Southport, Palace Hotel

The Palace hotel in Southport was requisitioned for an American Red Cross service Club from 1942 to 1944. The Southport Hotel Company developed the Palace with the assistance of Manchester Merchants. The Palace Hotel was built on a 20-acre (8.1 ha) site at the end of Weld Road, fronting the Birkdale shore. The 200 ft (61 m) long luxurious hotel opened in 1866 at a cost of £60,000 with a grandiose design and magnificent reception rooms and 75 bedrooms.