The Building

  •  Architecture 
  •  Floorplans 
  •  Rooms 

Architecture

The building is a peculiar collection of classically columned frontage with additions and fragmented satellite buildings of different eras. It has a central projection consisting of a fine cornice, supported by four columns in the Ionic order - a front of "bold & massive effect" (Memorials of Liverpool, V 2., p.258) and "somewhat heavy handed but noble and in keeping with the Georgian environs" (Liverpool City of Architecture, p.50).

According to Abel Heywood's Penny Guide of 1867, the foundation stone of this elegant and flourishing institution was laid by Lord Brougham in 1835. It cost £15,000.

Inside, the magnificent wrought iron gates, and spiral staircases lead up to the gallery of the Main Hall; itself an amazing horseshoe shaped amphitheatre.

Alterations and Additions

  • 1835 July 20th Foundation stone laid.
  • 1837 March 30th Fire.
  • Sept 15th Opening ceremony
  • 1839 Sculpture gallery built
  • 1840 Three storeys of the western wing completed
  • 1843 Organ built behind the lecture hall
  • Chemical laboratory behind the lecture hall enlarged
  • 1859 Three classrooms constructed under the sculpture gallery
  • 1869 Iron gates placed in the vestibule
  • 1872 Two classrooms built above the rear of the lecture hall
  • 1873 Fourth storey added to the Western wing
  • 1883 School of Art building opened
  • 1896 Sculpture gallery replaced by chemical laboratory
  • 1898 New entrances made to lecture hall
  • 1899 Dining room enlarged
  • 1900-1 Corridors made in the western wing
  • 1903-5 Present playgrounds acquired
  • School transferred to the City Council
  • 1908 Third storey added to the eastern wing and south elevation embellished
  • 1915-16 Organ, gymnasium and library presented
  • 1929 Windows inserted in northern elevation
  • Physics Lab built in the lower yard
  • 1985 Closure
  • 1996 Reopened as Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts

 

The masters moved from room to room through their time at The Institute. The table below is extracted from the Green Books and from contributions from some of the boys and staff members.

The room numbering does not seem totally consistent each year, so the nomenclature is presented verbatim. The inconsistency was highlighted by this interesting tale, recalled by Fred Bilson:

"JRE (The Baz) only had one Staff meeting a year - at the start of the Autumn Term to give out the timetables - you had no chance to complain about them then. One day he announced that he had mistakenly described Room 1 as Room 2 and vice versa. To correct this, the caretaker was currently changing over the numbers on the rooms concerned."

Year 1930 1934 1949 1952 1956 1960 1965 1969
Headmaster Symonds Symonds Edwards Edwards Edwards Edwards Booth Booth
Vice-Principal Groom SV Brown Doughty Reece Reece Booth Rogers Rogers
1     "Tud" Jones "Tud" Jones R.T. Jones Baines Hailwood Clamp
2     Day "Pinhead" Preece Preece Juxon Roberts Lloyd
8 Ellis Ellis "Funghi" Moy "Funghi" Moy Moy "Funghi" Moy Young Mellor
9   Chapman "Fanny" Inkley "Fanny" Inkley Inkley Jackson Hullcoop Ezra
10       Killingley Killingley, Nelson "Joe" Sweeney "Joe" Sweeney Cresswell
11 "Slimey" Reece "Slimey" Reece "Slimey" Reece Turner E.R. Jones Fred Bilson Treebey Bell
14 Baxter Pollard, Baxter Watson "Killer" Watson Watson "Killer" Watson "Killer" Watson "Killer" Watson
15 Duffy Wormald "Nobby" Forbes   Forbes "Pinhead" Preece "Pinhead" Preece "Pinhead" Preece
16     Miss Makins Green K.W. Moore Long Toobe Toobe
17           Jones West
18 Malkin Purvis Killingly "Cliff" Edge Rogers "Jolly" Rogers Kigman McColl
19 Baker "Funghi" Moy Schofield "Jolly" Rogers Edge "Cliff" Edge Sharp Grace
20         Hart "Bronco" Hart Eyre Eyre
21       "Bronco" Hart Fanny Bentliff Bentcliff, Nelson Rowell Weld
22       "Prolly" Peters Hosker Hosker Williams Carroll
23 Thomas Thomas "Bronco" Hart Hosker Schofield Gavin Clarke Tolley
24 Peters Peters Peters Bowker A. Evans "Tud"Jones "Tud"Jones Donaldson
25 Folland Folland Hosker Webster Warwick, Webster Evans Cummings Hemsley
26 Wilson Miss Wilson Miss Wilson Rowell

