History of The Creative Campus

The opening of the Capstone Building (and associated Angel Field Renaissance Garden later this spring) marks the completion of Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus in north Liverpool.

This project was started in 1995 when the university, based the in leafy suburb of Childwall, realised that this ‘exclusive sub-urbanism’ (Elford) was not completely true to the Mission of the founding colleges nor did it reflect the needs of a city emerging from a long period of economic decline.

The University, with the Archdiocese of Liverpool identified the St Frances Xavier Jesuit site as one with potential. It comprised SFX Church and the former SFX School. The church was designed by J.J. Scholes and built in 1848 and is classified as a Grade II* Listed Building. The school was designed by Henry Clutton in the French Hotel de Ville style, completed in 1856 and designated as a Grade II Listed Building.

The site was purchased for £1 in 1997 and by September 1999 the Gerald Manley Hopkins Hall of Residence, named after the famous poet and Jesuit Priest who was also Curate at SFX Church in the 1880s, was ready for occupancy by 188 students.

Also at this time the former Roman Catholic School (like its illustrious neighbour across Shaw Street, the Anglican Liverpool Collegiate School) was being regenerated with the considerable support of architects Downs Variava to form the Cornerstone Building. The name was derived from Psalm 118:22 the stone the builders rejected.

The renovation, which was awarded the Liverpool Architecture and Design Trust award as the best contribution to the sustainability of the urban environment, cost in excess of £20m and was funded by the generous support of many partners including North Liverpool Partnership, English Partnership, European Regional Development Fund, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Esmee Fairburn and  Garfield Weston Trusts, English Heritage Lottery, Jesuit Province, Archdiocese of Liverpool, the Historic Churches Preservation  Trust and Hope University funds.

During this early period a Friends of Hope Steering Group led by the Rev Dr John Elford and comprising Professor Tom Cannon, Jimmy McGovern, Willy Russell, Louise Ellman MP, Ken Vance, John Flamson, Kathy Riley, Joanna MacGregor, Adrian Henry and Professor Simon Lee were crucial to the completion and success of the project.

The renovation was also completed for September 1999 when Alan Whittaker, Head of Department, moved Fine Art and Design, and Deans Dr Martin Carey and Professor Protasia Torkington moved the Deanery of Hope in the Community into the Cornerstone Building. Many of the campus operatives, catering and domestic staff were recruited at this time from the local community and remain in Hope’s employ.

Since 1999 the Faculty of Arts and Humanities has increasingly located its creative and performing arts departments at this campus. Following Art and Design, came Music and then Drama and Dance. As each department has arrived new facilities such as a recording studio, music technology laboratories,  music basement, 3 performance spaces and theatres and two dance studios have been constructed adding another £5m to the initial investment in the Cornerstone.

The campus has attracted many famous visitors to see the wonderful regeneration and particularly the Great Hall. In 2000 HRH The Prince of Wales visited and spent many hours on the Art and Design studios. In 2002 HRH The Queen and HRH Prince Phillips had lunch in the Great hall following Her Majesty’s distribution of Maundy Money at the Cathedral. And Prime Minister Gordon Brown held hustings for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party in the Cornerstone Great Hall.

From the world of the arts the Visiting and Honorary Professors Joanna MacGregor, John Godber and Vasily Petrenko have been regular visitors as was Willy Russell during his tenure. Rolf Harris, Julian Lloyd Webber,  Sir Simon Rattle, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Turner Prize Winner Mark Leckey, poet Roger McGough, Cornelia Parker, Alan Bleasdale, the Wilson Twins have also performed at the Cornerstone.  Other famous visitors include politician Rajmohan Ghandi, and Nobel Prize Winner, Werner Arber

Of great significance to the cultural activity at the Cornerstone has been the development of the annual Cornerstone Festival by Professor Stephen Pratt and the  Cornerstone Gallery, curated by Jason Jones. The Festival now in its 8th year holds a three week extravaganza in November featuring all the creative arts in upwards of 60 events. The Festival was described by Liverpool Echo art editor as ‘the best of the city-based festivals’. The Cornerstone Gallery has a monthly changing exhibition of nationally and internationally established artists alongside new and emerging visual practitioners. Exhibiters have included the work of Adrian Henri, John Lennon, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paula Rego Eileen Cooper and Rolf Harris.

Also the University has developed very strong links with arts organisations such as the RLPO, the Tate, the Liverpool Biennial and the Bluecoat Gallery. We are the Higher Education Partners of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and host, for example, their Contemporary Music Ensemble 10:10 and the RLPO Youth Choir. We support the Tate and host the prestigious annual Hope-Tate Lecture. We also act as home to arts organisations such as the European Opera Centre, Collective Encounters Theatre for Social Change and MILAP the south Asian multi-arts organisation.

Following the consolidation and expansion of the campus during the first decade of the 21st century to be home to over 1300 undergraduate and postgraduate students the University, with the considerable support of the North West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council, decided to go ahead with the final part in the jigsaw the construction of what was originally conceived as The Rehearsal Rooms but become known as the Centre for Music, Performance and Innovation. This was also conceived as the University’s legacy of 2008 when we contributed so significantly to the City’s Year as European Capital of Culture.

The Capstone, named following a competition-winning suggestion by 2nd year Music  student Gary Highdale,  aims to provide learning, teaching, research and business incubation space to students, graduates, academics and creative and performing artists from across the art and design, drama and dance and music disciplines. There are classrooms and rehearsal spaces, music practice rooms, meeting rooms, incubation spaces and a 300-seater Hope Theatre with a sprung floors and perfect acoustics.

Adjacent to the Capstone and joining the Capstone with the Cornerstone Building is the Angel Field Renaissance Garden with its fountains, performance amphitheatres, Angel Statue and beautiful and quiet reflective spaces. The garden is named after the c19th farm which was located here when it was on the outskirts of Liverpool.