Williamson Art Gallery

Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation
2025-02-12 10:00 - 2026-01-17 17:00 UTC | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Born in Birkenhead, Philip Wilson Steer was a pioneer of impressionism in Britain during the late nineteenth century. Studying in Paris in the 1880s, he was exposed to this radical way of painting after seeing works by the likes of Degas and Manet. With his loose approach to painting and depictions of scenes that were seen as indecent for the time, Steer was widely ridiculed on his return to London, but eventually gained acclaim and prestige with the increasing influence of the New English Art Club and his teaching post at the Slade School of Art. Later in his career, Steer was inspired by masters of English landscape painting, such as Constable and Turner, with examples of these works being found in the exhibition.
As well as showcasing the Williamson’s collection of Steer, this exhibition will bring his work into conversation with both his contemporaries and local artists who followed in his footsteps. This will showcase his personal approach to colour and painting, but will also show the limitations of his radicalism, largely through his approach to depicting women.
The Williamson’s collection of works by Steer has long been considered a highlight of our collections, which we are delighted to be able to display a significant number of in this exhibition.

EVENTS:
Curator talks on Albert Richards & Philip Wilson Steer – dates throughout 2025
Info & Booking

Albert Richards
2025-02-12 10:00 - 2026-01-31 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
March 2025 marked 80 years since the passing of Albert Richards, the youngest official war artist to be killed in action during WWII. The Williamson holds over two hundred of his works, spanning from his days at the Wallasey School of Art to the frontlines of France in 1944. These works show the incredible talent that Richards possessed, and his influences, from surrealism to Art Deco.
As well as displaying works by artists that inspired him and worked alongside him, such as Stanley Spencer and George Jardine, this exhibition will commemorate his life as a soldier, in which he served a key role in the D-Day landings. This incredible personal narrative, mixed with his unique style of painting, makes him one of the biggest “what ifs?” in twentieth century British art.
EVENTS:
Curator talks on Albert Richards & Philip Wilson Steer – dates throughout 2025
Info & Booking

Un/Earthed - A Retrospective by Landlines Studio
2025-02-12 10:00 - 2025-06-28 17:00 | Merseyside
Digging into the land and lineage of historical sites for the past five years, collaborative artist duo, Angela Stringer and Nicky Perrin present their formative works in an exhibition which reveals the alchemical process of turning raw earth into vibrant expressions of story and place.
Harnessing natural materials such as sandstone, soil, clay and botanical matter from their local Wirral environment and beyond, they create paint and dyes to make work which transcends its origins, merging contemporary techniques with ancient traditions.
A reconstruction of the artists’ apothecary style studio will immerse visitors in their creative practice, showcasing the tools used to hand-process rock into fine pigment, before the time-honoured method of mulling it into paint.
Un/Earthed is the materialisation of journeying between the coasts of Anglesey and woodlands of Wirral. It is an exploration of identity, heritage and tales told through natural colour, reflecting on the deep connection between people and place.
EVENTS:
Film Screening: The Nettle Dress
Friday 23rd May, 6pm, £7

Book Now

Subterranean Elevator
2025-02-14 10:00 - 2026-01-10 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Subterranean Elevator has been conceived by artist Di Mainstone, and developed with a team of inter-disciplinary specialists. The installation invites intrepid visitors to explore the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. On entering a dark, elevator-shaped environment, they will feel a soft earth-like substance beneath their feet, where they can stand, sit, or nestle. As the elevator commences its ‘descent’, subterranean tourists will experience mesmerising sounds and projected visuals, creating the sensation of sinking deep into the earth.
Mainstone has coined the term “Subnosis” to describe this hypnotic journey, in which surreal subterranean creatures flourish amongst fleeting thoughts, tickled by roots and intersected by neural pathways that lead us into an interior universe. In this place of collective contemplation, we are invited to remember our connection to all living and nonliving things here on our precious planet.
The artwork aims to deepen our understanding of biodiversity loss and engage with the emotional landscape of the climate emergency.
How to Experience Subterranean Elevator
Please allow for your eye to adjust to a darker space when entering the space, moving slowly and with caution.
Shoes are to be removed before entering the sand box.
If you are entering the sand box, please use the spaces below the benches to store belongings.
There are steps at the side of the sand box to enter and exit.
Children must be supervised at all times in the space and sandbox.
Do not throw sand.

Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer
2025-02-21 10:00 - 2025-10-18 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
NOW CLOSING 18TH OCTOBER 2025
Discover the life of local legend Elizabeth Smolen, a Polish refugee who settled in Birkenhead and became a champion scooter racer and successful businesswoman.
A keen motorcyclist and engineer, Smolen made a name for herself by repairing, dealing and racing scooters and became part of Wirral’s scooter scene. Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer explores Smolen’s early life against the backdrop of Soviet Poland, and how her daring escape to England allowed her to make a new home in Wirral.
Objects from Smolen’s life, including two Vespa scooters, will be on display, alongside information about Smolen’s rich life, and stories from those who remember her.
The exhibition also explores the broader Wirral scooter scene, featuring photos and memorabilia from Birkenhead-based Cloud 9 Scooter Club.
Produced in collaboration with Big Heritage.

DDFI40: Painting in Light
2025-03-05 10:00 - 2025-03-29 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Williamson Art Gallery is proud to be a participating venue in DaDaFest 2025.
Zoe Partington has created light sculptures featuring slogans which have relevance to disability activism and issues disabled people experience. The work conveys stories, messages and insights into disabled people’s struggles in a world in where society still excludes us from the mainstream. Disabled people still exist ‘on the edges’ and have to fight for equity. These neon signs convey a snapshot of disability history in a simple format with a powerful message.
Her piece ‘Love Not Pity’ will be exhibited in Gallery 4, alongside our current exhibition Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation. Zoe’s work is based upon the slogans of the British disability movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Sitting within an exhibition of nude figures which adhere to conventional beauty standards, the piece makes us question attitudes towards and depictions of disabled people, and charges the slogan with contemporary meaning.
Further pieces from the Painting In Light series will be based in other venues around the Liverpool City Region including The Bluecoat, The Palm House in Sefton Park, Liverpool Lime Street Station, Shakespeare North, Citizens Advice Wavertree and more.
More information about DaDaFest 2025 and Zoe Partington’s work can be found on DaDaFest’s website.
Access: This exhibition can be viewed in person at the venues taking part and will be available to view online (with ALT Text descriptions and supporting audio information). Further access and venue info will be linked here soon.
About DDFI40:
DaDaFest International returns 8th-31st March 2025 to celebrate DaDa’s 40th Anniversary and this time we are coming with ‘RAGE: A Quiet Riot’.
DDFI40 will showcase work by disabled artists that captures all shapes and sides of rage. From the internal quiet frustrations and righteous rage, to overt injustice and activism, DDFI40 will explore disability rights, disability arts, access, ableism and ‘Rage’ in an explosion of creativity.
dadafest.co.uk

Roots of Fashion - the Betty Smithers Design Collection
2025-03-13 10:00 - 2025-04-02 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
This exhibition showcases specially selected garments and accessories from The Betty Smithers Design Collection, University of Staffordshire, to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the Callister Trust, which resulted in the creation of the Callister Garden.
The Betty Smithers Design Collection (BSDC) is a teaching and research collection of over 7000 objects mainly from the 20th-century housed in the Department of Creative Industries, University of Staffordshire.
Each of the items on display around the Williamson Gallery present the ongoing transience and temporal nature of fashion, reflecting the continual changes within society, culture and politics.
The garments and accessories hold a lived bodily experience, signifying moments in time, revealing varying narratives, telling their own unique story, and ultimately forming a collective inspirational statement of liberation and freedom of expression.
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Roots of Fashion by The Callister Trust, taking place at the Williamson on 2oth March. Edward Callister championed women, establishing a Girls’ Club in Argyle Street, Birkenhead, in 1925. The Callister Garden was created as a safe place for women and is situated in an area with strong links to the Suffrage Movement. This exhibition celebrates many of the key moments of women’s fashion from every decade of the Callister Garden’s history, beginning from its inception in the 1920s to the present day.
Betty Smithers Exhibition curated by Senior Lecturer Angela Devoti -University of Staffordshire
Exhibition Tour & Talk – Wednesday 2nd April, 10:30am or 2:30pm – FREE
Find Out More
Roots of Fashion

Ben Youdan 'Mask'
2025-06-05 10:00 - 2025-09-13 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
As part of a series of interventions in our Philip Wilson Steer ‘In Conversation’ exhibition, the Williamson has invited the Liverpool artist, Ben Youdan, to feature a work that contrasts and explores the themes found within Steer’s work.
Youdan’s practice employs a wide variety of techniques and processes including collage, drawing, painting, printmaking and photography, to create imagery that takes inspiration from the iconography and ephemera of popular culture as well as his lived experience. His pieces explore themes such as identity, glamour and sexuality in an unapologetically Queer fashion.

EVENT: On Friday 22nd August at 1pm join Ben Youdan in conversation to find our more about his practice and process. Free, but booking recommended.
Book Now

In Youdan’s own words:
“As an artist, I am interested in exploring the notion that the masks we wear can reveal something intrinsic to our nature. These masks can be physical or psychological. The anonymity of concealing our physical appearance can have a liberating effect, that emboldens the individual to explore their true nature. This inherent contradiction is particularly prevalent within queer sexual subcultures.
Steer’s work is often seen as voyeuristic, whereas mine revels in a more exhibitionist nature, born out of lived experience.
Whilst Steer’s work has a muted, naturalistic colour palette, my work revels in its own artifice. The colours selected are deliberately synthetic, clashing, and even gaudy, but with a self-awareness and exuberance that reflects the unapologetic nature of the subject. In many ways this work is the polar opposite of the muted tones and perceived repression found within some of Steer’s work in this exhibition.
In traditional portraiture, the eyes are typically what the viewer engages with, setting the mood for the piece and revealing a vulnerability in the subject. With ‘Mask’, the eyes are deliberately obscured, presenting my subject in a way that is vulnerable, honest and open in a way that protects them, allowing them to remain indifferent to the judgement they might receive. Where Steer’s subjects are laid bare in a passive, open manner, mine retains their agency and power by presenting an authentic version of themselves and their sexuality – on their terms.
The image of the gas mask can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In this specific intervention it is a device used in sexual role-play in a variety of fetish subcultures which deviate from the mainstream. It often denotes a submissive person who has elected to give themselves over completely to the gratification of a dominant partner. To a mainstream observer, this can often have darker connotations. This piece aims to subvert that presumption. Instead of black shiny rubber, it is presented in pink shiny glitter, challenging preconceived notions of alternative sexual expression.
My complex, handmade, mixed media portraits take inspiration from my lived experience of pop culture, the ephemera of daily life and queer subcultures.”
Part of Independents Biennial 2025

Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation
Ben Youdan’s website

Artist A & Artist B: The Long Haul
2025-07-09 10:00 - 2025-09-13 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
‘The Long Haul’ is an installation by Jackie Haynes and Heather Mullender-Ross, collectively named Artist A & Artist B. The installation has been commissioned by Wirral Council as part of Liverpool Independent’s Biennial 2025.
The net which hangs in the central space is constructed from a decommissioned cargo parachute and is one of a number of evolving artworks and performances created using this fabric. The audio is a recording of two songs based on traditional sea shanties, arranged and performed by Liverpool Shanty Choir with lyrics by Artist A & Artist B, which will be released as a limited edition 7” single.
‘What Were They Thinking’ is a shanty telling the story of Artist A & Artist B’s artwork. From their purchase of a cargo parachute on Ebay, the song narrates how the parachute became a site responsive artwork; it was cut down and made into blankets to host a public picnic, constructed as table cloths, tent dresses and a tennis court for a Dada-esque performance. In the second shanty, ‘Haul The Old Parachute Along’, Artist A & Artist B use collective protesting through the shanty verse to highlight the often precarious pay and conditions endured by many contemporary artists.
Event: On 13th September there will be a closing event featuring a live performance at the Williamson with Liverpool Shanty Choir, a screening of their film ‘The Surplus Badge’ (2023), and the opportunity to purchase the limited edition single.
Free Tickets to Liverpool Shanty Choir performance
Independents Biennial 2025
Photo credit: Ash Hardman.

