Bluecoat
Bluecoat is a Liverpool-based registered charity operating the UK's first contemporary arts centre from a Grade I listed 1717 building, delivering free exhibitions, inclusive community programmes for learning-disabled adults and children, and venue hire to general visitors, families, artists and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1717
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bluecoat does
Bluecoat is a registered charity (number 700862) operating Liverpool's contemporary arts centre from a Grade I listed building dating from 1717, the oldest building in Liverpool's city centre. Established as the UK's first arts centre in 1927 and approaching its centenary in 2027, Bluecoat delivers free contemporary art exhibitions, an award-winning programme for families and children, inclusive arts programmes for learning-disabled and neurodivergent adults (Blue Room, Studio Me, Blue Room Moves), and youth programming (Young Blue Room, ages 14-25). It also operates a Print Studio, on-site café and bistro, a city-centre garden, and a retail shop.
The organisation runs a diversified revenue model combining earned and contributed income. Recurring streams include annual membership at £35 per year and a higher-tier Patron programme, a charity lottery priced at £2 per week with weekly prizes up to £1,000 (minimum 60% to Bluecoat), and donations. Transactional streams include venue hire for weddings and corporate events (marketed through the 'Bluecoat for Business' and 'Events with Impact' initiatives), retail merchandise (including the Bluecoat Collection and online shop at shop.thebluecoat.org.uk), and the café and bistro. Grant funding is provided by multiple institutional partners, with Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council as core funders alongside the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Health Lottery Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Granada Foundation, Johnson Foundation, PH Holt Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Bluecoat serves a deliberately broad audience including general visitors, families with children, learning-disabled adults, young people, artists seeking exhibition and residency opportunities, and corporate and wedding clients. Programmes such as Out of the Blue (children aged 5-11, since 2014) and Blue Room (learning-disabled adults, since 2008) deliver outreach into deprived areas of Liverpool and Runcorn, with Blue Room Halton operating from Norton Priory Museum & Gardens. The organisation employs 234 people, is led by Chief Executive Mary Cloake, and is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired since October 2025 by Dr. Maureen Royce and Eddie Berg.
Bluecoat firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bluecoat
- Legal name
- Bluecoat
- Website
- https://thebluecoat.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1717
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Bluecoat is a Liverpool-based registered charity operating the UK's first contemporary arts centre from a Grade I listed 1717 building, delivering free exhibitions, inclusive community programmes for learning-disabled adults and children, and venue hire to general visitors, families, artists and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bluecoat industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts and Cultural Services
- NAICS
- Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where Bluecoat is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bluecoat business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Membership subscriptions: Annual membership at £35 per year, offering benefits including exclusive events, discounts, and newsletters. Provides recurring revenue and supporter engagement.
- Donations and charitable giving: As a registered charity (number 700862), Bluecoat relies on donations from visitors and supporters to fund free exhibitions and community programmes.
- Charity Lottery: The Bluecoat Charity Lottery (Giant Cash Bonanza) costs £2 per week with prizes up to £1,000 per week. Minimum 60% of contributions go to Bluecoat.
- Retail (Shop and merchandise): On-site shop selling Bluecoat merchandise including prints, tote bags, publications, ceramics, and artist-designed products. Also available via shop.thebluecoat.org.uk.
- Café and Bistro: On-site café and bistro serving food and beverages, providing ancillary revenue from visitors. Includes 10% discount for members.
- Event hire and venue rental: Revenue from hiring spaces for weddings, corporate events, and private functions in the Grade I listed building.
- Patron programme: Patron memberships offering enhanced benefits beyond standard membership, including behind-the-scenes experiences and exclusive access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard annual membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Charity Lottery participation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Baby Book Club course |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Family Christmas storytelling event |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bluecoat product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bluecoat operates Liverpool's contemporary arts centre housed in a Grade I listed building dating from 1717, delivering free gallery exhibitions, community arts programmes (Blue Room for learning disabled adults and Out of the Blue for children), printmaking workshops, retail, a café and bistro, venue hire for weddings and corporate events, and supporter membership. Established in 1927 as the UK's first arts centre, it combines contemporary art presentation with inclusive community engagement and operates as a registered charity.
Product overview
Bluecoat is Liverpool's contemporary arts centre and the UK's first arts centre (since 1927), operating as a single unified cultural venue rather than a software platform. The organisation offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes and services centred around its Grade I-listed building: Gallery Exhibitions provide free contemporary art experiences; Blue Room and Out of the Blue deliver inclusive and community arts programmes for disabled adults and children respectively; the Print Studio supports printmaking; and Event Hire and the Bluecoat Shop generate revenue to sustain free access. Membership and Patron Programmes provide supporter benefits, while the Café, Garden and Library complete the visitor experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Out of the Blue: After school art club for children aged 8-11 delivered weekly in schools across Liverpool including Norris Green, Anfield, and Picton.
