Walker Art Gallery

The Walker Art Gallery stands in Liverpool’s William Brown Street, a neo-Classical building that houses one of England’s largest art collections outside London. It began in 1819 when the Liverpool Royal Institution bought 37 paintings from William Roscoe after his banking failure. The gallery opened in 1877, named after brewer and former mayor Sir Andrew Barclay Walker. Its collection grew through purchases and gifts, including works by Rembrandt, Degas and the Pre-Raphaelites. In 1893 the Liverpool Royal Institution lent its holdings, and in 1948 it donated Roscoe’s collection. The gallery survived wartime dispersal and later expansions added space for modern shows. The gallery is worth visiting for its permanent displays and major prizes. It holds the UK’s biggest painting competition, the John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize, running every two years since 1957. Temporary exhibitions have featured Bridget Riley, Walter Sickert and Aubrey Williams. A notable recent addition is Banksy’s vandalised priest bust, Cardinal Sin, now in Room three. The gallery also displays Lucian Freud’s sculpture La Masseuse, donated through Arts Council England’s scheme. Its holdings range from 14th-century Italian works to modern pieces by Gilbert and George. Inside, visitors find 17th-century Old Master galleries alongside Victorian paintings and Pre-Raphaelite works. Sculpture galleries display Gothic ivories and British ceramics. The building sits among William Brown Library, World Museum Liverpool and St George’s Hall on William Brown Street. Nearby Lime Street Station and the Queensway Tunnel entrance make it easy to reach. Tate Liverpool at Albert Dock offers modern art, while the Walker focuses on historic and contemporary pieces across its galleries.