EAVESDROPPING ON THE PAST
Speke Hall is a 16th century Tudor mansion, which was completed in 1598, by Sir William Norris, a devoutly catholic landowner, who used his wealth gained from the slave industry to create the hall. Situated on the banks of the Mersey, near to the original Speke Airport, this was an oddity which I found to be completely out of place in the industrial wastelands surrounding it. I moved into Speke in the late sixties, following the slum clearances of the inner cities, from Dingle in the Liverpool 8 area. Initially, I found the transition from the terraced streets to the brutalist estates quite jarring and missed my old home, but I was gradually swayed by the presence of the airport and the amazing hall. My first visit would have been with primary school and as an impatient 8 year old, I did not fully appreciate the significance of the place. However, I was particularly taken with the two massively ancient yew trees, situated in the central courtyard of the site and towering over the ...