A Report on the Academy Service 2023

15 Oct 2023

The Academy Service this year on the life and achievements of William Roscoe was given by Revd. Phillip Waldron, Minister of the Unitarian church in Ullet Road, Liverpool.

Phil has spent a great deal of his time learning about the life of William Roscoe and this was evident in the breadth and depth of his lecture. Speaking of Roscoe's campaigns against slavery, he stated that William Roscoe put anti slavery and Unitarianism as one.

Describing Liverpool as a City of Culture, he informed the congregation that it was Roscoe who first propounded this. Roscoe established his own art collection originally of Primitive Italian paintings. These with many others were purchased by George Walker and became the foundation of the Walker Art Gallery's collection.

A man of letters, art. botany, theology and science Phil considered him very much the architect of modern Liverpool. His links with Cairo Street are through his great friendship with the Revd. Enfield who had formerly been his Minister and friend in Liverpool.