Victoria Gallery & Museum

About the museum

The Victoria Gallery & Museum occupies the Victoria Building, the original home of University College Liverpool. The college began in 1882 in a converted asylum on Ashton Street. A purpose-built headquarters was planned for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, paid for by public subscription, and the architect Alfred Waterhouse designed it in a Gothic style using red brick and terracotta. The building was completed in 1892 and later gave rise to the term 'red brick university'.

Over the decades the building housed lecture rooms, a theatre, offices and the Tate Library, which was the university's main library until 1938. Its former reading room was later renamed Tate Hall and became a home for parts of the university's art collections. As departments moved to other sites, the building increasingly served as the university's administrative centre.

For Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture, the Grade II listed building was restored and opened to the public in 2008 as a museum and gallery, opened by the Princess Royal. It now shows collections built up over about 150 years, including paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, scientific and medical objects and natural history material, alongside the story of the university itself.

The museum also holds original drawings and paintings by the naturalist and artist John James Audubon, who visited Liverpool in 1826 to raise money for his work. Changing exhibitions are shown in addition to the permanent galleries.

Highlights

• Red-brick Victoria Building designed by Alfred Waterhouse
• Tate Hall with objects from the university's collections
• Sculpture gallery with works by Elisabeth Frink and Frederic Leighton
• Audubon gallery with original paintings and drawings
• Decorative arts gallery covering Liverpool ceramics and the Willow Pattern
• Early university history in the 'More than Bricks and Mortar' gallery

Permanent exhibitions

• Decorative Arts – A gallery of ceramics and objects, from Islamic influence on European pottery and the Willow Pattern to Liverpool's ceramics industry and links with the slave trade.
• Sculpture – The university's sculpture collection, from classical works to contemporary pieces, including Elisabeth Frink's Gogglehead and Frederic Leighton's The Sluggard.
• Audubon – Original paintings and drawings by John James Audubon, a legacy of his 1826 visit to Liverpool.

Founded

2008

Operated by

University of Liverpool

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to all galleries, exhibitions and most activities is free. Guided tours are free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level entrance with automatic doors, a low-level welcome desk and even floors. Lift to the galleries, museum and lecture theatre, with Braille-labelled controls. Accessible toilets with alarm cords on the ground, first and second floors. Free sensory backpacks and ear defenders can be borrowed, and there is a quiet area on the first floor. Guides to exhibitions are offered in large print and audio formats. Lighting in Tate Hall and some galleries is dim to protect the objects. Seating and folding stools are available. Accessible parking for Blue Badge holders is explained on the museum's accessible parking page.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Baby changing facilities are available on every floor. Free sensory backpacks for visitors with special educational needs and disabilities can be borrowed from the welcome desk, and there is a quiet area on the first floor.

Getting there & parking

Visitors, including coach parties, can be dropped off on Brownlow Hill, where there is a dropped kerb just past the traffic lights opposite the Alsop Building. Brownlow Hill is steep.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Waterhouse Cafe on the ground floor, fully accessible, with table service between 11.30am and 2.30pm. Shop with cards, prints, postcards and gifts. Free lockers behind the welcome desk; large bags may need to be left in the cloakroom, and bags are subject to inspection.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 230 guests.

Capacity up to 80 seated for dinner, 150 standing for a drinks reception and 230 in the Leggate Lecture Theatre. Bookings go through the University of Liverpool Conference Office.

Plan your visit