Eighty years of culture

12:19pm Monday 29th September 2008

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The Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead has long been at the heart of Wirral culture.

This purpose built gallery was opened in December 1928 and housed the vast majority of Birkenhead’s collection of artistic masterpieces in a series of varied and well proportioned galleries.

On permanent display are Victorian oil paintings, English watercolours, Liverpool Porcelain, and DellaBir Robbia Pottery.

This Capital of Culture year has seen a marked increase in visitor numbers Curator Colin Simpson told the Globe: “There has been an increase. I don’t think it’s been huge, but I have noticed that the range of visitors has come from rather further afield as possible.

“I’m interested in promoting the gallery as a significant player in the visual arts on Merseyside.

“Because we’re tucked slightly away in town, we’re not as obvious to people as a lot of the other places and so you have to work that little bit harder.”

A landmark exhibition is taking place at the venue later this year featuring the work of local tapestry firm AH Lee’s. Running from December 1 to March 30, it features work which was installed in plush hotels and offices, Cunard liners and the White House under the Kennedys. The company also became involved with famed Venice fashion designer Mariano Fortuny and the exhibition contains one of his iconic Delphos dresses – a staple of the fashionable wardrobes from Edwardian days.

Born into a textiles family, Arthur H Lee set out on his own to recreate the quality and appearance of luxury textiles of the past by combining machine production with skilled hand finishing.

Starting on a small scale in 1887, by the turn of the century Lee was working with the most famous designers of the era.

Not content with weaving alone, Lee established an embroidery workroom at Stanley Road, Birkenhead in 1908 and by 1930 was employing 126 needle-women.

The New York branch of the company assembled the work of the best British and American textile manufacturers to establish one of the largest textile showrooms in the US.

The Birkenhead factory closed in 1970 but the Lee name lives on – the US arm of the firm is still in existence as prestige fabric firm Lee Jofa.

Looking forward to the exhibition, Colin Simpson added: “We’re hoping that people with family connections to the company will enjoy this tribute to their work.

“There will also be plenty to interest needlework and textile fans.”