Northlight Chapel Allerton

Just down the hill from Chapel Allerton’s bustling high street sits one of the area’s loveliest surprises: Northlight Arts Centre – a cosy, colourful, quietly brilliant creative hub tucked inside the old Shoulder of Mutton pub on Potternewton Lane. And somehow, unbelievably, it’s already been open for over three years.

It’s the sort of place you wander into for a Dark Woods Coffee and end up staying because someone’s making jewellery in the corner, a life‑drawing class is warming up, and the garden is so peaceful you forget you’re five minutes from the traffic lights.

Northlight Chapel Allerton is run as a Community Interest Company, which basically means every brew, workshop and exhibition helps fund more accessible arts activity for the people who couldn’t otherwise afford it. It’s creativity with purpose – and a proper community spirit behind it.

A place where anyone can make something Northlight’s whole ethos is simple: creativity belongs to everyone.

Their pay‑as‑you‑feel sessions welcome absolute beginners, seasoned artists and everyone in between. People come to make things, yes – but also to chat, unwind, build confidence and find a bit of routine in a friendly, no‑pressure space. It’s art as connection, not competition.

Summer at Northlight
July and August are packed with chances to try something new:

• A four‑week ceramics course with Niamh Philips
• Life drawing with artist Boris Cruse
• Jewellery making with Amanda Burton
• Fabric block printing with Aidan Liggins
• Watercolour florals with Davinder Madaher
• Art history talks on constructivist pioneers Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova
• Weekly Community Creativity sessions running all summer on a pay‑as‑you‑feel basis

Whether you’re dipping a toe in or diving right in, there’s something to spark your imagination.