The Williamson Museum and Art Gallery opened in December 1928. It owes its name to its benefactors. It looks like a discreet classic one-story building located in the residential suburb of Oxton. The museum houses the vast majority of Wirral's collection of artistic and historical works. Several aspects of the history of Wirral and Birkenhead are described here. The art collection housed here has developed considerably since its inception, particularly with the works of Pre-Raphaelite artists. Watercolors are particularly well represented in Williamson's early collections. In the 1920s and 1930s a huge number of British watercolors were purchased to make the collection as complete as possible. Less well represented in the collections is the 20th century, as curators of the time did not feel confident in buying modern works. However, many contemporary art exhibitions are - and always have been - staged regularly in galleries. Today the museum focuses on artists with local connections, many of whom have been students or teachers in Liverpool or Birkenhead. The Fine Art collection also includes Welsh artists. As the collection grows, the visitor can also admire Oriental pottery, West African wood carvings, Irish glass and Cretan antiquities. Of particular note are the local pottery which includes the Knowles Boney collection of Liverpool porcelain, from the second half of the 18th century, and the Robbia pottery. There is also a gallery dedicated to the sea which opened in 1963, which brought models, images and artifacts from the shipping companies.