If you have entered the city from the direction of Upper Duke Street recently you can hardly have failed to notice that The Whitehouse Pub, which stood derelict for many years, has been transformed, restored to a former glory that many people cannot even remember and reopened, dramatically improving the appearance of the approach.

Crosby-based development company Ascot Property Group recently completed the mixed use site, with two beautifully renovated apartments upstairs and Yardbird, a welcome addition to the vibrant nightlife scene of the Ropewalks area, open for business below.

The high-specification city apartments may now be fully let but The Whitehouse is most definitely best known for its former resident – a 30ft rat that was painted onto the side of the building, on the corner of Berry Street and Duke Street, by street artist Banksy as part of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial Festival. The Grade II listed property had been disused and derelict for years before being singled out by the artist and, despite the rat being a very welcome addition to the city, the building continued to crumble. When Ascot took ownership of the site back in 2011 it was in dire straights and this well used route into the city was looking decidedly shabby as a result.

Today the transformation could not be more pronounced. Renovations were carried out with the support of Liverpool City Council’s Conservation Department and Heritage Lottery Funding. Now, Ascot is proud to stand alongside the Council’s representatives to present the results.

Stuart Howard of Ascot Property Group said:

“We are pleased to have reached completion of what has been a complex restoration project. This is a fantastic building. It was left to rot for too long and Ascot Property Group is proud to have been instrumental in bringing it back to life after years of decay.”

Peter Hoey, Townscape Heritage Initiative Manager said of the project:

“The City Council and Heritage Lottery Fund are delighted to see this once dilapidated building, repaired, looking great and brought back into use”.

On the 25th June Rob Gutman, creator of iconic Liverpool venues Alma De Cuba and Korova, opened his latest venture on the site of the old Whitehouse. Yardbird specialises in fried chicken, cocktails and donuts that are freshly baked on site. Its mission, to quote it’s owner, is to ‘reclaim fried chicken from the take-aways and bring it to a quality restaurant environment’. The restaurant and bar, which draws inspiration from America’s deep south, has launched to rave reviews and is open every day from 10am til late.

Stuart Howard of Ascot continued:

“It is great to be putting this building in the hands of such an experienced, local team. The Ropewalks area is the place to go for nightlife in Liverpool these days and much of the area’s resurgence came about after, perhaps partially as a result of, the opening of Alma De Cuba on Seel Street. Yardbird is a new, fresh Liverpool business and we are not surprised to see it having been welcomed so readily.”

Finally, what of the building’s former resident? Unfortunately Banksy’s Rat could not remain in situ for health and safety reasons, not to mention the fact that it was disappearing piece by piece due to flaking plaster. However, it is being well looked after. While the future of the artwork remains under wraps at the moment, we can tell you that Liverpool may not have seen the last of this oversized rodent. Announcement to follow.