Campus Manor

Campus Manor in Childwall is home to the Liverpool office of Lime Pictures, the production company responsible for Hollyoaks.
==History of Campus Manor==
The land Campus Manor sits upon - including the adjacent Childwall Woods - once formed the grounds of Childwall Hall, initially built in the 1600s before being demolished and re-built in 1780. Childwall Hall's final tenant - Childwall Golf Club - vacated the premises in 1938, having been based there since 1922.
In 1939, the city council - Liverpool Corporation - bought the site to establish a college there. Due to Childwall Hall's unsuitability for use as a college (in addition to an unfortunate dry rot infestation), demolition sadly occurred in 1948. By 1949, the construction of the current building was underway. Some of the original features and walls from Childwall Hall were retained - particularly surrounding the stables - and are still present today, occasionally visible on-screen in Hollyoaks. Childwall Hall County College formally opened on 28th February 1955. In 1960, a fence was erected to separate the woodlands from the college grounds. The woodlands opened to the public as Childwall Woods in 1966. In 1972 the college changed its name to Childwall Hall College of Further Education but eventually closed down in 1988. The lot became known as Campus Manor.
In 1989, The Mersey Television Company took over Campus Manor to form a new headquarters for the production company and provide a more efficient base for Brookside, which would soon gain a third weekly episode. The formation of additional Brookside sets from parts of the existing building became common practice over the years; for instance, in 1991, the former college's science block became Brookside Parade, with shop units and flats adapted from old classrooms.
When Hollyoaks launched in 1995, sections of the Campus Manor lot were allocated to the show to create environments. These same sections of the campus are still in use today as the main village and Riverside (featuring The Dog patio).
1997 brought a multi-storey extension to the central block. Further development of the site occurred in 1998, including additional offices, sets and a kitchen/canteen extension. Additional expansion followed in 1999 and 2000 as Brookside Parade gained a second floor. Hollyoaks village earned an extension and newly built development as a commitment to the show's future. In 2001, the company extended the site onto the adjacent school's playing fields.
In 2002, Grange Hill's production moved to Campus Manor in preparation for its twenty-sixth series to air in 2003. Many scenes for the show were also shot here - including the frontage for Grange Hill School itself. Hollyoaks and Grange Hill inherited many of Brookside's sets when its production ended in 2003. For example, adaptations were made to Brookside Parade to create a student union bar and student halls for Hollyoaks.
Childwall Woods earned a Local Nature Reserve designation in 2004.
In 2006, The Mersey Television Company rebranded as Lime Pictures, a name still in use today. The rebrand came soon after All3Media purchased the company when founder Phil Redmond decided to step down from day-to-day duties. The new company name may refer to the abundance of lime trees surrounding Campus Manor.
Since Grange Hill's production closed down in early 2008, Hollyoaks retains almost exclusive use of the entire lot. Occasionally, short-term projects are filmed here, like The Case, which used many of Hollyoaks' existing interior sets.
== Productions Filmed at Campus Manor==
*Brookside (1990-2003)
*Waterfront Beat (1990-1991)
*Hollyoaks (1995-present)
*And the Beat Goes On (1996)
*Grange Hill (2003-2008)
*The Courtroom (2004)
*The Case (2011)
==Visiting Campus Manor==
Campus Manor is private land and not open to the public. Tours are reserved only for exceptional circumstances. Those wishing to look around the surrounding area may find the address helpful:
Campus ManorChildwall Abbey RoadLiverpoolL16 0JP
==See Also==
*The History of Childwall: Childwall Hall
*The History of Childwall Woods and Fields
*The History of Childwall Tour
Category:Locations