Built in 1716–17 as a charity school, Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool, England. Following the Liverpool Blue Coat School's move to another site in 1906, the building was rented from 1907 onwards by the Sandon Studios Society. Based on the presence of this art society and the subsequent formation of the Bluecoat Society of Arts in 1927, the successor organisation laid claim to being the oldest arts centre in Great Britain, now called the Bluecoat.

History

The school was founded in 1708 by the Reverend Robert Styth (died 1713 Sharing the space with the Sandon Society, Reilly moved in with his School of Architecture from 1909 until shortly after World War I. In 1913–14, Lever entertained the thought of a larger building scheme to transform Liberty Buildings into an art centre but, by 1918, got tired with the idea.

Lever's death in 1925 again led to proposals for demolition. A successful campaign to raise money for the purchase of Bluecoat Chambers resulted in the establishment of the Bluecoat Society of Arts in 1927 as a charitable trust to run the building.

On 3 May 1941, during the Liverpool Blitz, the concert hall and adjoining rooms were severely damaged by an incendiary bomb and during the following night the rear wing was destroyed by a bomb blast.

Restoration took place after the war, being completed by 1951. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, having been designated on 28 June 1952.

The Bluecoat Display Centre, a contemporary craft gallery, opened in the rear courtyard in 1959. Being known as the Bluecoat Arts Centre from the 1980s, it is now simply called the Bluecoat.

The 2005-2008 renovation at a cost of £14 million also included a new 2250 square metre extension, the architects being BIQ Architecten. The architects found that there were 32 different floor levels in the old building. They carried out much structural change to produce exhibition areas with better accessibility. The new extension is built mainly in brick to link with the old building, although it has a copper roof and more modern materials internally. The new wing houses a flexible performance area and four art galleries. In addition, the complex provides studios for artists and craftspeople, a restaurant and a café and a number of retail outlets. On 13 May 2008, a fire broke out in a kitchen on the first floor of the west wing causing significant damage, although 80% of the building was unaffected.

Arts Centre

Over the years the Bluecoat hosted a range of cultural and arts-associated events. These included art exhibitions, debates, discussions, public meetings and campaigns, poetry readings, musical concerts and recitals, and cultural lectures. It held book, record, and antiques fairs and became a centre for working artists and craftspeople. In 1911, the Sandon Society took on parts of Roger Fry's London Post-Impressionist exhibition, showing works by Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, and Van Gogh for the first time in the UK outside the capital.

The Bluecoat was also visited by performing artists as Stravinsky, Michael Nyman, Doris Lessing and the Last Poets.

Bluecoat today

The Bluecoat was reopened on 15 March 2008, during Liverpool's year as a European Capital of Culture, by Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The opening exhibition, entitled Now Then, showed work by five artists, including Yoko Ono. During the early summer a display entitled Mr Roscoe's Garden, comprising part of Liverpool's Botanic Collection, was held.

The Bluecoat organises exhibitions, events, education programmes and concerts. It also contains 22 artists studios. The Bluecoat Cafe serves a variety of homemade and locally sourced food and drink.

Since the reopening, the galleries have held major exhibitions by John Akomfrah, Mark Leckey, Sonia Boyce, Jonathan Baldock, Bruce Asbestos Keith Piper, Siobhan Davies Dance & Niamh O'Malley, amongst others.

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File:Bluecoat 201803.jpg|Exterior view

Image:Liverpool Bluecoat Hospital plaque.jpg|Blue plaque

Image:Liverpool Bluecoat door pediment 2.jpg|Sculpted entrance

Image:Liverpool Bluecoat plaque.jpg|Marble plaque with Latin inscription detailing war damage and restoration

Image:Liverpool Bluecoat door.jpg|Door

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See also

  • Grade I listed buildings in Merseyside
  • Architecture of Liverpool

References

Further reading

  • W. S. MacCunn, Bluecoat Chambers. The origins and development of an art centre, Liverpool University Press 1956.
  • Peter Richmond, Marketing Modernisms. The Architecture and Influence of Charles Reilly, Liverpool University Press 2001 (preview at Google Books).
  • The Bluecoat website
  • Picture by nvmdigital.com
  • Detailed account of the restoration and new extension from BDonline
  • Video about the restored building
  • Photographs of the new extension and some early exhibits