General Manager Bevan Morgan of the new Leverhulme Boutique Hotel, Lodge Lane, Port Sunlight _320
BRAMBLES were growing in the lobby and every window had been broken when Count Baker took over the former cottage hospital in Port Sunlight.
But tonight, after seven months of intensive care, the Leverhulme Hotel and Spa will reveal its new-found opulence.
Craig Baker, owner of Contessa Hotels which includes the Hillbark in Frankby, Wirral, and Dalston Hall, Carlisle, has poured millions into the massive refurbishment project.
Mr Baker, a count whose title harks back to his family’s Sicilian heritage, said: “My first response when I saw this place was, ‘fantastic’. I had the layout in my mind within 45 minutes of being here.
“But I said no. The building had been empty for nearly five years. I wasn’t going to buy it as it had no space for a car park.
‘‘But as they were locking up, I asked who owned the cul-de-sac outside and found out they did. I said if they threw in the road, I’d take it – it was an obvious car park.”
What followed was the mammoth task of transforming a derelict shell of a building into a no expense-spared revival of the roaring twenties.
Bevan Morgan-Middleton, the hotel’s general manager, said: “This is a Grade II-listed building so the work has been painstaking.”
Every sash window needed restoring and the damp needed tackling throughout.
Mr Baker also built an extra storey which incorporates a huge set of bay windows from another part of the complex. Only close inspection would show where the new sections begin and the old end.
Downstairs the thicket in the foyer was pulled out to reveal an outstanding period detail.
“We got rid of the linoleum floor and then came up against a level compound. It was only when workmen walked over it that we discovered a mosaic flooring under the concrete.”
The original flooring still required a good deal of work.
Yards of art deco coving and cornice work have also been added after Mr Baker ordered the remnants still left behind in the derelict hulk be replicated across the entire development.
Above the disabled access is the old outpatient’s sign and these touches have been augmented with lavish extras such as the 63 walnut doors taken from a London bank.
Tonight phase one opens, and diners at the Paesano Restau-rant can sample one of 2,500 bottles of Italian or Burgundy.
Mr Baker said: “Lord Lever-hulme used to like to living under a canopy and that gave us the idea for the outdoor section.
“It’s been a lot of work to get the level of finish I want and we’d like to say a thank-you to our neighbours who have been so supportive.”
