An historic former Liverpool ballroom could be brought back to life as talks get underway to regenerate the building.

The Grade II*-listed Wellington Rooms on Mount Pleasant is currently regarded as the city’s number one priority on a list of ‘at risk’ buildings, but now the University of Liverpool is looking to make use of the site.

Having opened in 1816 as a venue for high society dance balls, the city centre building hosted performances for over 100 years before becoming the Embassy Club in 1923 until 1940, providing a setting for tea dances, classes and weddings.

Then from 1965 the Wellington Rooms hosted ceilidhs, concerts, drama, music and language classes and sports clubs as the Liverpool Irish Centre. However, since its closure in 1997, previous plans to turn the site into a function suite and a hotel have failed to get off the ground.

Now the University of Liverpool is working with Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust on a feasibility study to see if it could use the Wellington Rooms as a space to give students enterprise and entrepreneurship training.

Assistant Mayor, Councillor Nick Small, says: “The Wellington Rooms has a huge history and is a building that many people have extremely fond memories of. It is unfortunate that none of the previous proposals for the site have come to fruition but it is important that we get the right scheme that respects its history and, crucially, is viable.

“I am excited by the vision that the university and the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust have for the site. They are markedly different from previous plans but fit well with the way in which the area has developed in recent years.

“We are only at the start of what will be a long journey to return it back to its former glory, but this building is our top heritage priority and there is an absolute determination to bring it back into use.”

Bill Maynard, chair of the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust adds: “The Wellington Rooms is a hugely impressive building which we simply have to find a way of bringing back to life.

“It is in a fantastic location at the heart of where our universities are based, which means it is an ideal place to be used as an innovation centre and a place to grow new businesses.

“There are still significant hurdles to overcome, not least the fact that the building needs millions of pounds spending on it in order to make it useable again.

“The key for us now is to look at a range of options and find a viable way of utilising the space inside while at the same time retaining the stunning beauty of the building.

“Exactly what it will look like we really don’t know at this stage, but I am delighted that discussions are moving at a pace.”

More information is set to be released when a firm proposal is drawn up and details of how the project could be funded are finalised.

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