Grade II-listed Elevator Studios provides new home for artist‑led gallery and studio collective The Royal Standard after its previous home was closed down. Tony McDonough reports

A Liverpool gallery and studio complex comprising more than 40 independent artists has found a new home in the city after the closure of its previous home.

The Royal Standard (TRS) was based in Northern Lights, a creative hub in the Baltic Triangle that was recently closed and repurposed. Now TRS has taken a 3,059 sq ft space at Elevator which is also in the Baltic.

Owned by Manchester property business CERT, Grade II-listed Elevator offers 90,000 sq of accommodation. Along with Baltic Creative the facility was one of the first to establish the Baltic Triangle as a hub for the creative industries.

After CERT heard about Northern Lights it moved swiftly to help TRS secure a new base. Ellis Michael, commercial asset manager for Elevator, said: “We are very happy to welcome TRS to Elevator Studios and support its community of artists.

“When we heard about the closure of their previous home, we recognised the imminent threat to a slice of the city’s grassroots art scene and immediately reached out to offer a creative sanctuary.

Bringing them in alongside our other like‑minded creators aligns perfectly with our mission to be a central hub for Liverpool’s creatives, while successfully preventing the fragmentation of this vital independent collective.”

TRS has taken a large commercial suite at the complex. The group is now custom‑partitioning the expansive floor plate into a mix of private working studios and dynamic shared spaces tailored to its members’ varied creative practices.

Theis model mirrors the long‑standing success of Arena Studios, another renowned artist collective based on Elevator’s first floor.

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Founded in 2006, TRS is a registered charity and a cornerstone of the North West art scene, providing affordable studios, exhibitions, and professional development opportunities for emerging and mid‑career artists.

In a statement it said: “Our relocation to Elevator Studios means we don’t just survive the closure of Northern Lights, but we get to remain in the Baltic Triangle community. Our new

space allows us to build a tailored environment for our artists.”