The Produce Exchange Buildings 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 in 1902, the building was originally designed as a railway depot for

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

. 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 ...

. At some point after its construction for the railway, the building was converted into a produce exchange. It was situated next to the Fruit Exchange Building, which was also a converted railway depot. After being used as a produce exchange, the building was later host to the

NatWest National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major Retail banking, retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the Corporate merger, merger of National Provincial Bank and We ...

bank, which closed around 2008, after which the building lay empty. Planning permission was successfully granted by Liverpool City Council in 2015 for the conversion of the

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 ...

side of the building into two restaurants and 58 apartments to be built on the Victoria Street side. Restaurant chain 'Turtlebay' opened a venue in November 2019.

Description

The ornate south-side of the building faces out on to Victoria Street, whilst the utilitarian rear of the building is on Mathew Street. The south-side of the building retains many of its original features, such as mosaic floors, frosted, stained glass windows and a grand central staircase. The building contains a war memorial to service personnel who died during World War 1. The plaque states:

IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF LIVERPOOL / PROVISION TRADE WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 1919

References

External links

*{{NHLE , num=1062566, desc=Grade II Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool Monuments and memorials in Liverpool Commercial buildings completed in 1902