The remarkable historic buildings in Merseyside added to the National Heritage List in 2024
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Celebrated for their special architectural and historic interest, these Merseyside buildings were added to Historic England’s National Heritage List for England (NHLE), the only official register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in the country.
Listed status provides them with legal protection against being altered or knocked down without explicit consent. Buildings can be listed under three grades - Grade II, II* or I - with Grade I being the highest, covering structures of ‘exceptional interest’.
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Hide AdGrade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of ‘more than special interest’ and Grade II buildings are of ‘special interest’. Around 91.7% of all listed buildings are in the latter class and it is the most likely grade of listing for a home owner.
While Liverpool is home to over 1,500 listed buildings, there were no new listings for the city in 2024. However, Wirral saw two wonderful buildings added to the National Heritage List, and St Helens saw one unique structure added, highlighting Merseyside’s rich architectural and cultural history.
‘Ron’s Place’


Ron Gittins’ treasure trove of Outsider Art remained a secret until his death in 2019 but his home in Birkenhead is was granted Grade II listed status earlier this year. From intricate murals depicting historical scenes to hand-crafted concrete fireplaces. This home has an incredible interior, and it was all created by one man.
The ground-floor flat at 8 Silverdale Road was rented by Ron Gittins in 1986, and he spent the next three decades creating a visionary environment. With limited formal artistic training, he developed his own very particular world, articulated both through his flat and through the creation of historic costumes.
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Hide AdThe Grade II listing recognises Ron's creation as an exemplar of large-scale Outsider Art in England. Outsider Art is an internationally recognised creative phenomenon that often transcends genres. Examples can be found in galleries in the UK and around the world. A key feature of Outsider Art is that the work is created without an audience in mind and often purely for themselves.
Wallasey Central Library


The Grade II listed Wallasey Central Library, opened in 1911, is described by Historic England as an ‘exceptional’ example of a pre-First World War library supported by the Carnegie Trust. The building stands out as one of the best-preserved Carnegie libraries with symmetrical facades in the country, showcasing the vision of Andrew Carnegie, who was perhaps the most prolific benefactor of English libraries, funding around 3,000 of them across the globe.
The library’s architectural interest lies in its impressive Edwardian Baroque exterior showcasing bold contrasting colours and decorated terracotta, with a well-preserved interior featuring rich aquamarine tiles along the lower walls and staircase. A rarity for libraries of this age, it retains much of its original features, including shelving, radiators, and adjustable fresh-air vents.
The library is attached to the former Earlston House, which has been in continuous use as a library since 1899 and became one of the earliest separate children’s libraries in 1915. This was a significant moment in the development of children’s library services in the early 20th century. Despite having to be remodelled after bomb damage during the Second World War, it continues to be a much-valued community library for children of all ages.
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Hide AdWhiston Incline winding-engine house chimney base
The winding-engine house chimney base at Whiston Incline, of 1829, by George Stephenson for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, was listed at Grade II in October this year. It is an original structure on the world’s first intercity passenger railway line, a line whose successful operation proved the potential of locomotive-hauled public railways and changed the face of transport infrastructure.
The chimney base stands on the bedrock, in the angle between the Stoney Lane over-bridge and the south wall of the cutting, to the east of the bridge.
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