Royal Insurance Building, Liverpool
| Royal Insurance Building | ||
|---|---|---|
OS grid reference SJ 343 905 | | |
| Built | 1896–1903 | |
| Built for | Royal Insurance Company | |
| Architect | James F. Doyle | |
| Architectural style(s) | Neo-Baroque | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | ||
| Designated | 28 June 1952 | |
| Reference no. | 1070582 | |
  Location in Liverpool | ||
The Aloft Liverpool Hotel, formerly the Royal Insurance Building, is a historic building located at 1-9 North John Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It was built as the head office of the Royal Insurance company.
History
The building was constructed between 1896 and 1903 as the head office of the Royal Insurance Company (Since 1996 part of the ″RSA Insurance Group″). The design was the result of a competition won by James F. Doyle in 1895. The assessor for the competition was Norman Shaw, who was retained as an advisory architect for the project, but it is uncertain what part he played in it.[1] The building is constructed around a steel frame and is the earliest example of this type of construction in the United Kingdom.[1][2] It ceased to be used by the late 1980s, and its condition deteriorated so much that it was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register of English Heritage.[3]
In 2013 its freehold was bought by Liverpool City Council, and it was converted it into a hotel.[4] It opened as the Aloft Liverpool Hotel on 29 October 2014.[5] At the 20 years of the register, the renovation of the Royal Insurance Building was named as one of the successful rescues.[6]
In 2021, Fragrance Group, a Singapore-based property business, bought the property together with the freehold title and continued to operate the hotel as Aloft Hotel by Marriott.[7]
Architecture
Constructed around a steel frame, the building is in
The interior contains the former General Office on the ground floor which, because of the steel frame, is free from any columns. Above this, the former Board Room has a tunnel vault. Both rooms are decorated with stucco in 17th-century style.[1] The building is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[2]
There is an earlier Royal Insurance Building, dating from 1839, in nearby Queen Avenue, also Grade II* listed.[8]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0-300-10910-5
- ^ a b c d e Historic England, "Royal Insurance Building (1070582)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 22 August 2011
- ^ "Number of heritage buildings at risk at new low". Liverpool Express. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Liverpool Royal Insurance building to be turned into hotel", BBC News, 19 April 2013, retrieved 12 September 2013
- ^ "Liverpool's latest deluxe hotel Aloft opens and is sold out for its first weekend", Liverpool Echo, 29 October 2014, retrieved 19 April 2020
- ^ "Former Royal Insurance Building, Liverpool", Historic England, retrieved 1 January 2019
- ^ "Aloft Liverpool hotel sold to Fragrance Group..." The Caterer. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Historic England, "Details from listed building database (1365827)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 November 2011