Bluecoat Weekly Newsletter 7: My Bluecoat heritage focus, 06/05/20

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We know how much some of you enjoy delving into Bluecoat's fascinating heritage. Back in 2017, when we celebrated the 300th anniversary of the building, we created a special website which holds a wealth of archival treasures to indulge your curiosity.

Through this regular newsletter, we plan to highlight some of the features and content of our My Bluecoat website.

There is lots to explore here, including images from the old school, historic documents and collections of posters and programmes.

You can revisit a favourite exhibition, or discover a new one. And if there is anything you’d like to share with us, you can get in touch using this form.

Bluecoat is a special place for many people. We have collected some of their stories for the website. Eddie Rauer was one of the founding members of Blue Room, our inclusive arts programme. He has now been involved in creative activities at the arts centre for over 20 years.

Find out more about his relationship with Bluecoat in this film.

Discover Eddie Rauer’s story

If you have your own Bluecoat story or material that you’d like to share, you can submit it here.

There have been art exhibitions at Bluecoat for over 100 years and the website includes documentation of many of these. The image here is from the 1990 exhibition New Sculpture, and features work by Sophie Horton.

Visit the Bluecoat Exhibitions collection here and discover more about our rich exhibitions history by using the Search the Archive function in the Menu.

John Hughes delivered three lectures to the Lancashire and Cheshire Historical Society in 1859, 1861 and 1862 on Bluecoat’s early life as a charity school. Transcribed, they provide the most comprehensive history of the building’s origins and you can read them here.

To discover more about the building's philanthropic origins and educational life, explore The Blue Coat School collection here.

This week Bluecoat Curator Adam Lewis-Smythe has selected five of his favourite posters from our MyBluecoat archive. Read more about Adam's selection in his blog.

You can explore the Bluecoat Posters collection here.

Do you have a favourite one? Tell us on Twitter for a chance to be featured in our next Newsletter.

It's been a long time since children were off school for this long. In this week's family activity, we go back in time to 1800 when the Blue Coat School children ran away. Find out how school life was different back then.

Design your own protest banner to share your ideas about how school could be improved today. Follow our guide here.

There are more learning resources here.

These were developed in 2017 for use in schools but contain some interesting information and learning activities.

There are 300 facts on the site about Bluecoat’s fascinating history.

Click here to see this week’s

Can you find anything more about this fact on the site? Go to the Menu and use the Search the Archive function.

As a charity, we rely on the income generated by our cafe, bistro and events programme. While our building remains closed in line with guidance from Public Health England, we're losing a huge portion of our income.

Do you regularly visit Bluecoat for a coffee or lunch? We would be so grateful if you could consider donating what you might have spent. Your support will help us to reopen as soon as possible after the restrictions are lifted.

We need your help now more than ever.

Thank you for your support

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Bluecoat is supported by:

Image Credits: Ayman Balbaaki installation in the exhibition Arabicity, 2013; Sophie Horton installation, New Sculpture exhibition, 2013; Recollections of the Blue-Coat Hospital, Liverpool, St George’s Day, 1843. 1850 lithograph after a painting by Henry Travis at the Liverpool Blue Coat School;