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28 photos capture lost city-centre hotel and the celebrities who went there

BySpotted UK

Jan 30, 2023

28 photos capture lost city-centre hotel and the celebrities who went there

From sports stars to music fans queuing

Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, January 13, 1997, John Barnes, Liverpool football player leaving hotel after belated Christmas fancy dress party
Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, January 13, 1997, John Barnes, Liverpool football player leaving hotel after belated Christmas fancy dress party

The noughties saw the end of an era for one popular city-centre hotel – but these images capture its life in the 90s and 00s, as well as the celebrities who went there.

The ECHO previously took a brief look back at The Moat House on Paradise Street, which welcomed the rich and famous from both sides of the Atlantic. Originally a Holiday Inn, construction began on the site back in November 1970 and the hotel officially opened three years later.

Costing £1,500,000, the Holiday Inn hotel was nine-storeys and had 300 bedrooms. But by 1986, the Queens Moat House group took over the site and from there it became known to many as the Moat House.

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After years welcoming guests, hosting events and more, the Moat House closed its doors in December 2004. In May 2005, demolition began – and like "mechanical monsters" – three dismantling machines moved into Paradise Street to start taking apart the building.

The ECHO recently unearthed photos of hotel's life as the Holiday Inn – and now we've rediscovered these photos of the site when it was the Moat House in the 90s and 00s.

For beautiful, historic images from the past have a look at memorylane.co.uk/ and see what you can discover

Courtesy of Mirrorpix and our Trinity Mirror archive, these photos show everything from sports stars at the ECHO's Sports Personality of the Year awards to staff, and what the hotel looked like in years gone by.

A trip back in time – here's 28 photos of Liverpool's lost Moat House hotel.

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Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.

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  1. Hero Lifeguard Kathryn Campbell, rescued a drowning boy at Liverpool's Moat House Hotel when she spotted the seven year old guest was in trouble, with the help of another member of staff she hauled the boy out and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation while a guest gave heart massage. April 17, 1992

    Hero Lifeguard Kathryn Campbell, rescued a drowning boy at Liverpool's Moat House Hotel when she spotted the seven year old guest was in trouble, with the help of another member of staff she hauled the boy out and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation while a guest gave heart massage. April 17, 1992

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  2. Staff at the Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, with colourful dress code, uniforms, colours of the rainbow waistcoat. Guest services attendant, hotel porter, helping guest with luggage, April 25, 1996

    Staff at the Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, with colourful dress code, uniforms, colours of the rainbow waistcoat. Guest services attendant, hotel porter, helping guest with luggage, April 25, 1996

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  3. Chris Brown, Pedro Purcell and Kevin Summner, with colourful dress code, uniforms, colours of the rainbow waistcoats, Pictured 25th April 1996

    Chris Brown, Pedro Purcell and Kevin Summner, with colourful dress code, uniforms, colours of the rainbow waistcoats, Pictured 25th April 1996

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  4. Guest services attendant, hotel porter, helping guest with luggage, April 25, 1996

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  5. Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, January 13, 1997, John Barnes, Liverpool football player leaving hotel after belated Christmas fancy dress party

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  6. Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, January 13, 1997, guests leaving after late night party

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  7. Moat House Hotel, Liverpool, January 13, 1997

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  8. Tranmere Rovers players Michael Black, Nick Henry, Dave Challinor, Alan Mahon and Andy Parkinson at the 1999 ECHO Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony in the Moat House hotel, Liverpool

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  1. Cricketer Allan Lamb, back row second left, guest speaker at the Lord Taverners dinner at the Moat House hotel in Liverpool. Pictured are back row Phil Brown, Andrew Mills, Charlie Hurst. Front row Geoff Street, Charlie Jones and Ian Evans

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  2. Elaine Callaghan attends an audition at the Moat House hotel in Liverpool hoping for a part in a West End musical, pictured here with judges Rob Bettinson and David Mackay

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  3. Kevin Keegan, Alec Lidsay, Jimmy Case, John Toshack and Tommy Smith at the reunion of the Liverpool 1977 European Cup Winners at the Moat House Hotel

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  4. Holiday Inn/ Moat House, Paradise Street, Liverpool. undated

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  5. Michael Owen at the 1998 Echo Sports Personality of the Year Awards ceremony at the Moat House Hotel in Liverpool

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  1. Frank Carson left with Howard Keel. Howard Keel arrived in Liverpool today to be honoured by the Variety Club for his 50 years contribution to entertainment at a lunch at the Moat House Hotel

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  2. Rick Parry, Walter Smith and Sir Philip Carter attending the 1999 Merseyside Sports Personality of the Year awards at the Moat House hotel

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  3. The 1998 Mersey Marvel award winners receive their honours at the Moat house Hotel in Liverpool

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  4. Joe Parkinson celebrates with trophy after receiving the Dixie Dean memorial trophy at the 1999 ECHO Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony in the Moat House Hotel

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  5. Harry Hodson, 53, from Aigburth and Al Jolson performer who is to appear at the Al Jolson Society conference at the Liverpool Moat House Hotel

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  1. Ian St John presents Gerry Byrne with the Bill Shankly Memorial Award for 1999 at the ECHO Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony held at the Moat House hotel in Liverpool

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  2. Boxers Michael Jones and Joshua Onyango pictured during their their weigh-in at the Moat House hotel in Liverpool ahead of their light middleweight fight

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  3. Joey Jones and Emlyn Hughes at the Moat House hotel to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1977 Liverpool FC European Cup Final victory over Borussia Monchengladbach

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  4. John Aldridge and Walter Smith chat at the 1999 Echo Sports Personality of the Year awards held at the Moat House hotel

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  5. Steps fans who camped outside Liverpool Moat House to see their pop idols. From left, Adele McLoughlin, Hannah Taylor, Julie Hogan and Angelina Tomkins

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  1. Athlete Diane Allahgreen pictured attending the 1999 ECHO Sports Personality of the Year awards at the Moat House hotel

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  2. Paul Cook head chef at the Moat House Hotel in Liverpool

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  3. Fitness instructor Kamilla Downham puts Everton defender Dave Watson through his paces in the weights room of Club Motivation at the Liverpool Moat House Hotel, Paradise Street

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  4. John Aldridge, Kevin Sheedy, Brian Labone and Ian Callaghan, pictured at the 1999 Echo Sports Personality of the Year awards at the Moat House hotel

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  5. Debbie Mendy receives her achievement award at the Caribbean Carnival awards night at the Moat House hotel from Peter Ralphs, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce

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