Holt was born in West Derby (now in Liverpool). She was the only child of Elizabeth (born Bright) and George Holt. Her father was co-founder of the Lamport and Holt shipping Line and he was a strong supporter of University College, Liverpool. Holt attended lectures there on architecture in 1884 and 1900-1901.[1] Her family were Unitarians and she was a strong supporter of the Reverend John Hamilton Thom who was minister at the Renshaw Street Unitarian Chapel on Mount Pleasant in Liverpool. She became a leader of that chapel. In 1894 Thom died and the chapel began its move to Ullet Road where Holt continued as one of its leaders.[1]
In 1883, she and her parents moved into Sudley House and this would be her home until she retired. Her father died in 1896 and her mother in 1920.[2]
In 1889 Percy Bigland completed a portrait of her and it is in the Sudley House collection.[3]
In 1896 her father died and she and her mother continued and expanded the family's philanthropy.[1]
In 1909 she joined the council of the University of Liverpool and apart from a year gap in 1915–16 she served there until 1934. The university had been created in 1903 and she was unusual being a woman on the university's council in addition to being a life governor of the university and University College. The university recognised her contribution when they granted an honorary doctorate of laws in 1928.[1] More widely she was seen as the university's "fairy godmother" finding few peers to her generosity except maybe Belfast's Eliza and Isabella Riddel.[4]
Holt died on 19 December 1944 at her home in Coniston where she had retired.[1] She bequeathed a painting by John Everett Millais, Landscape, Hampstead, to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.[5]
s_portrait_of_EmmaHolt_1862-1944.jpg)
