WALKER ART GALLERY, LIVERPOOL (Hansard, 19 November 1947)

§ Captain Bullock (Waterloo)
I wish to raise tonight the question of the Walker Gallery, in Liverpool, which has been requisitioned by the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Fuel and Power for the past eight years. The citizens of Merseyside have been deprived of one of the great provincial art galleries in England, Art students of the University of Liverpool have had no place for lectures on the spot, with the pictures hanging round them. Liverpool has been by-passed in all the loan exhibitions which have been touring the country. This is a serious matter for the citizens of Merseyside. In no other provincial city has this happened. Manchester has continual loan collections; Leeds has the advantage of seeing pictures from the Dulwich Gallery; the very fine exhibits of the Cooke Collection have been shown in the provinces; and Birmingham has had her exhibition of pre-Raphaelite drawings. I am no supporter of, nor can I pretend to understand, the later works of Picasso, but I think the House will agree that the works of Picasso have to be seen to be believed. Manchester has had that advantage.
It is a serious matter for the whole of Merseyside to feel that the Walker Gallery may be requisitioned for years to come. We all know that fuel and food rationing must go on for years. The inhabitants of Merseyside have already had eight years without the benefit of this gallery, and I would like to point out that the best purchases made for this gallery have been made since 1939. The citizens of London had the benefit of seeing the purchases of the Walker Art Gallery in a two-room exhibition—an 1302 excellent exhibition—at the National Art Gallery, but the citizens of Liverpool have not been able to see their own pictures. It is essential, if you are fostering the art of students in a university, that they should have a local art gallery, and that they should be able to feel that their own works could be exhibited in their own home town. In Liverpool there is no suitable place. There is the Bluecoat School, and one or two rooms where they can have small exhibitions, but no provision adequate for a great city like Liverpool. The Art School of Liverpool is a fine and progressive institution.
I would urge the Minister to tell us what steps are being taken to find suitable accommodation to re-house the 400 or so people who are working in the Art Gallery now. I believe it could have been done directly after the war, I think opportunities have been lost. I am not going to weary the House with suggestions where the Departments might be moved. I believe there are certain proposals on foot, and I would like to have the assurance of the Minister that this is regarded as a matter of urgency. If we drift on month after month the art students will cease to be students and will become old men. Many of them have never had the opportunity of seeing anything but reproductions of pictures. They know nothing at first hand of modern painters—the Henry Moores, Graham Sutherlands, Keith Vaughans, Mintons and Colquo-houns. All the representative art of today which is being shown by the British Council all over the world is unknown to Liverpool, for the sole reason that the Walker Art Gallery is requisitioned. Representations have been made by some 30 civic bodies, and the full support of the British Council and the Art Council has been given. Therefore, without burdening the House any further at this late hour, I would ask for an assurance from the Minister that we in Merseyside can hope very soon to have some definite report on the derequisitioning of the Walker Art Gallery.

§ Dr. Burnett Stross (Hanley)
May I reinforce the plea so ably made by the hon. and gallant Member opposite? Although not directly connected myself with the City of Liverpool I, like every other hon. Member interested in this subject, would like to see action by the Minister. We feel that the time has surely 1303 now come when a great city like Liverpool should have its freedom. It is a great burden, especially in view of the damage done to the city as a result of bombing. There is very little in the way of amenities of this kind for the people of Liverpool. I remember the Minister answering a question on this subject and giving me a list of the places occupied. I do not think he has realised that his Department is occupying so much accommodation. There are 770 provincial institutions and museums; 250 of these have been closed, damaged or destroyed, or are occupied, leaving only something like 520. The time has come when the main galleries, at least, and particularly one of this description, should be open again, however difficult it may be and however burdensome to the Minister and his Department. They should get out as quickly as possible, and I urge them, therefore, to help us in this matter.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works (Mr. Durbin)
I should like to say, first, that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works and all the officials of my Department are wholly in sympathy with the desire expressed by the hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Waterloo. (Captain Bullock) to vacate this very famous gallery. We are aware that it is one of the most distinguished collections of art available on exhibition in the provinces, if not the most distinguished, and we wholly accept the proposition that it is a matter of great importance that room should be found for the future exhibition of these pictures. I must, however, go on to make the point that the obligation that rests upon my Department necessarily is to find the accommodation for the various activities of the Government Departments that are determined by the general policy of the Government.
I am sure that the hon. and gallant Gentleman is aware that this gallery was originally requisitioned by the corporation; and, as he himself pointed out, it 1304 is not being used in a frivolous or unworthy way. It houses the food office and fuel office which, as he said, have nearly 400 staff, and represent a discharge in the central part of the city of activities that are of the first importance for the citizens of Liverpool.
The only matter, therefore, is the question of alternative accommodation. There can be no dispute about the' necessity of the purposes to which this particular building is being put. It is only a question of whether there is anywhere else for these two offices to go. There, the situation is, as I am sure the hon. and gallant Gentleman realises, exceedingly difficult for my Department. Not only is Liverpool a heavily blitzed city where accommodation of all kinds is inadequate, but, looking at the requirements that are placed upon my Department for the period up to 1950, we find a deficit in our present accommodation. We shall need before 1950 about 200,000 more superficial square feet, that is to say, a 20 per cent. increase in the accommodation at the moment at our disposal. All the plans that we at the moment have in prospect, including concentration of existing staff, will provide only 125,000 of those 200,000 square feet, so that there is a deficit in prospect up to the end of 1950, and that constitutes the difficulty of finding alternative accommodation.
The last thing I should like to say is that it has been brought to my attention at a rather late hour today, that there is a possibility existing at the moment of an alternative and I have given instructions that negotiations for acquiring those alternative premises should be opened. I want, however, to make quite clear that that is no guarantee that those negotiations will be successful. All that I can say is that we shall do our best to make them so, and thus provide a gallery for the citizens of Liverpool.