WITH the future of Loyola Hall prominent in the minds of all those keen to secure its future Anne Slater from the Rainhill Civic Society has compiled this feature about one of its former residents.

Evelyn Stapleton-Bretherton suffered much personal tragedy during her life. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick and Isabella Stapleton-Bretherton whose family seat was 'The Hall' in Rainhill, now known as Loyola Hall.

In 1907 Evelyn met and married Gebhard Blucher son of Prince Blucher of Prussia. When the First World War began in 1914 the couple were exiled to Berlin and Evelyn spent five anxious years in a hostile environment separated from her family.

During this time she had news that one of her brothers, Wilfred, was missing presumed dead and her nephew Osmund was killed in action aged just 19. Had he lived he would have inherited Rainhill Hall and the estates.

When the war ended in 1918 Evelyn made hasty arrangements to return to England where she knew her mother was dying. She wrote in her memoirs about her arrival. "At Crewe I met with my eldest brother Freddie who was waiting there in uniform. He hurried me into a motor car and together we did a two hour journey at speed through Cheshire and Lancashire to my old home at Rainhill.

"How can I describe my feelings as I caught sight of the crowd of figures waiting on the doorsteps to greet me. There were eight members of my family, our old nurse and some of the old servants."

After 1918 Evelyn and her husband Prince Blucher settled in England but Gebhard died in 1931. Evelyn continued to live alone until her death nearly thirty years later. They are buried in the churchyard at St Bartholomew's in Rainhill.

After the hall was sold in 1922 Evelyn wrote in a letter "I have heard from my brother that the Jesuits have bought Rainhill Hall. Of course we are all very sad to think of our dear old home had to be sold but as it had to be we could not think of a better end than this.

"Although it will always be painful to visit our old house under these circumstances I and some of my sisters might come to visit our parents graves once a year."