I'll Tell You Later: BSL Happy Snappers and Emma Case
2025-07-16 10:00 - 2025-11-01 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
NOW EXTENDED TO 1ST NOVEMBER
An inspiring exhibition showcasing the work of the Happy Snappers, a Wirral-based photography group made up of both Deaf and BSL users.
I’ll Tell You Later explores the relationship between the Deaf experience and the hearing world. It sheds light on the barriers D/deaf individuals face, while showing the Happy Snappers as a powerful example of how inclusive, supportive communities can break down these obstacles. Through their work, the group highlights the importance of creating a more inclusive society that benefits everyone.
This exhibition is an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation through the lens of photography.
Happy Snappers are a group of friends who are both Deaf and BSL users. They get together and enjoy life outside and explore some of the Wirral’s hidden locations and beautiful scenery, and capture these locations on camera. They are not a professional photography group but share the same love of meeting people, socialising and having fun.
Emma Case is a socially engaged photographer working with local communities focusing on projects that often explore home, identity, memory and place. Emma is interested in building real relationships over time and working collectively, often looking at social issues and their impact but through the lens of changing the narrative through storytelling. Emma is fluent in British Sign Language and has worked with the Deaf community for over 20 years; from support worker with SignHealth to Actress with Deafinitely Theatre. Emma is extremely passionate about accessibility for Deaf audiences and artists within cultural spaces.
I’ll Tell You Later is part of Photo Here, a programme of socially engaged photographic residencies and exhibitions commissioned by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as part of this year’s Cultural Events Programme. Developed by Open Eye Gallery in collaboration with each of six local authorities: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

Broken Grey Wires: Who Wants Flowers When They Are Dead?
2025-07-25 10:00 - 2025-09-13 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
WHO WANTS FLOWERS WHEN THEY ARE DEAD? is a new exhibition by Broken Grey Wires, exploring grief, loss, identity and community.
‘My dad died five years ago, which was a huge shock that I am still suffering with now. Grief is something that I am confused and frustrated by, it is a soul destroying emotion. The drawing on the poster is of my dad, I drew this when I was about 7 years old.’ (Lizz Brady)
The exhibition will offer a space to reflect, connect, and begin processing experiences of loss. It invites audiences to think openly, share their stories, and engage in honest conversations about grief and healing.
As part of the exhibition, a newly designed Comfort Zone space will be introduced in the gallery, along with fresh toolkits to support exploration and dialogue.
Confirmed artists:
Marcelina Amelia
Jacqui Barrowcliffe
Lizz Brady
Candy Chang
Antony Connelly
Harri Harrison
Chris Jones
Jasleen Kaur
Gurinder Kumar
Jess Loveday
Mercedes Lucy
Ana Mendieta
Zayd Menk
Amy Mizrahi
Sophie New
Dolly Sen
Emily Simpson
EVENT Preserving Ghosts: A Workshop About Picking & Grief. Saturday 06 September, 1pm
Book Now

About Broken Grey Wires:
At Broken Grey Wires (BGW) their mission is to create ambitious and inclusive projects where artists with mental health challenges and/or neurodivergent individuals are empowered through creative opportunities.
Their unique approach stems from their leadership, which includes individuals with lived experiences of mental health challenges, disability and neurodivergence—ensuring that radical empathy and authenticity drive their work. Over the years, they have curated ground-breaking visual art exhibitions that push the boundaries of communication, depicting the nuanced experiences of mental health in ways that resonate deeply with audiences and participants alike.
By continuously engaging with their audiences, they encourage people to dismantle the stigma around mental illness, allowing individuals to embrace their identities and manage their mental health with confidence, autonomy and encouragement
Part of Independents Biennial 2025
Independents Biennial 2025

