Exchange Flags

Exchange Flags is a Grade II listed building in Liverpool, England. It is laid out in a 'U' shape, with Walker House situated on the west side and Horton House on the east side. Walker House (formerly known as Derby House) was adapted during its construction to include a reinforced bunker that housed the Western Approaches Command Headquarters, the command centre for the campaign waged against the German submarine fleet during WW2. The courtyard faces Liverpool Town Hall and contains the Nelson Monument.

Exchange Flags
Alternative names
  • Western Approaches Command Headquarters, Exchange Flags
  • Walker House, Exchange Flags
  • Horton House, Exchange Flags
General information
TypeCommercial offices, museum & restaurants & bars
Architectural styleStripped classical
LocationLiverpool, England, United Kingdom
Completed1939
OwnerAshtrom
Design and construction
ArchitectGunton and Gunton
References
[1]

History

The current buildings sit on the same site of two previous exchanges in Liverpool. The building has eleven storeys and has a combination of flat and mansard roofs. Construction of the main building was completed in 1939 but the construction of Walker House was interrupted by the war. The inclusion of the reinforced bunker to house the command centre for the Battle of the Atlantic meant that Walker House wasn't finished until 1941. The bunker was closed on 15 August 1945 after the end of WW2 but was re-opened as the Western Approaches Museum.[2] Horton House was not completed until 1955 and is named after Admiral Sir Max Horton who was commander-in-chief of the Western Approaches during WW2.

The site was purchased in the late 1980s by Liverpool businessman Bill Davies, the former owner of Aintree Racecourse. The building was left largely empty until it was sold in two separate deals in 2006 and 2007. Shelbourne Asset Management bought the site in 2017 for £42m and sold it to its current owners, Ashtrom, for £68m in August 2019.[3]

See also

Architecture of Liverpool

Notes

    References
    1. England. "EXCHANGE BUILDINGS - 1245031 | Historic England". Historic England. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
    2. "Western Approaches History". Liverpool War Museum. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
    3. "Liverpool city centre office complex changes hands for £68m". Liverpool Business News. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.

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