History
The Explore
Always taken a liking to this building as a kid driving through Liverpool from Manchester it always caught my eye. Having seen it empty for years I always wanted to have a go but never had the chance due to either passing by whilst working or being out with the mrs. Anyway we were in the area checking out other derps so gave it a go. Easier than expected! Didnt manage to find the air raid shelter but we were pressed for time as the pub was calling for a mates 21st. Maybe another time eh.
Pics
We werent too sure whether secca was on site as everytime ive passed theres been vans and what not about so my pics are all shockingly handheld high iso noise but I thought theyd warrant a report as its not been put up for a while.
View attachment 730177
A big camera
Art Deco style built in 1938 by Scottish Architect Gerald de Courcey Fraser, who also designed a number of department stores for Lewis’s and others. It is a listed building
Littlewoods ‘football pools’ was founded in 1923 by John Moores and based in this building on Edge Lane. The building has had various uses throughout its life. During World War II, it was used for the manufacture of barrage balloons and woollen material. At the outbreak of the war the building’s mighty printing presses were used to print 17 million National Registration forms in just three days. The floors of Halifax Bombers were assembled at the building, and it was also the nerve centre of MC5, the government agency that intercepted mail to break enemy codes. Bomb shelters in the basement areas still contain artwork and graffiti on the walls dating from the 1941 Wartime Blitz and ‘Battle of the Atlantic’, when parts of Liverpool, its rail yards and docklands suffered more bombs per square mile than even London’s East End. The building also continued to be used by Unity Pools during the war (formed from the three Liverpool ‘football pools’ companies of Littlewoods, Zetters and Vernons).
The ‘football pools’ or ‘pools’ for short, allowed people to bet on the results of football matches which were popular until the introduction of the National Lottery. The building housed the giant printing presses that sent millions of pools coupons across the country every week to players dreaming of winning a large prize for predicting the correct final results to matches.
Littlewoods ‘football pools’ was founded in 1923 by John Moores and based in this building on Edge Lane. The building has had various uses throughout its life. During World War II, it was used for the manufacture of barrage balloons and woollen material. At the outbreak of the war the building’s mighty printing presses were used to print 17 million National Registration forms in just three days. The floors of Halifax Bombers were assembled at the building, and it was also the nerve centre of MC5, the government agency that intercepted mail to break enemy codes. Bomb shelters in the basement areas still contain artwork and graffiti on the walls dating from the 1941 Wartime Blitz and ‘Battle of the Atlantic’, when parts of Liverpool, its rail yards and docklands suffered more bombs per square mile than even London’s East End. The building also continued to be used by Unity Pools during the war (formed from the three Liverpool ‘football pools’ companies of Littlewoods, Zetters and Vernons).
The ‘football pools’ or ‘pools’ for short, allowed people to bet on the results of football matches which were popular until the introduction of the National Lottery. The building housed the giant printing presses that sent millions of pools coupons across the country every week to players dreaming of winning a large prize for predicting the correct final results to matches.
In March 2013, a regeneration scheme for the site at Edge Lane was approved by Liverpool City Council. North West developers, Capital & Centric had put forward proposals for a new development which compromised a hotel, high tech offices and shops. This didn’t go ahead but in September 2015 a revised plan from Capital & Centric was approved which will see the conversion of the art deco building into a £25m new film studio.
The Explore
Always taken a liking to this building as a kid driving through Liverpool from Manchester it always caught my eye. Having seen it empty for years I always wanted to have a go but never had the chance due to either passing by whilst working or being out with the mrs. Anyway we were in the area checking out other derps so gave it a go. Easier than expected! Didnt manage to find the air raid shelter but we were pressed for time as the pub was calling for a mates 21st. Maybe another time eh.
Pics
We werent too sure whether secca was on site as everytime ive passed theres been vans and what not about so my pics are all shockingly handheld high iso noise but I thought theyd warrant a report as its not been put up for a while.
View attachment 730177
A big camera
Great you got the old photos too! 
