A dilapidated Victorian building in Kirkdale lay in wait of rescue for 20 years before being transformed into a ‘luxury’ hotel in the heart of north Liverpool.
The Phoenix, situated on the corner of Foley Street and Kearsley Street in Kirkdale, was once home to one of the biggest bars in Liverpool in its heyday as a local pub. But the premises eventually closed and fell into a worsening state of dereliction over the course of two decades.
The 19th century building was eventually raised from the ashes and given a new lease of life when it was purchased by James Winters and Rob Edwards, two Bootle-born property developers. The pair have since ploughed £1m into the building in the hope it could rival city centre locations and draw more footfall to the north end of Liverpool.
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However the 19 room hotel and bar got off to a rocky start when it opened in March 2020. A matter of hours after its doors opened for the first time in 20 years, they were forced to close again on the same day as the launch as the first national Covid-19 lockdown came into effect.
But The Phoenix has since gained a foothold once restrictions eased and has helped breathe new life into what was once a community staple. It’s also working to help change perceptions of Kirkdale and wider Liverpool.
Speaking to the ECHO at the tail end of 2021, James Winters said there was an “educated risk” in opening the premises in Kirkdale, but there was a desire to “encourage people out of the city centre giving people more luxury than they would expect from a converted pub”. He pointed towards development along Great Homer Street and the expansion of Liverpool and Everton FC as proof Kirkdale is well placed to benefit from the two institution’s large scale regeneration projects in the local area.
He added: "It was a risk, but if we can tap into the city centre market and local community we can hopefully find a balance.
“We never wanted the Phoenix Hotel to feel like a guest house, where you turn up and it's like sitting in someone's living room.”
Speaking about the wider makeup of Kirkdale, Mr Winters feels an establishment such as The Phoenix shouldn’t seem out of place, and that north Liverpool could one day match what’s on offer in the south of the city.
He added: “There's more to offer in north Liverpool, it just needs somebody to be the beacon for it and say ‘look what we have here’, like Crosby marina, South Road. Places like The Strand need regenerating.
"The housing development is helping, but for the community you need shops, restaurants, pubs and bars because that's where people gather and meet. Kirkdale is moving in the right direction. It just needs somebody to keep pushing that agenda.”
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