Ropewalks Hotel

Over the past decade, Liverpool’s Seel Street has undergone an exciting transformation, becoming a vibrant space within the bohemian quarter of the city. The Ropewalks Hotel (previously named Seel Street Hotel) is a stunning part of this regeneration; a high-quality infill project, designed by architects Falconer Chester Hall (FCH) with contractors Newry Construction, that offers 128 modern bedrooms and gives customers the chance to stay in amongst several of Liverpool’s cultural attractions.

Red brick Georgian architecture is the dominant style in the local streetscape, therefore a complementary brick selection was crucial to achieving a balanced yet impressive addition to the local vernacular. There was also a need to harmonise with the nearby Wolstenholme Square development, which the architects at FCH also worked on.

LBT provided an extensive selection of bricks to help the architects meet their design vision and, after careful consideration, two brick types were selected. The LBT team supplied 60,000 standard format Farmstead Antique facing bricks for the rear of the building and 30,000 linear format Hunsingore Circuit bricks to the main entrance elevation.

Reflecting the tone of the local brickwork was a key part of the design at the Ropewalks Hotel, as was remaining in-keeping with the scale and form of the local architecture. The front elevation is five storeys high to match the height of the adjacent buildings and the rear extends to seven storeys to match the Wolstenholme Square development which lies behind it.

The Ropewalks Hotel blends beautifully within the streetscape, with the linear format brickwork adding a distinctive personality to the facade. The texture and colour of the bricks simultaneously reflects materials used in the local area and recognises the heritage of the site, resulting in a new building that fits naturally among architecture new and old.