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Site manager Colin Leek, of construction agents Kier North West, said: “The Liver Bird was damaged, its legs had been broken, so we had it taken down and restored to as good as new.
“It’s a really important and historic part of the building, so it was vital to get it just right.
“The first problem we encountered was right at the start of the project when we began to uncover the structure of the building and realised parts of the facade were unsafe.
“We immediately had to put up a retaining system before we could begin any of the works.”
The next problem was when an air raid shelter was uncovered.
Mr Leek continued: “That was very inconvenient. We knew there was one shelter, but when we began the excavation, we discovered another.
“We had to wait until it was removed before we could continue.
“Then the old bin store was discovered to be unstable. Because it was so historic, we had to take it down brick by brick and rebuild it exactly how it was before.”
The contractors could not restore an old air raid siren found in the loft of the building so it had to be removed.
But they were able to breathe new life into the bell tower on the top of the building, which is believed to have been constructed in the early 1800s.
Mr Leek added: “On top of all this, there has been a lot of work put into preserving the part of the building that sculptor Tyson Smith used as his studios.
“We had to use this part of the site for our entrance, so it was dismantled and placed in storage. When the project is completed, it will be reinstated.
“Work on historic buildings like this is always unique. You have to expect the unexpected.
Being from Liverpool, I have a lot of personal pride in this project, as do a lot of the lads who are working on it. It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city centre and one of its kind.”
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