It was a long-abandoned stable yard — overgrown and derelict. People passing it on their way through Edge Hill probably wouldn’t have known it existed, hidden as it was behind high walls and fences.

Decades before, early in the 20th century, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool had stabled his carriage horses here — sleek, strong animals that took part in great municipal festivals. It even had a stud, where the nags were reared. Before that, it was a scavenger’s yard — with horse-drawn carts bringing in re-usable waste from across the city.