Fascinating images taken above a famous Liverpool nightclub offer a glimpse into a bygone era. The historic Fruit Exchange building on Victoria Street in Liverpool city centre was built in 1888 and first operated as a railway goods depot for the London and North Western Railway.

In 1923, it was converted into a fruit exchange by James B. Hutchins. Becoming the main trading point for fruit in the city, hundreds would cram into the auction halls to bid on produce freshly arrived in Liverpool from around the world.

The office and exchange hall parts of the building have been left empty for many years and featured in the ECHO’s ‘Stop the Rot’ campaign. Plans to convert the front section of the building into an 81-bedroom hotel were approved by Liverpool City Council in 2024.

The part of the building that backs onto Mathew Street originally housed the famous Eric’s Club, and later the Rubber Soul bar. During its four-year lifespan, Merseyside bands like Pete Burns’ Dead or Alive, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark helped launch their careers with gigs at Eric’s. The club also hosted major acts such as Elvis Costello, The Buzzcocks, The Clash, Joy Division, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and Talking Heads.

The company which now owns Eric’s, JSM, has recently installed a glass window in the ceiling of the bar, allowing guests to look up at the old exchange halls and catch a glimpse of the past. This week, the ECHO was given access to the old Fruit Exchange. These images show what it looks like today.