, the practice was continued until 1916 by his son, Alfred.
Clark Rampling was an English architect who worked from offices in London and from about 1820 in Birkenhead, Cheshire. By 1841 he was joined in partnership in Birkenhead by his nephew Robert Bushell Rampling and the practice was known as C. and R. B. Rampling.
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