Historic Liverpool Dwellings - St. Domingo House

 

It would appear that originally the site belonged to Henry Halsall, one of the 1,000-years' leaseholders of 1716 before, in 1757, Mr. George Campbell took over, a West India merchant and sugar refiner, who was involved in 25 known slave voyages between 1750 and 1765. He bought the large piece of land near St. George's Church, Everton, from the families of the original lessee Henry Hassall, and J. Seacome, and on the triangular corner between Beacon Lane and St. Domingo Road he built a moderate sized house. The outbuildings were arranged in a semi-circular sweep and there was a grassy lawn in front, separated from the road by posts and chains. One of Mr. Campbell’s ships had some time previously captured a rich French prize ship off the island of St. Domingo, and to commemorate this he called his new estate after the name of the island. Mr. Campbell became Mayor of Liverpool in 1763 and died in 1770. After his death the 53 acre estate, together with the house and out-buildings was sold to Mr. John Crosbie for £3,300 and this comprised of all the land contained in the triangle between Beacon Lane, St. Domingo Lane, (later Road) and Walton Breck Road, and the smaller triangle between Mere Lane, Breckfield Road, and Beacon Lane. Mr. Crosbie had also been Mayor in 1765 but because of a set-back in his business as a merchant he was unable to complete the purchase of the St. Domingo estate and the contract was transferred to Messrs Gregson, Bridge and Parke. These gentlemen in turn transferred their interest to Mr. John Sparling for £3,476 in 1773 who was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1785 and Mayor of Liverpool in 1790, and was one of the last of the old school of Liverpool merchants generally wearing a gold laced waistcoat, broad shoes with gold buckles and a 3-cornered or cocked hat. He also was a Virginia merchant who was involved in 29 known slave voyages between 1767 and 1793. It was Mr. Sparling who had the old house demolished in 1793 and built the new very palatial-looking structure still bearing the name of St. Domingo House and it was said to be the finest building in the town, bearing a strong resemblance in size and design to Liverpool Town Hall, which had been built a few years earlier.

 

Mr Sparling improved the estate by planting trees, building good stone fences and in other ways until the property became everything a retired gentleman and amateur agriculturist could wish for. Having spent so much money on improvements he formed a great attachment to the property, moving there from his large house in Duke Street and bound his heirs by clauses in his will, never to part with the estate. Sparling Street Wapping, and Sparling Street, connecting Beacon and St. Domingo Lanes were all named after him. Upon his death in 1800 the property passed to his son, William, who also lived in the mansion. William was a Lieutenant in the 10th Regiment of Dragoons and was engaged in a duel with Mr. Edward Grayson, a ship-builder in which he killed his antagonist in the quiet valley of the Dingle on Sunday, the 25th of February, 1804, the last duel to be fought in Liverpool. Although acquitted at the subsequent trial, Mr. William Sparling shook the dust of Liverpool from his feet and never again resided at St. Domingo. After his withdrawal from Liverpool the house was let to the Government and used as headquarters for Prince William of Gloucester at that time the C-in-C of the district. He took up his residence at St. Domingo and remained in the district for several years. Naturally enough he was for a long time, the centre of attention of the neighborhood; a live lord and a prince of the blood-Royal at that. Following Mr. Sparling's death the restrictions on the disposal of his property not suiting the purpose of his heirs, they applied to Parliament and obtained an Act in 1810 enabling them to dispose of the estate which they did in the same year to a Mr. William Ewart for £20,295. In the following year the government requiring a site for a barracks entered into negotiations with Mr. Ewart for the sale of the estate which was subsequently bought by them and the barracks established, but after a short trial the scheme was abandoned, and the property again was put up for sale, but in lots. Alexander Macgregor next acquired the mansion and it was occupied from 1817 to 1831 as a school for young ladies run by the Misses Corrie and for the next seven years by Mr. Charles Voelker, a Swiss man who had a high reputation as a pupil at Pestalozzi and at this school were educated William Rathbone one of Liverpool’s most notable sons, Sir Heywood, the Right Hon J. Stansfield, M.P and others. In 1841 it was purchased by Bishop Brown, vicar-apostolic of the Lancashire district and in 1848 was established as a Roman Catholic boarding school and flourished as the original St. Edward’s College. The estate triangle with which the mere is connected was sold by Mr. Sparling's trustees to Mr. J.G. Geller, a merchant who erected a stately mansion on the site and laid out the grounds in tasteful manner. The seclusion of this site, embowered in thick woods with its spacious lawn sloping to the margin of the lake gave a rural aspect to the property. This continued after the surroundings were covered with buildings and 'St. Domingo Pit' about an acre in extent remained for many years afterwards.

St. Domingo related addresses in Everton all have their their origins in St. Domingo House. In 1877 Rev. Ben Swift Chambers was appointed Minister of St. Domingo Chapel. He created a cricket team for the youngsters in the area but, as cricket was only played in summer, there was room for another sport during winter. Thus a football club called St. Domingo's F.C. was formed in 1878, the club's first match being a 1–0 home victory over Everton Church Club. Many people not attending the chapel were interested in joining the football club so it was decided that the name should be changed. In November 1879 at a meeting in the Queen's Head Hotel, the team name was changed to Everton Football Club after the surrounding area and Barker and Dobson, a local sweet manufacturer, introduced 'Everton Mints' to honour the club.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/08/historic-liverpool-dwellings-thingwall.html