The Mission building has been at the heart of the community for 108 years and is a much-loved landmark within the borough. It is regularly used for lunch clubs, cookery classes, school productions, conferences and as a meeting space for local groups.

Now, thanks to a £904,300 grant, the Linacre Methodist Mission will be able to open up the Albert Walker Hall in the back of the building for activities and private hire.

The hall is currently closed to the public because of fears of falling debris, many of the features are deteriorating and the windows have been vandalised and boarded up.

[quote=Sara Hilton, Head of HLF North West]“This National Lottery investment will address the urgent works needed so that the Albert Walker Hall can be reopened for people to use and enjoy again.” [/quote]

In its heyday, the architecture was considered revolutionary, with decorated ceiling panels, cast iron columns and a series of stained glass windows. The hall was opened in 1909 to accomodate much larger congregations after the development of the railways and docks led to huge population growth in North Merseyside.

The Linacre Methodist Mission will also run hard hat tours, reminiscence sessions and genealogy workshops to engage the local community in the conservation work and the important history of the building.

Sara Hilton, Head of HLF North West, said: “Architecturally significant both inside and out, the Linacre Methodist Mission building is a prominent local landmark that is already well-used by the local community.

“This National Lottery investment will address the urgent works needed so that the Albert Walker Hall can be reopened for people to use and enjoy again. We know it’s taken quite an effort to get the project this far and we congratulate everyone involved in making this happen.”