"alfred waterhouse" blog posts

130 Years of the Victoria Building

130 Years of the Victoria Building

The Victoria Building officially opened on 13th December 1892 and this year we celebrate our 130th anniversary. Although the building has always been a part of the University of Liverpool it has had many different uses over the years and in this blog we will look at the history of a few locations located on the ground, first and second floors. By using 20th century photographs held in Special Collections and Archives and 21st century technology from the Mobile and UI team, these historical areas of our building will come to life.

Posted on: 13 December 2022

The Leaning Tower of Liverpool

The Leaning Tower of Liverpool

Our iconic clock tower is part of the university’s flagship building and helps our visitors to locate us. We can be heard across campus every 15 minutes as our bells chime and mark the passing of time and in this blog we find out more about the clock, tower and bells on the 130th anniversary of the Jubilee Clock Tower’s opening ceremony.

Posted on: 15 November 2022

The Slate Above the TateNew Slate waiting to be attached to Tate Roof

The Slate Above the Tate

You may have noticed that our museum is temporarily closed. In this blog we take a look at the history of the Tate Hall Museum and also the current project to renovate the roof.

Posted on: 3 October 2022

Heritage Open Days - The Wonderful World of Waterhouse Selection of Waterhouse Tiles

Heritage Open Days - The Wonderful World of Waterhouse

Our popular Heritage Open Day Tours introduce visitors to several buildings that Alfred Waterhouse designed initially for University College Liverpool in the late 1880s, up until 1904 when we became The University of Liverpool. These annual tours take our visitors into buildings that members of the public do not always get to see and this blog will give a brief overview of the Waterhouse buildings on campus.

Posted on: 8 September 2022

Jubilee JubilationsJubilee Artwork by Michael White

Jubilee Jubilations

To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, this blog looks at the various jubilee celebrations held at the university over the past 130 years.

Posted on: 3 June 2022

The Students and the SphinxThe Sphinx Magazine 1926 and an illustration of a student outside the Victoria Building, University of Liverpool Special Collections & Archives.

The Students and the Sphinx

In our previous VG&M building history blogs, we have looked at the construction and opening of the Victoria Building so now we delve into the Sphinx Magazine to find out what the students really thought of their brand-new building.

Posted on: 21 January 2022

Faience and FiascosFaience Tiles from interior of VG&M

Faience and Fiascos

In our previous Victoria Building History blog we learnt more about the original college building which had opened in 1882 and was based in the old asylum building on Ashton Street. The college rapidly grew and it was not long before the inadequacies of the building became apparent and so in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the College launched a fundraising appeal for the erection of a purpose-built headquarters. The College’s Council asked Liverpool-born architect Alfred Waterhouse to draw up plans and in this blog we take a close look at the construction of the Victoria Building.

Posted on: 12 November 2021

From Asylum to AcademiaThe University of Liverpool Quadrangle with Victoria and Ashton Buildings

From Asylum to Academia

If you stand behind the Victoria Gallery & Museum in the university quadrangle you may not realise that the foundations of the first building on this site lie beneath your feet. An asylum was erected here in 1829 and served until 1881 where it was repurposed and converted for the use of University College Liverpool. In this blog post we take a closer look at this buildings history.

Posted on: 17 September 2021