The changing fortunes of Vauxhall
The picturesque Eldonian Village on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.
Bordering Liverpool’s city centre is Vauxhall, an area rated one of the most deprived in England in the latest Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Vauxhall was ranked 198 out of 32,844 in England, where one was the most deprived and 32,844 the least.
Some of Vauxhall’s prominent run down buildings have been earmarked for restoration which has failed to materialise, while others have seen planning application after planning application fall through. Grade II-listed Eldon Grove in Vauxhall was long ago supposed to have been restored and converted into a state-of-the-art residential complex. However, many deadlines for work to start have come and gone and the site remains derelict.
In recent years, however, Vauxhall has attracted a lot of interest for future developments, with work well underway on a lot of projects. Construction has begun on a luxury apartment complex on Leeds Street, and the previously stalled Vauxhall Wharf apartment development on Vauxhall Road has now resumed.
Meanwhile, Vauxhall’s food and drink scene has really taken off. A new bakery, Pastille Bakery has opened on Gibraltar Row, and a comedy club and food market, Blackstock Market, has livened up the area. To understand just how much the area is developing and all of its changes, we’ve spoken to the people who know it best – its residents and local businesses.
Burlington House
Around nine years ago, the Burlington House development in Eldonian Village was completed which gave the area a Post Office and space for more retailers to open. To date each of the units are now full with local businesses which includes a Laundrette and a beauty salon.
The company behind the build was Bond Street Developments. Bond Street has previously worked on projects based on London Road and is in charge of the Eldon Grove scheme too.
The Burlington House development in Eldonian Village was built with the aim of benefitting the local community(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Michael King, CEO of Bond Street Developers said: “This idea behind the development came from a conversation with the people from the Eldonians and the local community. The area was crying out for a decent sized shop.
“Older people had to get a train or bus just to get things like bread and milk, so really the idea behind the retail space was to get a Londis or Costcutter- style shop with a post office inside for the older community.
“The aim was to also give the local people a hub for businesses. It has given local people the chance to run a successful business out of the space it has provided.”
The Salon Sanctuary, Eldonian Village
The Salon Sanctuary is owned by 30-year-old Ashley McConnell who was born and bred in Vauxhall. It was opened three years ago, with Ashley saying it “was only right” to open the salon in the place she grew up.
Ashley, who has been a hairdresser for 16 years, told the ECHO: “It only seemed right to open a salon in the area we’re from. I’ve got clients from all over Liverpool, north and south. It’s a community built spirit. Everyone’s really close, everyone’s there for each other. It’s a friendly neighbourhood and everyone looks out for each other.”
Ashley has seen how much the area has positively progressed. She continued: “There’s so much more around the area that’s better for everyone. Shops wise you’ve got Great Homer Street, and then Everton’s new ground is getting built. It’s getting a lot more production and there’s better businesses around as well to help support each other.
“I feel like town is expanding towards us a little bit. We’re the closest salon to the city centre with free parking. We are so close to town but without town prices. And you’ve still got the nice neighbourhood and the nice community.”
L3 Laundry Room, Eldonian Village
L3 Laundry Room, is proving to be popular not just in Vauxhall but further afield, with people travelling from Blackpool to buy its products. As well as being a laundrette is also stocks a range of home cleaning products and candles too.
It is run by Fiona Jones who moved from Walton to Vauxhall almost 20 years ago, with her children attending the local schools. Fiona said the “community” aspect of the area was the main appeal.
L3 Laundry Room in Eldonian Village, Vauxhall(Image: Liverpool Echo/Colin Lane)
Previously speaking to the ECHO, Fiona, 45, said: “Vauxhall is just very close knit and hasn’t lost its identity and everyone looks out for everyone. Even inside the laundrette, there is such a good atmosphere.
“People seem to really love our business which is great, we’ve had some who have seen us on Instagram and have travelled from Warrington and Blackpool just to visit. Burlington House has offered something for everyone, everyone here is local which is giving the area more opportunities.”
Blackstock Market
Blackstock Market is a huge entertainment complex. Based in a previously disused warehouse on Blackstock Street off Vauxhall Road, the comedy club hosts live comedy and music events, and broadcasts sports events on a big screen.
There is also a food market, with restaurants including Pattersons, KO Grill and Laros, as well as a cocktail bar. The adjacent comedy club makes it a unique venue in the city. The 60,000sq ft development is the brainchild of Toxteth-raised brothers Paul and Binty Blair, who also run the Hot Water Comedy Club on Hardman Street.
Pastille Bakery
Nestled behind Costco, and just before the waterfront at William Jessop Way, you would be forgiven to think the small state off Gibraltar Row was mainly industrial businesses. At one time the King Edward Industrial Estate was just this, however over the years it has seen some changes.
One of the latest additions is Pastille Bakery, the new bakery where items fly off the shelves. Keen customers queue outside every morning because once the treats sell out, that’s it.
Pastille founder Jamie Heffey, alongside Finch Bakery owners, Lauren and Rachel Finch (Image: Christopher Megrath)
The bakery began in Jamie Heffey’s kitchen at home. With the help of his partner and mum, the three whipped up a storm to take tasty treats to markets and pop-ups where they continuously sold out of items. Earlier this year, the three opened the store in Vauxhall, which has been hugely popular ever since, and has been described as the ‘definition of a hidden gem’.
