THE manager of a Wirral hotel dubbed 'the house that moved' is hoping its history will form part of the schools' curriculum.
Hillbark in Frankby was originally built five miles away in 1891 in Bidston and known as Bidston Court. It was moved, in its entirety, to its present location between 1929 and 1930 by Sir Ernest and Rachel Royden.
History tours have taken place at the venue for more than a year, but now schoolchildren are being offered the chance to find out about the building's story.
Its architecture has inspired similar buildings and celebrities are believed to have stayed there over the years.
General manager Amanda Arends told the Globe: "There is so much history in the building and I really would like children to come here and find out more about it.
"Educationally, I believe children tend to look more at the history of Chester and Liverpool, but not so much at what's on their doorstep in Wirral.
"Hillbark has so much history and I would like to invite children to come here and find out more.
"It's an ongoing story; there's always something new we find out about the place."
Tour organiser, Dominga Devitt told the Globe: "I always say to people, momentous things have happened in the house.
"Once you start to look into the history of the place and the people who have stayed here, it's fascinating.
"A famous person who rented it was John MacGregor Laird, who did the negotiations with Cammell to merge the two companies that merged to form Cammell Laird.
"While it was still Bidston Court, the Crown Prince Wilhelm - who was the son of Kaiser Bill, Victoria's favourite grandson and into all things English - had married Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1912 and wanted to build a big mansion for her in Germany in the style of a country manor house in England.
"He sent his architects around Britain to check out all of England's most historic houses. Bidston Court was well-known, at this time, as a beautiful example of Gothic architecture.
"When Wilhelm saw it, he wanted to take it lock, stock and barrel to Germany. Obviously, he wasn't allowed to, but was allowed to take photographs of the building and viewed original plans and had a version of the house built in Germany.
"Nobody knew where this house was for many many years. Then Ernest Royden sent some agents to Germany to find the house and they found it had been built in Potsdam and had been called Cecilienhof in honour of Duchess Cecile.
"The interesting thing about it was that in April 1945, just before the end of the war, it was in what was called The Russian Zone, being used by high-ranking Russian officials for parties.
"In July 1945, it was the venue for the Potsdam Conference. So, you had Soviet leader Josef Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Harry Trueman all come to Cecilienhof to negotiate the end of the war and the demilitarisation of Germany - a house inspired by what later became Hillbark."
Among the home's features is an 11-foot high carved oak chimneypiece in the Great Hall, that once belonged to the family of Thomas More.
Born in London in 1478, More went on to become the second most influential man in England. He became a key figure in King Henry VIII’s court and was celebrated throughout the following centuries for his views and commitment to peace through his statesmanship.
Knighted in 1521, More served Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 1532 but was executed on July 8, 1535 for refusing to accept the King’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Originally in More Hall in North Mymms, Hertfordshire, the chimneypiece is dated 1527, and has had five homes, survived one demolition, been salvaged from a fire, and was stored in stables for 39 years before being moved 200 miles north to Frankby.
It was believed for many years that the imposing chimneypiece was part of the original Bidston Court and was moved with the rest of the building in 1929, but its provenance and origin were never known until now.
For more details on the tour for children, contact Dominga Devitt by emailing: promotions@contessahotels.co.uk
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