The Bluecoat

The Bluecoat, in Liverpool

The Bluecoat is the oldest building of the city centre of Liverpool, an elegant building of Queen Anne style dating from the beginning of the eighteenth century, become the oldest art centre of the United Kingdom. The Liverpool audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this former charity school, a haven of peace with its hidden garden, today dedicated to contemporary artistic creation in the heart of the city.

The oldest building and its hidden garden

Here is The Bluecoat, the oldest building of the city centre of Liverpool still standing. Built at the very beginning of the eighteenth century, around 1717, in an elegant style called Queen Anne, with fine symmetry and warm bricks, it was originally a charity school, the Bluecoat School, destined to instruct the poor children of the city. Its name comes from the blue uniform that the pupils wore. For more than two centuries, the building hosted this educational and charitable vocation. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the school moved, and the building took a new life by becoming a centre dedicated to the arts. It is today considered as the oldest art centre of the United Kingdom, hosting exhibitions of contemporary art, artists' workshops, concerts, readings and creative shops. Beyond its galleries, The Bluecoat conceals a true treasure: a hidden garden, peaceful and verdant, concealed at the rear of the building, a true oasis of calm a few steps from the agitation of the shopping streets. It is the ideal place for a break far from the crowd, between two discoveries. A place of memory and a home of creation, The Bluecoat illustrates the way in which Liverpool knows how to preserve its heritage while putting it at the service of the cultural life of today. A historic building and an art centre, The Bluecoat is a fine stop of the discovery of Liverpool.

What to see

Here you discover the oldest building of the centre of Liverpool, an elegant Queen Anne building of around 1717, a former charity school whose pupils wore the blue uniform, become the oldest art centre of the United Kingdom; it hosts exhibitions, workshops and creative shops, and conceals at the rear a peaceful hidden garden, an oasis of calm. The Bluecoat weds heritage and creation in Liverpool. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Bluecoat lies on School Lane, in the very heart of the shopping centre of Liverpool, reachable on foot. It is an art centre whose access to the galleries and the hidden garden follow the hours in force, which vary; the entry is often free. It is best to enquire before coming. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What is The Bluecoat in Liverpool?

It is the oldest building of the city centre of Liverpool, an elegant building of Queen Anne style built around 1717, originally a charity school whose pupils wore the blue uniform that gave it its name; become the oldest art centre of the United Kingdom, it hosts exhibitions and workshops and conceals a peaceful hidden garden at the rear.

Where is The Bluecoat in Liverpool?

On School Lane, in the very heart of the shopping centre of Liverpool, in England.