Image © Candy Chang, photo by Ahmed Alameri

Sunflower Dreams Project
2025-09-17 10:00 - 2026-01-31 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
The Sunflower Dreams Project is a series of exhibitions held across the EU, UK, and North America, organised by a team of international volunteers, all of whom have served in Ukraine since the full-scale war started in 2022.
The project partners with artists Nataliia and Yustyna Pavliuk, who run art healing masterclasses in Lviv, to present a sample of the paintings created by the Ukrainian children they work with. The paintings they create are filled with dreams, joy, and love for family and home.
These paintings are displayed alongside works from the Williamson’s collection by Albert Richards, the youngest official war artist to be killed in action during WWII.
Seeing them side by side offers different perspectives on the impact of war, with The Sunflower Dreams project presenting an important contemporary perspective on how war effects young lives.

More On The Sunflower Dreams Project

The Williamson Open 2025
2025-10-10 08:00 - 2025-12-13 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
The Williamson Open is BACK for 2025! Our much-loved annual exhibition showcases the best in art and photography made by artists across the Liverpool City Region.
The exhibition is now open!
Take It Home: Many of the artworks in the Open are available to buy. You can view and purchase artworks online as well as in-person this year
View the Online Catalogue
On purchases made in the gallery, we offer the Own Art scheme.
Own Art is a national initiative, supported by Arts Council England, to make it easy and affordable for anyone and everyone to buy contemporary art and craft by providing interest-free loans.
Choose the artwork you love, apply for a loan from as little as £100 up to £2,500 and pay it back over 10 months, completely interest-free.

Find out more about the scheme and eligibility criteria: www.ownart.org.uk
Please note that Own Art cannot be applied to online artwork purchases.

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize
2025-11-14 10:00 - 2026-02-21 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
The Williamson is delighted to be hosting the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2025 for its only exhibition outside of London.
The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize has an established reputation as the UK’s most important annual open exhibition for drawing. Established in 1994 by artist and Professor Anita Taylor, currently Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee, and Director of Drawing Projects UK, the annual Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize celebrates talent and excellence in current drawing practice.
The exhibition provides an important platform for artists, designers, makers, architects and other drawing practitioners as a catalyst within their careers, and champions the role, breadth, and value of drawing in creative practices today.
The 2025 awards were announced on 8th October 2025, totalling £27,000 awarded to artists working in contemporary drawing.
The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize is supported by the Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust – and 2025 marks the 8th year of their generous support for the annual open drawing exhibition.

About the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize

Wirral Libraries Story Patchwork Project
2025-12-17 08:00 - 2026-01-02 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Introducing Wirral Libraries Story Patchwork Project celebrating Wirral Borough of Culture!
In January 2024, to celebrate library communities, Wirral Libraries hatched an adventure with a message to borrowers and social media followers to create a patch depicting what they
loved about Wirral- YOUR STORY/YOUR WIRRAL

Every single patch handed in was incorporated into the final Story Patchwork which has been touring Wirral since October 2024, promoting the libraries and celebrating the people, places and communities.
When we think of libraries we think of words but there are more ways to tell a story. Residents aged 4-94 drew, painted, stitched, stuck and wrote to tell their stories in the ways they could.
These patchwork stories are now on display at the Williamson Art Gallery until the New Year. After seeing the patches, people have been encouraged to visit places on The Wirral they had not been before or to revisit places they remember from their past.
Find out more about Wirral Libraries

Loyalty
2026-01-15 10:00 - 2026-05-23 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Loyalty: An Exhibition of Paintings by Steve des Landes

