The Fruit Exchange Building is

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

on Victoria Street in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England.

History

Constructed around 1888, the building was originally designed as a railway depot for

London & North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

. From the 1860s, Victoria Street was the location of many offices and commercial buildings that meant it played a key part during the growth of Liverpool. During the later part 19th century, the street became home to fruit and produce dealers and their warehouses, aided by its proximity to the

docks The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engli ...

and

Liverpool Exchange railway station Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the city centre of Liverpool, England. Of the four terminal stations in Liverpool's city centre, Exchange station was the only station not accessed via a tunnel. The station w ...

. The building was converted from a railway depot into a fruit exchange in 1923. It was situated next to the Produce Exchange Buildings, which was also a converted railway depot. The building and was still in use as a fruit exchange in the late 1960s. The office and exchange hall parts of the building have lain empty for many years and have been part of the

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...

'Stop the rot' campaign. The warehouse part of the building that backs onto

Mathew Street Mathew Street is a street in Liverpool, England, notable as the location of the new Cavern Club, the Beatles having played in the original club on numerous occasions in their early career. Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourists a ye ...

originally held

Eric's Club Eric's Club is a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 October 1976 in the basement of The Fruit Exchange Building in Victoria Street, with performances by The Runaways and The Sex Pistols (their only Liverpool gig) before soon mo ...

and later the Rubber Soul bar. During its four-year lifespan, Eric's hosted local bands such as

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

and

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...

as well as international acts like U2,

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

. Plans to convert the front part of the building into an 85-bedroom hotel were approved by

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous ...

in 2020.

Description

The building is split into two halves; the front block having been offices and the back block containing the exchange halls and offices. The ground floors and warehouses have been converted into a pub / bar, but the main exchange hall remains relatively untouched.

References

External links

*{{NHLE , num=1392539, desc=Grade II Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool