Liverpool has always welcomed locals and tourists with top class hotels - but through the years, some have sadly closed for good.
Many will remember the likes of the Liverpool North Western Hotel, The Moat House and the Regent Hotel that once stood proudly in the city centre. As well as the "plush" Trials Hotel on Castle Street.
The impressive Grade II-listed building was built in 1868 for the Alliance Bank and was later occupied by the North and South Wales Bank and the Midland Bank. After the Midland Bank had relocated to the northern end of the street, the building was converted by Liverpool businessman Wayne Rose into a bar, restaurant and a 4 star hotel, in 1986.
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Known as Trials Hotel, due to its close proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Law Courts, the site opened its doors to upmarket guests after a £750,000 refurbishment. On September 4, 1987, the ECHO reported: "The 19th century listed building in Liverpool’s Castle Street offers 20 executive suites.
"And the hotel also boasts the most secure alcohol supplies in the city - the booze is kept in the vaults of the bank which used to occupy the city centre site. West Derby-born owner Wayne Rose, 27, opened Trials restaurant and bar 18 months ago - and immediately started on plans to develop the exclusive hotel complex."
At the time, he said: "Size doesn't always indicate quality. I believe what we are offering is unique in Liverpool in terms of style and quality of service."
Restoring the site to its former glory, the bedrooms were known as "luxury suited" - each having its own corner bath with whirlpool. The hotel was previously described as having a "soft and relaxing" décor, with some suites having balconies and the others having window boxes.
Do you remember the Trials Hotel in Liverpool? Let us know in the comments section below.
Later that month, the ECHO reported how diners at the restaurant would not be supplied with a bill at the end, but instead handed "a verdict," with Scales of Justice being the establishments logo, appearing on stationary, place mats and drinking glasses. The a la carte menu also came in the form of a "lawyers brief."
These images, rediscovered from our archives, capture what the grand hotel looked like in the 1980s. You can see what inside a suite looked like at the time, as well as the main reception and the building when it was known as the Trials Hotel.
Welcoming thousands of locals and tourists through the years, many will remember the hotel as it looks in these images. Fast forward to 2000, the Trials Hotel was turned into a Chicago gangsters' joint for the shooting of a film about Al Capone.
Transformed for two days for Al's Lads, it starred Richard Roundtree, the original Shaft, and followed the story of three Liverpool men believed to have been among Al Capone's henchmen. Liverpool actor Ricky Tomlinson and Ralf Little – who plays his son Anthony in the Royle Family – also appeared.
In October 2003, the Trials Hotel also won The Good Food Guide's top Liverpool Hotel of the Year award, presented by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc. Two of the seven-strong judging panel had stayed anonymously in the hotel and praised the high quality of its rooms and services.
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The building was bought by Centre Island Hotels in 2004 and refurbished into a boutique hotel. The bar and restaurant had previously been Room and What’s at 62.
In July 2015, the ECHO reported how the site would get a new lease of life when Neighbourhood takes over the lease. Manager, James Hitchen, previously told the ECHO: "We are incredibly excited about what we are going to be bringing to the city."
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In September 2016, readers got a first look at the new Neighbourhood bar and restaurant, offering breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, as well as drinks and live music. James Hitchen, owner and founder of owners East Coast Concepts, at the time said: "We’re incredibly excited about opening in Liverpool. We’ve spent a lot of time here, looking at what’s already on offer and finding some gaps in the market.
"This will be our new flagship site, and we’ll be doing things here that we don’t in other venues - this will be the only site where we serve breakfasts, as that seems to be really popular in this area, and particularly on Castle Street. We’ll also have a real focus on live music, and we’re looking to develop fresh talent on both the music side and in the bar and restaurant itself."
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