Visitors will have the rare chance to see inside one of Wirral's historic buildings this weekend. The old lifeboat station on North Parade in Hoylake is set to open its doors as part of the Wirral Open Studio Tours, where artist Terry Duffy welcomes people into his working space.
Artist Terry Duffy's Studio
Terry, who has exhibited his unique work globally in cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town, and New York, took over the building around eight years ago when it was in a semi-derelict state with no running water or electricity. The construction of the former RNLI station was completed in 1899, and it remained a lifeboat station until a new state-of-the-art replacement was created 110 years later.
Terry has leveled the sloping floor, which the lifeboat used to be transported down in emergencies, and bricked up the massive 14ft high doors. He said: "I could have put a big window where the doors used to be, but I'd have never done any work, just sat there looking at the amazing view. I painted it black on the outside because it was a whole mixture of different types of bricks and a bit of a hodgepodge. On the last open studios day I had 500 people coming out of sheer curiosity, saying they’ve always wanted to know what goes on beyond those black walls."
What Visitors Can Expect
Visitors will be able to view the huge space where Terry creates everything from tiny miniatures to the unique and challenging large-scale pieces he is most famous for. He added: "You’ll come into a bit of a gallery space with lots of work for people to look at - different types of work, photography and prints and some of it they can buy. And then you go into the working section with my work table and the easels. The ceilings are very high. You are entering a messy art studio full of art and ideas written on walls, work in progress and lots of strange objects that I collect."
Wirral Open Studio Tour
Taking place from June 13 to 14, the Wirral Open Studio Tour will see more than 90 artists across the peninsula welcoming the public into their creative spaces. Founded in 2009, the event will be the 16th edition of the annual celebration of Wirral artistic talent, offering a rare opportunity to meet artists, learn about their creative processes, and even purchase unique artwork.
A free tour brochure is available online at wirralarts.com, or you can pick up a printed copy at galleries, cafes, community centres, and libraries in the run-up to the event.
