Historic Mansion House Opens Doors To Public For First Time in 40 Years

The Reader will open the doors of The Mansion House in Calderstones Park to visitors on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 April, 10am – 3pm. Having closed to the public in the 1970s, this is the first time the general public will be able to enter the historic Grade II-listed building in 40 years.

The Reader, a charitable social enterprise based in Liverpool, was awarded Preferred Bidder Status for The Mansion House, Coach House and Stable Yard buildings by Liverpool City Council in January this year and plans to bring them back to life as The International Centre for Reading and Wellbeing at Calderstones – working in partnership with Mersey Care NHS, Plus Dane Group and CRILS (Centre for Research into Reading and Information Linguistic Systems) at the University of Liverpool.

Visitors are invited to meet The Reader team, find out more about their existing work, and enjoy free shared reading taster sessions for adults and children. The Reader is asking people to contribute their personal memories to the Calderstones Memory Wall and share their hopes and ideas for the future use of the buildings by The Reader.

Jane Davis, Founder and Director of The Reader said:

“We understand that The Mansion House is a much loved Liverpool landmark – we love it too! Our vision is to create a space where everyone is welcome to read, learn, play, make new friends and find new opportunities.

We’re really looking forward to welcoming people into The Mansion House for the first time to connect with us at Calderstones.”

Activities at the open days will include:

• Free shared reading taster sessions for adults
• Free children’s Story Time sessions and fun craft activities
• Tea and cake
• Books and bric-a-brac stall
• Live music from the Shirley Performing Arts Band on the forecourt, Friday 12 April 1pm-2pm only.

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:

“We are really excited about the Reader Organisation’s plans for The Mansion House. They have some fantastic ideas which we believe will breathe new life into the building and make it a focal point for the community.

“We are now working together on a series of events in Calderstones Park, which will give people the chance to set foot inside this historic building, find out more about the plans and share their own ideas.  All of our public events will feed into our work to make sure The Mansion House, and the wider park, is a vibrant and exciting place to visit.”

The Reader is currently working with Liverpool City Council and their partners to develop their plans and will begin running regular reading group activities in The Mansion House from May.

For more information about The Mansion House Open Days, please contact Sophie Povey at sophiepovey@thereader.org.uk or on 0151 207 7207.