Arson, accidents and Woolton Hall: Merseyside’s dangerous summer

Dear readers — it’s the first day of September! Summer has flown by, and by the look of the leaves on the ground in Sefton Park this morning, autumn is creeping in a little too fast for our liking…

Catch up and coming up:

• Over the weekend, the brilliant David Lloyd returned with a hilarious piece about retail hub Cheshire Oaks. “I laughed out loud more than once, good start to the day,” one of you wrote in the comments. Catch up on that here.
• Laurence also published an in-depth look at the proposed Baltic Station for last week’s Answers in The Post. It includes a historical deep dive into the old St James’ Station (where the Baltic Station is to be located). Read that here.
• This week, we have yet another varied platter of journalistic offerings. On Thursday, Abi and our data reporter Daniel Timms will dig into the spread of Liverpool’s green spaces. Then, over the weekend Laurence will be writing about Eastern Orthodox communities on Merseyside — their history, what they believe, and whether that version of the Christian faith is gaining a foothold in the region.

The big story: Why is Merseyside on fire?

Top line: Recent conflagrations — including at Woolton Hall — have shocked the city region. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) will be glad summer’s ending. But is there any link between them?

Context: Last night, fire crews worked into the early hours to extinguish a blaze on Southport Pier. The Grade II-listed, 165–year-old tourist attraction — closed since 2022 due to safety concerns — went up in flames shortly before midnight, with the fire spreading to a café. "Crews arrived to find a hut on fire on the pier affecting an area around 20 metres by five metres on and below the pier," said a MFRS spokesperson. Once the fire was extinguished, "crews left the scene after handing over to Sefton Council and security staff at 2.08am.”

The pier is not the only historic Merseyside building to catch fire in recent weeks. Woolton’s Grade I-listed manor hall, originally built in 1704, has been gutted by an inferno that began on 19th August. The fire spread to the entire building, leaving only the outer walls standing. 

Meanwhile on 19th August — the same day as the fire that all but destroyed Woolton Hall began — a man was jailed for starting a fire that damaged the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Mathew Street. Daniel Byrne, 38, pled guilty to arson and was handed a three and a half year sentence for beginning the 14th July fire.

The motivations of anyone wishing to deliberately damage Southport Pier are difficult to imagine. The structure is not obstructing any lucrative development, nor is it in private hands. And just two months ago, the historic landmark looked like it may finally be reopening after chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government’s intention to offer support. As the pier’s closure is thought to have severely impacted the town’s economy, this news was widely welcomed. And indeed, MFRS have said they believed the cause was an accidental electrical fault.

The Beatles Museum fire was no insurance scheme, either. Confessed arsonist Byrne, of no fixed abode, admitted starting the fire because he felt bullied by the government, and that he had been drinking vodka in the lead up to the fire.

But Woolton Hall is different. In 2019, MFRS successfully stopped another blaze spreading from old wooden sheds on the grounds of Woolton Hall to the house itself. That incident was investigated as arson by Merseyside Police, and understandably this latest and much more devastating fire raised suspicions. Speculation spread almost as quickly as the flames, with many implying deliberate arson for reasons of financial gain. Urban sociologist Dr Abi O’Connor posted on X: “A listed building? In a city? Prime real estate? Another fire? Of course!” A 14-year-old girl has since been arrested on suspicion of arson and released on conditional bail.

Over the weekend, the BBC published an excellent article on the Woolton Hall fire. (Although we met with some scepticism their assertion that the hall is “considered as important as the city's Royal Albert Dock and Anglican and Metropolitan cathedrals.”) The piece spends several paragraphs on the directors of Woolton Hall Ltd, the organisation who own the manor house and grounds, as well as groups who have tried unsuccessfully to preserve the historic landmark in recent years. Woolton Hall had previously operated as a hotel, an army hospital, a convent and a school, but had been out of use for much of the past three decades and allowed to fall into disrepair. 

