Blaze-hit historic Bluecoat rises out of the ashes

Oct 24 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

ONE of Liverpool?s most prestigious buildings has completed its refurbishment after fire swept through it in May and will soon fully reopen.

Liverpool?s Bluecoat centre opened in March after a ?12.5m refit.

Around 10,000 people, including Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, attended a weekend-long celebration.

But, just two months later, the centre closed after a fire tore through the first-floor kitchen.

Last night, Bluecoat chief executive Alastair Upton said: ?The full Bluecoat is back as it should be.



?It is the end of a huge amount of work.?

The Grade I listed building dates back to 1717 and previously functioned as a school.

The initial refurbishment won it a place on the Royal Institute of British Architect?s North West awards shortlist.

As part of the revamp in March, a new wing comprising four new galleries and a 200-seat performance space was opened.

The restaurant, Upstairs at the Bluecoat, sits at the heart of the building, and on Saturday, November 8, it will reopen.

Mr Upton said: ?There?s no other restaurant like it in Liverpool. It?s five-star dining in the middle of this wonderful building.

?You walk past amazing sculptures to get into it and we?ve really majored on its location in an art centre.?

Not much appears to have changed in the restaurant, despite the fact insurers condemned everything when the smoke cleared in May.

Mr Upton said: ?We were very happy with what we had before, and we?re simply bringing it back.?

A few subtle alterations have been made.

A report prepared by fire service deputy chief fire officer Mike Hagen revealed that the impact of the kitchen fire had been made worse by the fact a door had been left open into the kitchen.

Now a roller blind has been installed that will fall at the first sign of fire.

Mr Upton also confirmed that fire safety messages have been reiterated to staff.

Now he is focusing heavily on the reopening.

Children will eat free when accompanying an adult buying a two-course meal on the reopening weekend.

Artist Geraldine Pilgrim, working with the Blue Coat School, which was housed in the building until its move to Wavertree, will stage a free event commissioned for Liverpool Live 08 unfurling the layered history of this former 18th-century school.

The restaurant team have been working hard on a brand new menu, and head chef Matthew Burns said: ?We are using the best quality ingredients possible, and we are working with the wealth of local, sustainable produce we have available in the North West.?

richarddown