Bluecoat Chambers, School Lane, Liverpool: the main entrance

NOTES: Built in 1716-1718 as a residential charity school for poor children, this is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool. It has been suggested that it was designed by Thomas Ripley, architect of the Liverpool Custom House, or Thomas Steers, the dock engineer, but there is no conclusive evidence that either was involved. The school relocated to new premises in 1906 and the building became home to a group of artists and sculptors in 1907 and has served as an art space ever since. The Bluecoat gallery was formally established in 1968.