James Lord Bowes

In 1888 he was appointed the first foreign-born Japanese Consul in Great Britain, a post he held until his sudden death in 1899 at the age of 65.

In 1890, in the grounds of Streatlam Tower,[1] his home in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, he opened to the public the first dedicated museum of Japanese art in the western world.

Upon leaving college, he worked for nearly seven years in a merchant's office gaining useful experience in general merchandising, including the city's well-established cotton trade.

The business prospered and in January 1859 he was made a full partner in the firm of John L. Bowes & Brother, Wool Brokers.

James also travelled to America that year in search of new business opportunities, the first of many overseas trips he was to make in the decades that followed.

[4] In 1867 James Lord Bowes moved to Streatlam Cottage, set in its own grounds adjacent to Strawberry Field in Beaconsfield Road, in semi-rural Woolton, some six miles south of Liverpool city centre.

The Adam family were established importers of oranges and soft fruit based in London and Liverpool, William being the manager of their estates in Portugal.

In 1872 he commissioned the building of the imposing Streatlam Tower, 5 Princes Road, Liverpool by architect George Ashdown Audsley, with whom he shared a passion for Japanese art, particularly ceramics.

Arising from this event he co-authored the Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese Lacquer ware of the Bowes Collection.

In April 1891 he hosted a Japanese Fancy Fair in the museum,[7] attracting 20,000 people in six days and raising £5,290 (£580,000 in 2012 values, ref: Safalra.com) for Liverpool charities.

Attempts to find a new home for his extensive collection failed and the contents of the museum were sold at an 11-day public auction in Liverpool in May 1901.