Blackburne House
Encyclopedia
Blackburne House stands on the east side of Hope Street
, Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England. Originally a private house, it then became a girls' school and, after a period of dereliction, it is used as an training and resource centre for women. The house has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
. He was a wealthy salt refiner and a supporter of the slave trade
. In 1760 he had been Lord Mayor of Liverpool
. In 1844 the house was bought from Blackburne by George Holt of Sudley House
. Holt was a cotton broker and merchant, and an abolitionist
. He was also a supporter of women's rights, and on 5 August 1844 he opened the house as Blackburne House Girls' School. It was the first school for girls in Liverpool, and sited directly opposite the Mechanic's Institute, a school for boys on the other side of Hope Street. Holt was the director and president of the school until he died in 1861, when the school was taken over by the Mechanic's Institute. The building was extended in 1874–76 by W. I. Mason, who added a wing to the north and a central tower. In 1905 it came under the management of Liverpool City Council
, and continued as a school until it closed in 1986.
Amongst other things the building is used as an examination centre by the Open University
.
roof. It has two storeys, a basement and an attic. Its Hope Street front has seven bays
. The central bay projects forward and is surmounted by a domical roof with a clock face and an iron railing on its crest. The ground floor contains a rusticated
round-headed entrance flanked by paired columns supporting an entablature
and a pierced balcony. In the first floor is a three-light window with a tympanum
, and rusticated quoins
. In the attic floor are three round-headed windows, flat pilaster
s and a segmental pediment
. The second and sixth bays consist of two-storeyed cant
ed bays containing sash window
s with architrave
s. In the attics are two round-headed windows. The other bays have three-light windows with pilasters and tympani containing carvings of foliage and busts
in the ground floor. The windows in the first floor of these bays are surrounded by pilasters, entablatures and pediments. On the right side of the building is the entrance to the original house. It has four bays and includes a portico
with four Ionic
columns. On 14 March 1975 English Heritage designated it as a Grade II listed building.
Hope Street, Liverpool
Hope Street, Liverpool, England stretches from Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral past Liverpool Cathedral to Upper Parliament Street. It contains several restaurants, hotels and bars. The road runs parallel to Rodney Street...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England. Originally a private house, it then became a girls' school and, after a period of dereliction, it is used as an training and resource centre for women. The house has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building.
History
The house was built in 1788 for John Blackburne, at a time when this was in the countryside outside Liverpool. Blackburne originally came from WarringtonWarrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
. He was a wealthy salt refiner and a supporter of the slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
. In 1760 he had been Lord Mayor of Liverpool
Lord Mayor of Liverpool
The office of Mayor of Liverpool has existed since the foundation of Liverpool as a borough by the Royal Charter of King John in 1207. This changed, however, some time after Liverpool was granted city status in 1880 when it was deemed necessary for the "second city of the Empire" to have a Lord Mayor...
. In 1844 the house was bought from Blackburne by George Holt of Sudley House
Sudley House
Sudley House, Aigburth, Liverpool, England is an art gallery which contains the collection of George Holt in its original setting. It includes work by Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Edwin Landseer, John Everett Millais and J. M. W...
. Holt was a cotton broker and merchant, and an abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. He was also a supporter of women's rights, and on 5 August 1844 he opened the house as Blackburne House Girls' School. It was the first school for girls in Liverpool, and sited directly opposite the Mechanic's Institute, a school for boys on the other side of Hope Street. Holt was the director and president of the school until he died in 1861, when the school was taken over by the Mechanic's Institute. The building was extended in 1874–76 by W. I. Mason, who added a wing to the north and a central tower. In 1905 it came under the management of Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
, and continued as a school until it closed in 1986.
Current Use
It lay empty until 1994 when the Women's Technology and Education Centre commissioned its conversion into a training and resource centre.Amongst other things the building is used as an examination centre by the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
.
Architecture
The building is constructed in brick with stone dressings and a slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. It has two storeys, a basement and an attic. Its Hope Street front has seven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The central bay projects forward and is surmounted by a domical roof with a clock face and an iron railing on its crest. The ground floor contains a rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
round-headed entrance flanked by paired columns supporting an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and a pierced balcony. In the first floor is a three-light window with a tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
, and rusticated quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
. In the attic floor are three round-headed windows, flat pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The second and sixth bays consist of two-storeyed cant
Cant
Cant, canting, or canted may refer to:*Empty, uncritical thought or talk - see *The slope or angle at which something is set, such as the frames of a ship's hull - again, see *Cant , a secret language...
ed bays containing sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s with architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
s. In the attics are two round-headed windows. The other bays have three-light windows with pilasters and tympani containing carvings of foliage and busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
in the ground floor. The windows in the first floor of these bays are surrounded by pilasters, entablatures and pediments. On the right side of the building is the entrance to the original house. It has four bays and includes a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with four Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns. On 14 March 1975 English Heritage designated it as a Grade II listed building.