Greenbank House

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Coordinates: 53°23′06″N 2°55′34″W / 53.385°N 2.926°W / 53.385; -2.926
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For Greenbank House in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, see Greenbank Garden.

Greenbank House
Front elevation
LocationLiverpool, Merseyside
Coordinates53°23′06″N 2°55′34″W / 53.385°N 2.926°W / 53.385; -2.926
Builtc.1787
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated28 June 1952
Reference no.1356362
Greenbank House is located in Merseyside
Greenbank House
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.

History

Original house

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]

Rathbone family

The

verandah and balcony. Internal changes were also made.[1][3]

In 1812, following the marriage of

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

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]

University of Liverpool

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]

Architecture

Exterior

South facade and cast iron veranda

The main facade house consists of three bays, over two stories. There is a central, ground floor

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]

Interior

The majority of the original interior is extant and is a mixture of

fireplaces and decorative plasterwork. The entrance hall features a plaster vaulted ceiling, with wheel-shaped ceiling bosses.[1]

Blue Plaque recognition

Plaque to William Rathbone & his daughter Eleanor at Greenbank House

The property has been marked by an

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]

References

  1. ^ a b c d University Hostel and Greenbank House, Historic England, retrieved 6 August 2020
  2. ^ a b Rathbone, Eleanor (1905). William Rathbone: A Memoir. London: Macmillan and Co. p. 36.
  3. ^ a b Greenbank and Other Rathbone Properties, University of Liverpool, n.d., retrieved 10 August 2020
  4. ISBN 9780375713934
    .
  5. ISBN 0822934183
    .
  6. ^ Derby Old Halls and Annex, University of Liverpool, retrieved 10 August 2020
  7. ^ William Rathbone (1787-1868), Liverpool City Council, retrieved 10 August 2020
  8. ^ a b Greenbank House, University of Liverpool, n.d., retrieved 7 August 2020
  9. ISBN 0300109105
    .
  10. ^ William Rathbone and His Daughter Eleanor Rathbone, Open Plaques, retrieved 6 August 2020
  11. ^ "Rathbone Family to be Honoured". Liverpool Echo. 27 June 2001. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
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