AYMESTREY COURT - The earliest mention of a date for the site of this house that we have so far found appears in a Conveyance dated 1865, this refers to a deed of 1813 reciting the sale of ancient enclosed land by John Weston to Robert Roskell, watch and clock maker of Gateacre Hall, now Runnymede Close.

In 1865 this land - 7 acres & 32 perches bounded on the N. by land lately belonging to James Leishman of Gateacre Hall, on the W. by Acrefield Rd., on the E. by land belonging to exor. of Thomas Rodick (Browside) & Ambrose Lace (Beaconsfield) and on the S. by land belonging to the Marquis of Salisbury - was sold by Roskell's exors to Alfred Higgins, iron merchant. of London for £2,269 19s 4d who re-sold it to Joseph L. Palethorpe, cotton broker, of Liverpool for £2,708 7s 6d.

A Covenant was placed on the land by Roskell allowing only houses over £500 value to be built, not less than 10 yds from the road, and prohibiting beerhouses, flats, courts, blubber houses, rosin works, lamp black works, chemical works, tan yards, soapery, color works, herring house, slaughter house, tallow candle manufactory & anything noisome or offensive.

Wm. Graham, merchant, of Glasgow & Walter Ewing Crum a Liverpool merchant next bought the land in 1873 for £3,000. 6 yrs later it went to Henry Tate, sugar refiner who built Aymestrey Court and gave the house in trust to his daughter Agnes Esther. She had married Herbert John Robinson, sugar broker. in 1876 and lived at Browside from 1880 to 1882.

Henry Tate, son of the Rev. Wm. Tate (1773-1836) Unitarian Minister at Chorley came to Liverpool aged 13 to learn the grocery trade, being apprenticed for 7 years to his brother Caleb already in business here. Now a master grocer he acquired his first shop in the Old Haymarket and began the career which was to lead to sugar refining and great wealth. Like many successful men of his day he was a great public benefactor, among many gifts was the Hahnemann Homeopathic Hospital in Hope Street, Architect F.U. Holme, the Woolton Convalescent Home benefitted also Gateacre Chapel where Mr Tate was appointed a Trustee in 1881, but he is nationally remembered for his gift of the Tate Gallery in London. He received the Honorary Freedom of Liverpool in 1891, was made a Baronet in 1898 and died aged 80 in 1899.

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