In the Beginning
The Bluecoat building started life as a charity school for orphaned and destitute children, dating back to 1717. It remained a school for almost 200 years, and during this time, the upstairs space was used as the school’s chapel. Blue Coat School children would perform hymns alongside the impressive Father Willis pipe organ, which was housed in the space from 1874. This historic and rare organ was positioned in the curve in front of the current balcony, as depicted in this picture below.
In 1906, the school moved to a new building in Wavertree, where it remains today, taking the organ along with it.
From School Chapel to Concert Hall
A new chapter began the following year when a group of young artists, Sandon Studios Society moved into the vacant school building and established an arts presence that continues today. The Sandon was instrumental in securing the building’s future and the establishment of the UK’s first arts centre in 1927 under the custodianship of Bluecoat Society of Arts. This image below is from the early 1910s, and shows the upstairs space being used as an architect's drawing room.
Under this new ownership, the building’s interior was largely remodelled with dedicated spaces for performances, exhibitions and offices, alongside the existing artists’ studios and dining room whose visitors included Stravinsky, George Bernard Shaw and dancers from the Ballets Russes. The upstairs space eventually became the Concert Hall, hosting performances and events.
Tragedy struck in May 1941 when the Bluecoat suffered considerable damage from aerial bombing during the Liverpool blitz. The South wing bore the brunt of this, especially the section overlooking the garden, and this had to be demolished. The Concert Hall was also destroyed.
After the war, the building was restored and the arts centre came back to life during the 1950s, as did the Concert Hall. The space was open plan, with a stage at one end, and kept the same recognisable windows and high ceilings throughout. For the next 50 years, the Concert Hall welcomed a continuous programme of events, including some iconic artists and performers.
Iconic Events and Performances
Out of the many performances, events and workshops that happened in the 'Concert Hall', arguably the most historic is Yoko Ono’s Music of the Mind and the world premiere of The Fog Machine, event (although Ono preferred the term ‘happening’) in 1967. This sold out event was promoted by Art School lecturer Dave Clapham, featuring the then, little-known Ono. The audience were encouraged to participate in the performance where they were invited to wrap Ono in bandages, and jump from a 20ft ladder. Take a look at a short video and poster from the performance below. You can also watch a talk by the Bluecoat's Director of Cultural Legacies Bryan Biggs on the Bluecoat's long relationship with Yoko Ono, where he discusses this 1967 performance.
Another iconic performance programmed in the space was Sun Ra and his Cosmic Love Arkestra in 1990. This memorable night, organised by the Bluecoat’s then live programmer Jayne Casey, resembled a rave, as the packed crowd in the Concert Hall responded to the American jazz legend. The intense gig was captured on video, which you can see an extract from here.
Becoming the Bistro
In the early 2000s, the Bluecoat welcomed a new arts wing, as part of a major capital scheme to make Bluecoat more accessible, improve facilities and restore its historic fabric. The building reopened in 2008 in time for Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture. Within this new arts wing was a brand new Performance Space, and the Concert Hall was reconfigured into a popular restaurant and bar space, known then as ‘Upstairs at the Bluecoat’, and more recently, the ‘Bistro’.
Since becoming a restaurant, the Bistro offered a relaxing atmosphere, where visitors could enjoy a meal while overlooking the city. After the impact of Covid-19, the restaurant struggled to maintain business, and predominantly became a space for private hire events, welcoming countless brides, grooms and other guests who chose to celebrate with us in this historic space.
The Past and the Present
Thanks to a capital investment from Arts Council England, we are undertaking an exciting project to refurbish and reconfigure the space into a large, publicly-accessible events and performance area, with new sound and lighting systems. This redevelopment will bring the space back to its former glory as a multi-purpose events space, and will include the removal of the central bar, and levelling of the floor.
The Bluecoat's Chief Executive, Mary Cloake, Said;
“This investment from ACE is transformative. At the Bluecoat we will be able to realise our long-standing ambition to offer an enhanced live and performing arts programme, alongside a wide range of other activities. It will increase the capacity of our venue enabling us to include many more people in our work. At the same time we’ll be able to retain the distinctive historic ambience of this space within the UKs oldest arts centre. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our new space before long”.
We will ensure the space maintains its heritage; the iconic windows will remain intact, and the hardwood floor will be repurposed.
As of August 2025, we are seeking Principal Contractor services to undertake the refurbishment of the space, and plan to start the renovation of the space in October 2025, with a finish date of March 2026.
The new, improved space will be adaptable for many forms of artistic work, including performances, as well as celebrations, weddings and other events.
If you interested in hiring the space for a conference, wedding or other celebration event, get in touch: events@thebluecoat.org.uk
If you would like to collaborate with us on our public artistic programme, please express your interest via live@thebluecoat.org.uk