Firefighters put out blaze at abandoned manor house

A major fire which tore through an abandoned Grade I-listed manor house in Liverpool has been put out overnight, emergency services have said.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) arrived at Woolton Hall, on Speke Road, at 20:16 BST on Tuesday night.

Crews damped down the grounds, and the main body of fire was extinguished just before 02:00 BST, MFRS said.

It added that multiple fire engines and aerial appliances were still at the scene.

Built in 1704, Woolton Hall previously served as a hotel, an army hospital, a convent and a school but had fallen into disrepair in recent years.

Drone footage shared with the BBC shows the two-storey building’s roof completely engulfed in flames and partially collapsed.

The building previously caught fire in 2019, and the incident was treated as an arson attack by police.

Fire crews were able to prevent the flames from destroying the building six years ago.