Looking back on his whirlwind year, Jamie told the ECHO: “This past year has been an incredible journey. The support from our community has been overwhelming and surpasses anything I could’ve ever had imagined.
“This year has been a year of growth, opportunities, and most of all, for being able to share my passion with all the familiar faces who make the trip to the bakery week after week.”
Carnival Brewing Company
Also situated on the industrial estate is the Carnival Brewing Company. Dom Hope-Smith, director of Carnival Brewing Company, moved onto the site in December 2019.
The 44-year-old, who lives in Wavertree, started his company as a hobby, brewing beer in the kitchen of his home which he said his wife complained about as it was blocking their kitchen. Dom’s future business partner, who he met at a charity carnival, suggested coming and brewing beer in his empty garage.
After buying a bigger brewing kit, Dom’s product quickly gained interest and eventually the business went legal in 2017 under the name ‘Carnival,’ paying tribute to the setting the original idea was first manifested. Carnival were soon supplying a number of pubs in Liverpool and moved to a bigger site at the King Edward Industrial Estate where they have remained since.
Dom Hope-Smith at Carnival Brewing Co is just one of the many passionate members of the Liverpool craft beer industry (Image: Dan Burns)
Previously speaking to the ECHO, Dom said it was the closeness the site was to the city centre which sold it to home. He said: “It’s proximity to the town centre really. At the time there was nothing around really, obviously you have the Baltic area, the Baltic Triangle. At the Baltic Triangle there seems to be a lot of development going on and there weren’t any suitable premises there.
“We very quickly found that place actually and wanted to look around, mainly because of the proximity to Liverpool city centre. That’s the main reason. Behind us we have got the waterfront, in front of us we got Beacon tower, to the right of us we have the Liver Building and to the left us and you have the Ten Streets area which is like the developing, buzzing area in itself. It just seemed like the perfect place.”
Upcoming Developments
Vauxhall has attracted a lot of interest for plans of future developments. Land and buildings that were previously abandoned have now been snapped up by developers. On Leeds Street, work has started on constructing 656 luxury residential apartments spread across four towers, making up a development called The Gateway.
The £200m scheme will feature a garden spa, complete with an infrared sauna, swimming pool, ice bath, oxygen chamber, and experience showers. The grounds had stood vacant for several years, with Legacie Developments hoping the complex will be a catalyst for further regeneration and provide an economic boost to the city.
CGI of The Gateway Development on Leeds Street, Liverpool(Image: Legacie)
Elsewhere, multiple planning applications are in place which will undoubtedly transform the area. The previously stalled Vauxhall Wharf apartment development on Vauxhall Road has now resumed, since being taken over by Liverpool-based Caro Developments. The developers hope the scheme will provide “much-needed affordable rental properties for local people.”
Caro managing director Neil Carlyle said: “I’m pleased that we’ll be able to do justice to the development and remove a blight from the local streetscape. This is a good scheme that will provide much-needed affordable rental properties for local people, just a short stroll from the city centre. It has an attractive canal frontage and we’ve invested in tidying up the site and making it secure.”
Labour councillor Assen Christov, who represents the Vauxhall ward, said: “This is good news and I would hope that any remaining issues can be resolved quickly. The site is very prominent and my constituents want to see it brought back to use. Housing for local workers is an ideal solution.”
More work
While efforts have been made to improve the area, Vauxhall is still far from where it needs to be. Many projects lie unfinished, and once prominent buildings have been derelict for decades. Eldon Grove in Vauxhall has played an important part in the city’s history as the first example of council flats outside of London, but now lies in a shocking state of disrepair.
It was originally constructed as part of a labourers’ village and was officially opened by the Countess of Derby in 1912. The tenements were once described as the finest in the city, and used to be home to a tight-knit community of families.
Eldon Grove in Vauxhall. Photo by Colin Lane(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Now, Eldon Grove, which is the last remaining original-style tenement building in the city, lies in rack and ruin, and has been that way for decades. Susan McBabooshka, who was born in Vauxhall, said it was “heartbreaking” to see the derelict village left to rot in her hometown.
She said: “I’ve walked here many times. Why on earth hasn’t a developer jumped on and made this a beautiful thriving village again? Especially with the town centre five minutes walk and the new stadium. Shame it’s been left to rot.”
In 2018, the BBC used Eldon Grove as a filming location for War of the Worlds, turning it into a Victorian alien warzone. Restoration work was supposed to have commenced shortly afterwards, but didn’t take place. Plans were unveiled in December 2016 to convert the building into a state-of-the-art residential complex, surrounded by five blocks of new one and two bedroom apartments and some New York style-three bedroom duplex penthouses. However, many deadlines for work to start have come and gone since then.
Paul Brown, a project manager at Bond Street Ltd, which owns Eldon Grove, told the ECHO earlier this month that the company now has a contractor signed up which “makes the scheme viable”. He assured us that builders will be on site “from February next year” and said that “now we are in a better climate with prices coming down very quickly for labour and materials” the scheme will go ahead.
When asked about the long-standing concerns of local people about delays on the proposed development, he said: “I can give massive assurance it’s going to happen. We’ve already invested a lot in this project as part of a commitment to the wider community to get it done. It’s been plagued by problems going back 30 or 40 years but I would love to see it refurbished.”