Aberley House

About Aberley House

Aberley House is part of Beach Lawn, the terrace of merchant houses built in 1866 facing Liverpool Bay at Waterloo, six miles north of the city centre. The houses were put up for men whose money came from the port, and several retain their original connections to shipping families; the terrace still looks straight out over the water at the shipping lanes into the Mersey. It is a guest house rather than a hotel, run personally, and the whole property can be taken over for a group.

The rooms are individually decorated and named, and the scale of the original house means they are large by guest-house standards, with tall sash windows and high ceilings. Bookings are taken directly through the house's own website, which is generally the cheapest route. Breakfast is a strong point and is served in the house rather than sent up on a tray.

Shared spaces set it apart from most B&Bs in the area. There is a games room with a full-size snooker table, a library, free bicycles for guests, self-service snacks and Nespresso stations, and an electric vehicle charging point outside. The atmosphere is that of a private house that happens to take paying visitors, which suits some travellers very well and will not suit those who prefer the anonymity of a hotel.

Waterloo has its own Merseyrail station with trains into Liverpool Central in around twenty minutes, so the city is easily reached without driving. On the doorstep are the Crosby coastal path, Crosby Marina and, a mile to the north, Antony Gormley's cast-iron figures spread along the beach at Another Place. Waterloo's own South Road has a good run of independent shops, cafes and pubs. It suits couples, groups taking the house together, and anyone who wants sea air with a short train ride into town.