Exchange Flags is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building in Liverpool, England. It is laid out in a 'U' shape, with Walker House situated on the west side and Horton House on the east side. Walker House (formerly known as Derby House) was adapted during its construction to include a reinforced bunker that housed the Western Approaches Command Headquarters, the command centre for the campaign waged against the German submarine fleet during the Second World War. The courtyard faces Liverpool Town Hall and contains the Nelson Monument.

History

The current buildings sit on the same site of two previous exchanges in Liverpool. The building has eleven storeys and has a combination of flat and

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

s. Construction of the main building was completed in 1939 but the construction of Walker House was interrupted by the war. The inclusion of the reinforced bunker to house the command centre for the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

meant that Walker House wasn't finished until 1941. The bunker was closed on 15 August 1945 after the end of the war but was re-opened as the

Western Approaches Museum The Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool, England, is a museum chronicling the work of Western Approaches Command around Atlantic convoys, combating the U-boat menace and the Battle of the Atlantic. Set in the restored former Second World War ...

. Horton House was not completed until 1955 and is named after Admiral Sir Max Horton who was commander-in-chief of the Western Approaches during the war. The site was purchased in the late 1980s by Liverpool businessman Bill Davies, the former owner of

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...

. The building was left largely empty until it was sold in two separate deals in 2006 and 2007. Shelbourne Asset Management bought the site in 2017 for £42m and sold it to its current owners, Ashtrom, for £68m in August 2019.

Notes

References

{{coord, 53.40759, -2.99205, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool Grade II listed office buildings

History

See also

Notes

References