'We took one look and that was it and we've not regretted it for a moment'

Guy Mitchell and Imogen Parker fell in love with their home for the beautiful blossom trees that stood tall on the street outside. Retired social worker, Guy, 74, said “what's not to love“ as he added: “I turn right out the front door and within ten minutes I’m down by the prom and turn left and I’m in the most beautiful [Sefton] park.“

He added: “If I want to eat, I walk along Lark Lane and there are 30 eateries, I need some bread, I walk along the road. I need to go into town every 15 minutes, there is an eight minute journey at the bottom of the street [St Michael’s station].”

Guy and his wife, Imogen, 72, moved into their gorgeous home on Southwood Road, in the St Michael's area of Aigburth in September 2001. They had fallen in love with the area as soon as they set eyes on it almost two decades ago. Guy said: “April is fabulous here with the cherry trees, the pink with the blossoms is beautiful. My wife and I were looking for somewhere to live here and it was April and we were on our bicycles and we turned the corner and we saw the street and that was it. We fell in love with it and we’ve not regretted it for one moment.”

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Now, there are just the two of them living in their 19th century house after their three children grew up and left home. Showing me into their second floor sitting room, at the front of the home, Guy says “this is my favourite room in the house” and you can see why.

The room is lit up with natural light from the stunning bay window at the front, which overlooks the old trees lining the street outside. There’s a traditional fireplace and gorgeous period features. Guy said: “This is the best time of day, sitting in this room and reading is lovely.”

Although it’s big, it’s actually one of the smaller of the bigger houses, says Guy. He said: “If you visit some of the houses further down the street they are much bigger, partly because we back onto the Belgrave Pub. The pub is actually reopening.”

Guy recalled a story from before the pub shut, he said: “The funny thing is [about the pub] one day me and my wife walked in and you know in westerns where people walk into a pub and piano player stops and the people turn, they must have looked and thought we were the bizzies.

“Another time, I heard this woman shrieking ‘get out’ and ‘go away’ and I think who are you, and what have you done with my wife? It turned out that somebody had clambered over the wall, onto our kitchen roof and was standing on the roof shouting ‘I’m f***** buzzing’ so I am hoping that the new version of the Belgrave will be different.”

At the back of the house you can see the view of the pub and a skyline view of idyllic red-brick terraced houses across Liverpool. His wife, Imogen, told the ECHO how although the houses on the street are “fabulous” they are “pots of money,” but she wouldn’t change her home for the world. She said: “When we moved in in 2000 the house was respectful but a bit dilapidated, we’ve never quite had the funds so it’s still a bit dilapidated because they are money toilets.

“There is one further down that is fabulous, and another has had a bomb spent on it. You look at these houses thinking, are they going to see us out? Every time there is a problem I think we’re moving but I think when it comes down to it we can't.”

In fact, the home has left such an impact in the time it's been built, one of its former residents knocked on their door to revisit their childhood home. Imogen said: “We had someone knock on the door not long ago because they had once lived here and wanted to see what it was like now.

“He had lived here during his childhood, he had the room that is now our bedroom, but he knew where the kitchen was and he knew where the dodgy bannister was. He said ‘gosh haven’t you fixed that yet, I can still remember that,’ and he must have been in his 80s.”

Guy added: “I understand that because I sometimes go off on a voyage and visit the places I once lived as a child, mostly in the midlands.”

But despite the dodgy bannister and maybe the need for a little renovation Guy said he is sure that their family home will stand the test of time.

Guy said: “We have lived in Liverpool since 1975, this house was built in the late 19th century, we have seen entire estates in this city be built and torn down because they are s*** and give or take the odd tsunami or third world war this house will still be standing in many years time.”