An integral part of an already heady line-up of events scheduled for Southport this year (The Open Golf Championship, Southport Flower Show, Southport Air Show and the British Musical Fireworks Championship), as part of the return of the much anticipated Southport Heritage Open Days Festival (11th-20th September) a group of local artists (Becky Atherton, Marion Bayliss, Serah Stringer Grech & Lynn Thompson) have been investigating the legacy of Southport’s rich artistic culture as inspiration for their new exhibition at The ArtHouse in EastBank Street.
As Becky Atherton from Burscough explains: “While being part of the SCA Heritage Group we explored number 479-481 on Lord Street, a beautiful blue tiled, Victorian eclectic building. During the making part of the project our interest was sparked by the female head situated at the top of the building often surrounded by pigeons! Research named her as Salus the Roman Goddess of safety, welfare, health and prosperity. I wonder is Salus still protecting the people of Southport today and in turn are the pigeons protecting her?”
Originally from Lancashire, Becky has only recently found time to focus on her own creative practice after working as a community artist for 25 years. Subsequent to completing her MA in Fine Art at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston in 2021, Becky received a ‘developing your creative practice’ grant from the Arts Council in 2023: “I have collaged different parts of the Salus building into my two paintings, areas that I have found most interesting such as Salus herself, with the striking red brick and pale blue glazed brick, the sandstone carved keystone tiger with leaves and the star-shaped windows. I have tried to evoke a story within my work, how the pigeons and tigers are protecting their Goddess Salus and all the fertility of a floral stone carving that celebrate her power and status.”
Moving from the rolling hills of Somerset to the industrial heritage of Lancashire four years ago, Marion Bayliss never imagined that Southport’s architecture would ever become part of her creative journey: “When a local project invited me to explore one of Southport’s most distinctive landmarks – affectionately known as the Blue Building and more formally as the Salus Building on Lord Street – something shifted. What began as a simple attempt to learn more about my new surroundings quickly became a doorway into community, history, and artistic inspiration.”
She explains: “The building’s striking Victorian façade immediately caught my attention. Its unusual beauty, the elegant blue tiles and especially the sculpted head crowning the frontage all hinted at stories waiting to be uncovered. Inside, those stories deepened. A stained‑glass window in one of the apartments – hidden from public view – revealed a world of colour and craftsmanship that felt too special to keep to myself”.
One detail in particular – a flower motif – triggered her latest artistic endeavours: “I began sketching, letting its curves guide the design for a scarf that could carry a small piece of the building out into the world. I paired the flower with oak leaves, echoing details from the same window and framed the composition with a mosaic pattern inspired by the tiled floor visible through the shopfront. The final border drawn directly from the building’s iconic blue tiles, tying the whole piece back to its architectural muse”.
Multi discipline installation artist, Serah Stringer Grech, is also a newcomer to Southport having moved from Malta to complete her MA in Fine Art at LJMU in 2021. Her artistic practice originates in the habitual collection of objects and a desire to intervene in and build with organic forms. Serah’s collected objects, materials arrangement and meticulously researched narratives are usually used in order to heighten the sensorial awareness of the participant in the spaces in which they are shown.
The historic Grade ll-listed building has further triggered Serah’s own investigations into Southport’s heritage: “This body of work is a reaction to the research and architectural grandeur of the blue Salus Building on Lord Street. As part of the architectural research, I was intrigued by a Victorian technique of glazing bricks to decorate buildings that was fashionable then thus contributing the blue colour to the building. I enjoyed the modular regularity of the brick patterns and I allowed this to drive my jewellery design and material choice”.
Currently exploring the world of print making at Southport College, Lynn Thompson originally from Liverpool, is also a keen potter: “I have always loved to draw and paint and I use these skills to create ‘sgraffito’ designs on clay usually influenced by the natural world. The Heritage Project has given me a different focus through access to one of the most iconic buildings on Lord Street – The Blue Building. The inside of the building with it’s stained glass and mosaic floor have inspired me to create ceramic works which echo the colours and shapes found there. In particular, looking at the patterns of brickwork and embellishments on the façade, I have produced ceramic tiles and plaster castings”.
In addition to the exhibited display the team are offering several free show & tells that can be pre-booked via the SCA website (arthousesca@gmail.com):
Tuesday 15th Show and Tell 10.00am-12.00pm: The making of the ceramic Salus tile, led by Lynn Thompson.
Wednesday 16th Show and Tell 1.00pm -3.00pm: The Gelli Printing of the Salus Building, led by Marion Bayliss.
Thursday 17th Show and Tell 11.00am-12.15pm: The making of Salus inspired jewellery, led by Serah Stringer Grech.
Friday 18th Sketching Salus 10.00am-12.00pm: Come and sketch Salus who will be appearing in person in the window of the gallery, led by Becky Atherton.
Certainly not one to be missed, “Hidden Spaces and Silent Voices” will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, Southport from 8th– 26th September 2026. The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00. Saturday 11.00-16.00.