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300 Facts

Bluecoat's fascinating history revealed

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On 10 July 1989, The Walking Seeds, described by John Peel as Mersyside’s “barons of noise”, performed at Bluecoat in a multi-media psychedelic extravaganza.

1989

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The annual Liverpool Arab Arts Festival was launched as a collaboration between the Liverpool Yemeni Arabic Club and Bluecoat in 2002.

2002

seen/unseen (1994). Double Dutch by Yinka Shonibare.
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In 1994, Olu Oguibe curated an exhibition at Bluecoat, Seen Unseen, questioning definitions of the 'African artist', which included works by Yinka Shonibare and Lubaina Himid.

1994

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In July 1989, John Willett, author of Art in a City - a Bluecoat-commissioned study of art in Liverpool - gave a talk about German artist John Heartfield during an exhibition of his pioneering photomontages in the gallery.

1989

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Conrad Atkinson's 1999 Bluecoat exhibition, Mining Culture, critiqued the use of land mines through disarmingly beautiful ceramics, which were also exhibited in subtle interventions at the Walker Art Gallery in the first Liverpool Biennial.

1999

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English composer, poet and author Sir Arnold Bax performed a concert at Bluecoat on 5th November 1926.

1926

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Bluecoat is the oldest building in Liverpool's UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was designated 'mercantile maritime city' in 2004.

2004

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In 1823, there were 320 pupils at Blue Coat School, growing to 350 in 1827 – 250 boys and 100 girls.

1823

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There are some unexpected tenants who have rented space at Bluecoat over the years, including Northern Counties Athletic Association, a house music record shop, and a lingerie outlet.

20th century

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The first of Bluecoat's Out of the Blue art clubs ran in Norris Green in 2014, with learning disabled Blue Room artists leading activities for children.

2014

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Beck's Futures 2, the ICA touring exhibition showcasing new art in the UK, was shown at Bluecoat in 2001.

2001

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The history of Bluecoat's building construction, from 1717-2008, can be seen in the exposed brickwork just inside the gallery entrance.

1717

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Joining Blue Coat School at the age of eight, George Brown broke both legs as an apprentice at the start of his first sea voyage. Years later, in 1809, he was appointed the school treasurer, having become a successful Liverpool merchant who profited from

1809

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Keith Khan's solo 1988 Bluecoat exhibition, Soucouyan, was accompanied by a live performance in the Concert Hall upstairs, drawing on Trinidadian carnival traditions.

1988

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In the 18th century, the Blue Coat School bought 'junk' from ships, which pupils converted into oakum for resale – literally getting money for old rope.

1700s

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In their 1979 installation Phoenix: Women artists at work, Monica Ross, Sue Richardson, Suzy Varty and Kate Walker transformed Bluecoat's gallery space into a working studio for two weeks.

1979

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Bluecoat's history is closely linked with Liverpool's 18th century mercantile development, including the growth of the Transatlantic slave trade. The original school building, for instance, received an eighth of the profit from slave ship, St Michael.

1700s

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Popular Liverpool artists Don McKinlay and Sam Walsh exhibited individually at Bluecoat, as well as together in Going Backwards (1980) and Between Ourselves (1983), much of their work in these shows selling on the private view night.

1980s

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The school menu for a typical Wednesday in 1742 consisted of porridge and buttermilk for breakfast, pudding pies for dinner, and bread and buttermilk for supper.

1742

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The original Bluecoat building had 36 alms houses overlooking what is now the garden, which brought in an annual income to the school.

Early 1700s

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While Bluecoat's front façades are little altered since they were built in the early 18th century, much of the rest of the building has changed over three centuries. The low buildings on College Lane overlooking the garden, for instance, are a 19th

Early 1700s

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Even a decade after building work started, the Blue Coat School was still, according to Herdman's Ancient Liverpool (1725), on the extreme Eastern edge of the town, with 'green fields and pasturage beyond.'

1725

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Decorative works by British artist of the Bloomsbury set, Duncan Grant, were brought together in a Bluecoat exhibition in 1980, over 60 years after he first exhibited at the venue.

1980

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In 1996, the fifth annual showcase of local black performance talent - Oral & Black - took place at Bluecoat, featuring Levi Tafari, Asian Voices Asian Lives, Rommi Smith and others.

1996

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