Bluecoat Chambers

Bluecoat Chambers

The Bluecoat is an arts centre in School Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside, England (grid reference SJ346901) and claims to be the oldest arts centre in Great Britain. It is a Grade I listed building and is meant to be the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool (however, buildings on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Pomona St demonstrate older characteristics as well as those in the courtyard behind the Thomas Rigby building). It was originally built as a charity school in the early 18th century. The school moved to another site in 1906, and since then the building has been used as an arts centre. It was damaged in the Liverpool Blitz in 1941 and restored after the Second World War. During the 2000s the building was further restored and a new wing was added. It was reopened in March 2008 to celebrate Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture.