Tucked away in a Grade I-listed building on Water Street lies the Liver Sketching Club – England’s oldest art club.
The volunteer-run club is celebrating its 150th anniversary this week. In this time it has survived two world wars, two pandemics and a fire. Not much, however, has changed since it began.
The room in the Oriel Chambers Building is filled with easels just as it was when it was founded on May 11, 1872. The values of the club have not changed either. The classes offer no formal teaching but a space to experiment with art and to offer each other help and advice.
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The club’s approach to art is part of what sets it apart. David Brown, who has been a member of the club for 23 years and is now its archivist, said: “What this club does is what many universities don’t do with art. They tend to focus on conceptual ideas but here we get stuck into drawing and sketching. There’s no formal teaching but there’s always advice from experienced members.”
Apart from one session, the classes always use live models. There are 85 in total – making it very competitive to model for the artists.
Peter Holland, the current president of the club, described the classes’ method as one of “peer support”. He said: “We don’t tell people how to draw but encourage them to pick up on what’s going on around them.
“A lot of artists suffer from perfectionism. But if you’re in a class that lasts two or three hours and you produce an absolute stinker, you don’t have to show anyone! You learn to accept that you have good weeks and bad weeks and it helps you grow.”
Also key to the club’s longevity is the affordability of its classes. A two-hour portrait class is £3 for members – where competitors will charge more than triple the price.
The Liver Sketching Club puts on more classes than most, at about 40 each month. There are nine class leaders and over 90 members.
David, who is from Bromborough, said: “We may be the oldest art club in England but we’re also the busiest.”
The club’s distinctive style has allowed it to cultivate a unique artistic community. Members range from complete beginners to those who haven’t drawn in 30 years to full-time, award-winning artists.
Peter said: “What’s wonderful about the club is we get people from all demographics, ages and backgrounds. There’s no ego and it’s always so respectful.
“We have such a massive age range - from 18 to around 90 and they have this one thing in common - that they’re artists, that they have this creative urge. That’s what connects us all and bridges that gap.”
Each class has a tea and biscuit break in the middle. Peter likes to play classical music during his sessions and everyone will talk and make friends.
Members understand the value of the club and keep it tidy and put their artwork on display. Participants tend to make rapid progress and Peter said it is amazing to see someone leave pencil behind and start to venture into watercolour.
He said: “People have a genuine emotional connection to the club. We’ve had people come from abroad who have known nobody and they’ve said this has become a second family to them.
“I also think that Liverpool as a city is a huge part of it. It’s such a wonderful and densely cultural city so it’s ideal ground for something like this. It has a unique spirit and community atmosphere but on a nice, small scale.”
The club was founded on May 11, 1872 at 7.30pm by Samuel Burkinshaw, the art master at Liverpool College, and ten of his pupils. He ran evening classes for the young men, meeting in Saint Augustine’s School on Salisbury Street.
Initially known as the Liverpool Amateur Sketching Club, they met once a month and brought back their work to be critiqued by other members. Since then the club has moved several times.
It moved into its first studio in South Castle Street in 1879. From there they went to Williamson Street, followed by Clayton Square (where the old studio is now a Boots chemist).
In 1890 it moved to 11 Dale Street and stayed for 82 years until they were evicted in 1972, the club’s centenary year. Finally, it moved to its current location on Water Street just as the coronavirus pandemic began.
David said: “Covid could have flattened us but there was such a heroic effort to save it. We did everything we could.” When restrictions were removed, the club was overwhelmed by visitors and class leaders had to turn people away as the room was too full.
David and Peter said many people seem to find the club by accident and are immediately drawn to it. Peter himself was recommended to pop into a session eight years ago and said he was immediately hooked as it was such a rare find. David said: “He came along and we couldn’t get rid of him!”
Many famous artists have passed through the sketching club over the years. These include John Finnie, Gilbert Rogers - the famous WWI war artist - and, more recently, Eddie Shakeshaft.
To celebrate 150 years since the club began, the Liver Sketching Club is hosting an anniversary event on Saturday, May 14. They also held exhibitions in the Artists Club and one in The Atkinson in Southport. In November they will put on a big exhibition in the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead.
