16-year love affair comes to an end

Nov 22 2007 By Debbie Johnson

LIVING in Liverpool city centre is not unusual these days – thousands of people enjoy the convenience and culture of living at the heart of one of the UK’s most vibrant cities.

But, back in 1991, when barrister Mark Mulrooney first bought his home in Pilgrim Street, it wasn’t quite so fashionable. In fact, people thought he was mad.

Mark says: "I am from the area but moved away in 1982 to start studying. After training and travelling, I eventually came back in 1988 and was living with my Dad. I always loved the Pilgrim Street part of town – me and my mates all used to drink in pubs like Ye Cracke and the Phil, so when this one came up for sale, I bought it.

"Liverpool was a very different place back then. LIPA was still the Institute; the maternity hospital was still the maternity hospital, and the Tea Factory still made tea.

"People thought it was odd to buy somewhere in the city centre, other than Rodney Street, which was attractive even then, but I just fell in love with it."

The small-but-perfectly formed house did need a lot of work doing to it – which Mark happily ignored until he met Siobhan, who later became his wife.

He says: "Well, she just wouldn’t even think about living there in the state it was in, so in 1997 we started work and completely modernised it. It’s a Grade II listed building so we had to work within confines, but it turned out brilliantly."

The house – which comes with two red front doors and Georgian windows – now combines period charm with all the convenience of modern living, such as central heating, fitted kitchen and en- suite facilities.

The basement is a bedroom, with fitted wardrobes, lit by pavement lights at the front and a window at the back. The ground floor has a lovely kitchen diner with granite worktops and integral appliances. There are also shutters on the windows for extra privacy.

The couple added a shower room and toilet on the ground floor, as well.

Upstairs on the first floor is the main living area, where custom- made storage has maximised all the space available. Mark also had his beautiful deep red sofa handmade to fit the space and feel of the room. The walls are painted in neutral tones, and carpeted in light brown.

He says: "It’s like a ship – you have to make the most of the space and the shape of the room. There is also an open fire, with a beautiful white-painted cast-iron fireplace. One of the windows looks out into the street and has a small balcony that we have always used for seasonal flowers – daffodils in spring, that kind of thing. So, at the moment, it is ivy and thyme. It’s a wonderfully cosy room."

There is also a hi-fi system that has been wired through to the kitchen and the basement – "great for parties", says Mark.

The main bedroom is again painted in off-white, and has a large timber-framed bed with white bed linen. There is an en- suite shower and toilet to save trekking up and down stairs in the night.

Mark and Siobhan have now decided to sell the house – with a great deal of sadness. Mark says: "We bought a house in Freshfield when we were thinking of starting a family, but always kept this on as it was great to have somewhere in town. It’s near such great pubs, in a fabulous area, and we absolutely loved living there. We had a dog when we lived in Pilgrim Street and we used to take him round all the dog-friendly pubs.

"Now, though, we have three young children and having a house in town just doesn’t seem necessary any more – it’s too much of a luxury. But, before it gets sold to someone else, we plan to get the kids looked after for a night, and spend some time here alone to say goodbye to it."

THE house is on the market with Sutton Kersh for £225,000. Call 0151 236 3755 for details.