 

Les "Organ" Morgan Les "Organ" Morgan Les "Organ" Morgan
27 Deakin Miss Deakin Webster Willott Devereux "Dixie" Devereux "Dixie" Devereux "Dixie" Devereux
28 Bartlett Miss Robertson   Schofield Dewhurst Scaife Schofield, Simmonds Simmonds
29 Makins   Nolan Les "Organ" Morgan Morgan Goodfellow Hunt Hunt
30 Brierley Wedgwood Reed Brierley Fred Brierley Brierley Bradley Roberts
31 Killingly Rose "Cliff" Edge Day Day Bradley Forrest Schofield
32 GLR Brown Barnard Bowen Bowen Durband "Dusty" Durband    
33 Rose Killingly   Boote Frank Boote Boote Boote Singleton
34 Hall Bartlett "Dicky" Moore "Dicky" Moore Moore "Dicky" Moore "Pixie" Paton Clarke
35 Hicks Thorpe, Hicks, Ledger "Blip" Parker "Blip" Parker Parker "Blip" Parker "Blip" Parker Atkin
36 Tiffen "Nicky" Naylor "Fruity" Bartlett "Fruity" Bartlett Chopper Axon   Brayne McAnn
37 Elliott Elliott Willan "Jake" Edwards "Jake" Edwards "Jake" Edwards "Jake" Edwards "Blip" Parker
39 Jones, HM Brown Jones, HM Brown     Naylor     Walker
43 Hart Hart Booth Booth Danny Booth Jack Byrne "Joe" Sweeney
44 Williams Willott Haig "Fanny" Bentcliffe Biff Bowen Bowen Dobson Dobson
45 Galland Roberts "Sissy" Smith "Sissy" Smith Smith "Sissy" Smith "Sissy" Smith  
30a Frank Pollard Les "Organ" Morgan  

 

     
11b Willis Willis    

 

     
27a Robertson Miss Williamson "Fanny" Bentcliffe  

 

     
B.R.     Folland Folland

 

     
W Mummery Mummery    

 

     
G Stell Stell    

 

     
Hall Wallace Wallace Wallace  

 

     
P.R.     Rowell  

 

     
U.R. Doughty Doughty    

 

     
Biology Lab     Davies Tait Walker, HGB Watson Schofield, Walker    
Prefects' Room        

 

     
Library        

 

     
Vice-Principal's Room        

 

     
WoodWork Room     McDonald Lloyd, McDonald McDonald Lloyd  
Physics Room     WH "The Bilge" Jones Jones. Thorpe "The Bilge" WH "The Bilge" Jones Gammage Lloyd
Chemistry Room SV Brown   Naylor Naylor Tait Naylor Naylor, Scott Gleave
Gym     Stell White Algy Goodall, Ramsden   Clarke, Sibbring Lea, McArthur
HeadMaster        

 

     
Music Room         R.N. Evans Evans Davies Wilson
Art Room       Stan Reed Reed Stan Reed Reed I. Jones
WoodWork Room         Lloyd, MacDonald   McDinald McDonald
Williamson   Cain Haig Davies Isaac Bowen Finch

 

Thorpe   Doughty Walker Dobson Peters Gleave Jackson

 

    Hillman Williams Hollis Rowell Hall Rubick

 

    Thorpe   Jack Wray Ldgered Thomas

 

    "Weepy" Walker   Paton

 

Lloyd Thompson

 

    Wormald   Rowell

 

Paris Whyte

 

Forms 30 28 35 36 38 41 39 35
Staff 40 39 46 46 50 52 52 49
Boys 650 640 924 953 1040 1036 976 829
Average Form Size 22 23 26 26 27 25 25 24
Average Boys per Master 16 16 20 20 21 20 19 17
Table compiled by John Snelson