Penketh Hall - Smithdown Road
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As yet, little is known of Penketh Hall or its history. It no longer exists and housing and shops now occupy the site. It was located on Smithdown Road, close to the Brook House. The toxteth boundary makes a diversion around the edge of the property and in fact the boundary of toxteth formed three of the four boundaries of Penketh Hall and its grounds. It thus sat, in Wavertree, but just outside of toxteth boundary, within an area that looks as if it should be part of Toxteth Park!  It seems to have stood until at least the start of the 20th Century. It is figured on the 1905-1908 series of O.S. maps. The Liverpool record office have kindly furnished a photograph, dated 14th May 1909, which suggests that the fate of the hall was demolition around this time. Records indicate a connection with the Rathbone family of adjacent Greenbank House. The few details so far traced show that :-  1840 13th October 1840 William Tuppen of Penketh Hall, Wavetree (aged 67) was buried at St. Andrews C of E church, Renshaw Street. 1851 Elizabeth Gair, widow of Samuel Stilman Gair is living at Penketh Hall in the 1851 census. Her daughter Lucretia Wainwright Gair  married William Rathbone (6th) in 1847, sadly she dies in 1859. After a nurse had taken care of his dying wife, William campaigned for district nurses for everyone, rich or poor. In 1851 William & Lucretia were living in Potter's Lane Wavertree. This census states that Lucretia was born in Boston. Their son William Gair Rathbone became the 7th Wm. (thanks Tina) 1891 Henry W Gair, single, aged 65, local magistrate is living at Penketh Hall, Smithdown Road with three servants; a cook and two maids. A quick search at this time has not shown Garmoyle Road to exist. (see 1901). The adjacent (and final) entry is for a 'Caravan in Taylor's field' occupied by George Smith, a horse dealer, his wife Sophia, a hawker and their children. Taylor's field is not known. (in 1881 HWG appears to be living in nearby Thornycroft Road with his unmarried sister and nephew, plus a visitor and four servants, he is a merchant at this time). 1894 Henry Wainright Gair was occupant. The Rathbone papers at the University of Liverpool state that Emily Rathbone, ( who was married to William Rathbone VI), was stepmother to the grandchildren of E.G. Gair. These papers also contain letters from one Henry W. Gair and contain references to William GAIR Rathbone. 1901 The census shows an entry for Penketh Hall (following Garmoyle Road and as the last entry within Wavertree). Head of house is Henry W. Gair, single, aged 75 born Liverpool, Lancs., a magistrate. He is living on his own means. The rest of the household consists of four female servants, cooks, maids. thepeerage.com shows that Samuel Stillman Gair, of Rhode Island, USA, lived at Penketh Hall, Liverpool, when in the UK.  Elizabeth Gair was a daughter of Samuel Stillman Gair, She married Thomas Aston on 14th April 1852, she died Jan 1st 1914 . One child of the marriage was Thomas Gair Ashton, 1st Baron Ashton of Hyde, b 5th Feb 1855 d. 1 May 1933, industrialist, philanthropist, and politician.  The family seems to be connected with the Rathbones but I have no more details than this at present.

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