- Blue Room
- Studio Me
- Blue Room Moves
- Young Blue Room
Products and services
- Gallery Exhibitions
- Blue Room
- Out of the Blue
- Studio Me
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 200 families welcomed through Baby Book Club since 2014
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bluecoat
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Bluecoat technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bluecoat partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Lush LiverpoolmajorMultiple artistic collaborations including festive advent calendar design, window installation, and celebration events. Blue Room artists worked with Lush on creative projects.
- Norton Priory Museum & GardenscoreBlue Room Halton operates from Norton Priory in Runcorn, where members explore heritage and create art inspired by the natural landscape.
- Future Arts CentresmajorPartnership for UK-wide 'Our Freedom: Then & Now' programme marking 80th anniversary of VE Day. Bluecoat one of 60+ venues participating.
- Libraries ConnectedminorPartner in Future Arts Centres' 'Our Freedom: Then & Now' programme.
- Open Eye GalleryminorPartner in Future Arts Centres' 'Our Freedom: Then & Now' programme.
- Culture LiverpoolminorSupported by Culture Liverpool as a funder and cultural partner.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bluecoat competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: Gateshead-based contemporary art gallery operating from a converted industrial building with free admission. Comparable as a UK regional contemporary-arts venue focused on exhibitions, learning, and community engagement.
- Ikon Gallery: Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery with free admission presenting temporary exhibitions and learning programmes. Comparable as a UK regional free-admission contemporary art venue with a strong education and community focus.
- Tramway: Glasgow's contemporary arts venue presenting exhibitions and live performance in a converted tram depot. Comparable as a UK regional contemporary-arts centre with free exhibitions and a community/education remit.
- Arnolfini: Bristol's contemporary arts centre combining visual art, performance, and film programming. Comparable as a registered charity arts centre presenting free exhibitions alongside paid workshops, events, and a café/shop.
- Spike Island: Bristol-based contemporary arts organisation combining a free gallery with artist studios and learning programmes. Comparable as a free-admission contemporary art venue supporting emerging artists and community engagement.
- Tate Liverpool: Contemporary art gallery located in Liverpool, presenting free exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Directly comparable as a free-admission contemporary art venue serving overlapping Liverpool audiences, though operating at a much larger national scale under the Tate brand.
- FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology): Liverpool-based contemporary arts organisation focused on film, media, and technology-based art. Comparable as a peer contemporary-arts venue in Liverpool with overlapping audience and artist-development programming, and historically connected via Bluecoat's Co-Chair Eddie Berg (former FACT CEO).
- HOME: Manchester's combined contemporary arts centre (theatre, cinema, galleries). Comparable as a UK regional contemporary arts centre combining exhibitions, performance, and community programming with venue hire.
Broad incumbents
- Southbank Centre: UK's largest arts centre, presenting contemporary art, music, and performance on London's South Bank. Comparable as a multi-art-form arts centre combining exhibitions, venue hire, retail, and F&B, but at significantly greater scale.
- Walker Art Gallery: Liverpool's historic fine-art museum, part of National Museums Liverpool. Comparable as a Liverpool art exhibition venue with free admission, though broader in scope (historical to contemporary) and publicly funded rather than a registered charity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bluecoat social profiles
Digital presenceBluecoat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bluecoat leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Bluecoat subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Bluecoat funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bluecoat M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bluecoat
What does Bluecoat do?
Bluecoat operates Liverpool's contemporary arts centre housed in a Grade I listed building dating from 1717, delivering free gallery exhibitions, community arts programmes (Blue Room for learning disabled adults and Out of the Blue for children), printmaking workshops, retail, a café and bistro, venue hire for weddings and corporate events, and supporter membership. Established in 1927 as the UK's first arts centre, it combines contemporary art presentation with inclusive community engagement and operates as a registered charity.
Is Bluecoat a public or private company?
Bluecoat is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Bluecoat founded?
Bluecoat was founded in 1717. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Bluecoat based?
Bluecoat is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bluecoat make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Membership subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are donations and charitable giving, charity Lottery, retail (Shop and merchandise), café and Bistro, event hire and venue rental and patron programme.
Who are Bluecoat's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Ikon Gallery, Tramway, Arnolfini, Spike Island, Tate Liverpool, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and HOME. Broad incumbents are Southbank Centre and Walker Art Gallery.
Does Bluecoat have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bluecoat.
What industry is Bluecoat in?
Bluecoat's product category is Arts and Cultural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of EDAAAGAA, Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration). Its NAICS code is 71211.