Steve des Landes has been Artist in Residence at the Williamson since early 2025.
This major solo exhibition will include new artwork created in the gallery, alongside more than forty paintings from his recent practice. Together they will present an insight into his bold and singular representations of the human condition.
The exhibition will focus on des Landes representations of figures in the landscape. The people in his paintings are unsentimental; and the artist’s narratives evolve to give an insight into the complex emotional lives of his characters. His paintings are energetic and restless, inviting a constantly evolving dialogue between the painting, artist and viewer.
Des Landes’ personal artistic vision holds a deep connection with the landscape of the Liverpool City Region. His recent move to a studio at the Williamson is part of a continuing journey of engaging with the artistic landscape of the area, which began when he joined the Liverpool Artist’s Workshops in the late 1980s.
The latter cemented his position as an artist with a deep personal psychology and social angle to his work, which continues to be present in his paintings.
View Steve des Landes’ Instagram
TAKE THE ART HOME:
Many of Steve’s paintings included in this exhibition are for sale. You can view and purchase online, or speak to a member of staff in the gallery.
Shop Now

Steve des Landes is represented by David Messum Fine Art Visit their website.

EVENTS:
In Conversation with Steve des Landes and Angela Samata. Friday 13th March, 6pm, free but booking essential. Book Now
The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of events including open studios.

Beyond the Brotherhood: The Legacies of the Pre-Raphaelites
2026-01-23 10:00 - 2026-12-24 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Formed in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, shook the foundations of the British art world with their bold colour palettes, truth to nature, and symbolism.
The Williamson collection holds some of the finest examples of works showing this artistic legacy.
The exhibition will also showcase the various ways in which Merseyside has been influenced by, and instrumental in forging new directions for these legacies.
This will include Birkenhead’s Della Robbia Pottery Company, and the ‘Liverpool School’ of landscape painters.

Echoes of the Floating World
2026-02-04 10:00 - 2026-12-24 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
The Williamson possesses a small but notable collection of woodblock prints in the Japanese Ukiyo-e style.
These were made by some of the most important names in the period, from Hiroshige to Hokusai.
Their motifs of flat perspectives, high vantage points, and bold colour distinctions, were a radical influence across European art, including by artists from Wirral.
As such, this exhibition will show local artworks alongside Ukiyo-e prints, communicating how Wirral artists have been influenced by, and in dialogue with, artists from across the world.

Guest Artist: Kate Stewart
2026-02-09 10:00 - 2026-05-09 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Factory Floor Jewels is a growing UK jewellery brand by independent design-maker Kate Stewart.

Each piece is meticulously handmade in her Liverpool studio and tells the story of her fascination with the engineering and marine history of the city which stems from her relationship with her engineer father.

Inspired by the enduring strength and beauty of industrial materials and processes, each Factory Floor Jewels collection features an eclectic mix of materials, including silver, steel, brass, and copper, creating jewellery that is both captivating and versatile.
Most of her designs begin with scrap or waste materials gathered from local engineering workshops. Her final collections sometimes feature these repurposed materials and all silver used is recycled.

Kate creates pieces that have a timeless look, with clean lines and classic silhouettes that never go out of style. Factory Floor Jewels pieces tell a story and are always conversation starters designed to make you stand out from the crowd. They also make perfect gifts for those who appreciate unique design and a touch of industrial flair.

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The Portrait Paradox
2026-02-14 10:00 - 2026-05-09 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
The Portrait Paradox brings together portraits from the Williamson’s collection and Liverpool-based artist Adrian Jeans’ portrait-based sculpture, drawing, photography and video.
Jeans says: “Influenced by the Williamson’s fascinating art collection, I have been inspired by an under-acknowledged progressiveness in portraiture.
At its best it challenges the norms of the time and The Portrait Paradox will show how I and others have taken portraiture beyond a simplistic paradigm and used it to explore our wider humanity”

EVENTS: Click here to BOOK

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Frances Carlile: Passage
2026-03-09 10:00 - 2026-07-04 17:00 | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Passage is an installation of beautiful and delicate vessel and house structures by environmental artist Frances Carlile. Together they evoke the many types of journeys taken by individuals during their lifetime, and symbolise the transient passage between life and death.
Each one has been handcrafted using organic material collected during the artist’s own journeys through the landscape, including along the coastline of North Wales and Wirral.