But it’s not just historic structures that have gone up in smoke this summer. Residential fires have also been widely reported, some with fatal consequences. Last Friday, a man was arrested on suspicion of an arson attack against a house on Fernback Drive in Netherton. On 25th July, a man reportedly threw a brick at a window of a house in Roxburgh Street in Everton, poured petrol inside, and set it alight while somebody was inside. Just 24 hours later, petrol was poured into the front porch of a Toxteth property in order to ignite it; the fire spread to a second house which was subsequently gutted by the blaze. 

Thankfully, neither of these cases resulted in fatalities. But that was not the case when a fire began at a St Helens home on the 15th July. Peter Eric Greener, 77, and his 83-year-old partner Sheila Jackson lost their lives, and a man has since been held on suspicion of double murder. Police are not treating this incident as related to any of the above, but Ch Insp Ben Wayment said after the fire in Roxburgh Street: "This is a totally reckless act, especially with the recent incident where two people sadly lost their lives to such a mindless act."

Bottom line: The good news is that fire and rescue teams expect an increase in fires during summer months. Hot, dry conditions often cause outdoor blazes. Researchers at Imperial College London warned last month that the UK was at increased risk of “firewaves” in urban areas due to climate change. Many of the above incidents were well-attended by MFRS and nearly all the fires successfully fought. But it will be disturbing to authorities how these incidents, with the exception of last night’s Southport Pier fire, appear to have been started deliberately and not as a result of environmental conditions. Tempers, of course, also flare in hot weather, and perhaps the autumn and winter months will see a decrease in these kinds of cases. Regardless, the emergency services will have to be alert.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo of the week

A gorgeous sunset in Liverpool, taken by @z.zack.h. 

Zach is an incredibly talented photographer and has taken some wonderful photos that we’ve used to illustrate our stories and social media. Make sure to check out some of his images on Instagram here.

Have a photo you want to submit to The Post? Email it to editor@livpost.co.uk for a chance to be featured in our Monday briefings.

Your Post briefing

Despite £31 million in cuts over the next five years, Merseyside Police’s new chief constable says he will focus on increasing neighbourhood policing across the region. Rob Carden, who was chief constable of Cumbria Police for two years, has returned to Merseyside — where he started his policing career in 1992 — after being appointed chief constable last month. In a statement to the BBC, he said his priority would be to “increase public trust and confidence across communities in Merseyside”, adding that tackling antisocial behaviour was very important. "It can't be left because it morphs into something more serious and actually anti-social behaviour is something that really blights people's lives and has a massive impact on whether they have the trust and confidence for policing,” he said.

Liverpool FC has broken a British record by agreeing to sign striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for £125 million. Liverpool had its original £110 million offer rejected in August, but with the new offer Isak is undergoing a medical exam today before signing a six-year contract with Liverpool this week. After already bringing in players Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Giovanni Leoni, this deal would take the club's spending to about £416.2 million — the highest total in Premier League history.

And some rather sad news this morning. Graeme Phillips MBE, the former artistic director of the Unity Theatre, has died at the age of 77 following complications relating to Parkinson's disease. A seasoned and well-respected member of Liverpool’s artistic community, Graeme retired from the Unity after 33 years in 2015, the year he was awarded an MBE. During his career he was also instrumental in the development of Homotopia and the very early days of FACT — both of which were established at the Hope Place venue. A celebration of Graeme’s life will be announced on Unity’s website shortly.

Post Picks

📚On Thursday, author Cecelia Ahern heads to Waterstones for a book signing to promote her latest novel being released: Paper Heart. Find out more here.

🎵On Friday, enjoy the return of Afrosentrik at Metrocola from 10pm to late. Resident DJs Soulful Tiz and Amber Rose will be playing afrobeat, afrohouse, amapiano and much more. Tickets here.

🪴If nature is more your thing, on Saturday Liverpool Independent Art School is hosting a tour of Hilbre Island where you can sketch out some of your favourite beachy scenes. Find out more information here.

Recommended reads

📚 This fascinating piece by our sister publication the Manchester Mill is well worth a read. Flags protesting unchecked immigration have gone up across the city, led by one man who — thanks to our colleague Jack Walton’s investigation — has been found to have previous convictions for smuggling migrants into the country in the back of a van.