Dramatic footage captures collapse of old Royal Liverpool Hospital tower as people walk past

A video has surfaced on social media, showing one of the towers of the Old Royal Hospital in Liverpool crashing down, creating a thick cloud of rubble and dust just as a pair of pedestrians appear to pass by the site.

Levelling of the building began in February, with specialist demolition contractors, DSM Demolition, appointed to carry out the work, which is expected to be completed in 2026. The site has been earmarked to then become home to a new Academic Health Sciences Campus.

Despite scheduled works taking place on Monday (April 22), a video - believed to have been filmed from an office building opposite the site - has been shared on social media, showed the hospital’s Duncan Building tumbling down in a matter of seconds.

Speculation quickly spready online, with Liverpool residents concerned that the collapse was not a planned part of the demolition. However, Royal Liverpool University Hospital have confirmed this is not the case.

Natalie Hudson, Executive Managing Director of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “People may have witnessed a dust cloud from the demolition site of the old Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Our specialist demolition contractors, DSM, carried out a controlled collapse of a section of the Duncan Building.

“This was to address a build-up of debris at the 10th floor level of the building. This was a controlled process with an immediate clean up in the surrounding areas affected by the dust being undertaken.”