Click on a region below to see just a selection of fantastic days out to enjoy with your Art Fund card and see some of the wonderful treasures Art Fund members have helped to buy.
North West | Wales | West Midlands | East Midlands | East Anglia
Central Southern | London | South East | South West
Scotland
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Duff House, Banff, is a magnificent country house
gallery in the care of the National Galleries of Scotland. The permanent
collection contains a variety of paintings and furniture, including
pictures by El Greco and Raeburn, chairs by Chippendale and old
tapestries. |
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Bowhill House and Country Park, Selkirk,
has an art collection featuring works by Canaletto, Gainsborough and
Reynolds. Its fine rooms display tapestries, exquisite French furniture,
Sevres and Meissen porcelain and silver. Outside, miles of paths meander
through beautiful woodland and alongside rivers. Members - FREE (normal price - £7) |
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Falkland Palace, Falkland, was the country
residence and hunting lodge of eight Stuart monarchs, including Mary,
Queen of Scots. Built in the 16th-century the palace is a fine example of
Renaissance architecture. It is surrounded by gardens created in the
1950s. Members - FREE (normal price - £10) |
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The Hill House, Helensburgh, is Charles
Rennie Mackintosh's finest domestic creation. It was commissioned in 1902
by the Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie, who wanted an individual home. He
asked Mackintosh to design not only the house and gardens, but much of the
furniture and interiors too. Members - FREE (normal price - £8) |
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Northern Ireland
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Florence Court, Enniskillen, is one of
Ulster's most important 18th-century houses. Set against a stunning
backdrop of the Cuilcagh mountains, the building features exquisite Rococo
plasterwork and a collection of Irish furniture. The house is the former
home of the Earls of Enniskillen and many family paintings and artefacts
have recently been returned there. Members - FREE (normal price - £4.25) |
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Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, tells
the story of emigration from Ulster to America in the 18th and 19th
centuries. The open-air museum features authentically furnished Old and
New World buildings, enlivened by demonstrators going about their everyday
tasks in traditional costume. Outside, the Ship and Dockside Gallery
displays a full-size reconstruction of an early 19th-century sailing ship
of the type which carried the emigrants across the
Atlantic. Members - FREE (normal price - £4.50) |
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Northern England
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Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, is located
in a beautiful Georgian villa set on the edge of the Lake District. The
gallery houses a fine selection of British art, including works by George
Romney, who spent his final years in Kendal. Members - FREE (normal price - £5) |
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Wallington, Morpeth, is a mansion set amid
extensive parkland and gardens. The fine interiors of the house set off a
series of Pre-Raphaelite paintings by William Bell Scott illustrating
Northumbrian history. There is also an intriguing Museum of Curiosities
and the grounds feature a lawn dotted with stone griffin heads and a
hidden garden. Members - FREE (normal price - £8) |
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Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum,
Grasmere, was home to the Romantic poet William Wordsworth and
his family from 1799 to 1808. Inspired by the landscape of the Lake
District, Wordsworth wrote some of his finest works here. Many pieces of
his furniture and portraits are on display. Members - FREE (normal price - 6.20) |
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Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, houses a
collection of European fine and decorative arts from 1400 to 1875. The
collection has a particular emphasis on French arts and Spanish paintings,
but there are also some fine examples of Italian paintings, English
furniture and European ceramics and textiles. Members - FREE (normal price - £7) |
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Yorkshire
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Yorkshire Museum, York, contains some of
impressive archaeological finds, including a wealth of Viking and medieval
treasures. The museum is set amid ten acres of botanical gardens in the
heart of York. Members - FREE (normal price - £4.50) |
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Lotherton Hall, Leeds, has an extensive
collection of fine and decorative arts from the 18th, 19th and 20th
centuries. The impressive costume gallery houses a collection of
historical dresses augmented by works from modern designers such as Zandra
Rhodes and Vivienne Westwood. Members - FREE (normal price - £3) |
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Pannett Art Gallery and Whitby Museum holds a
permanent collection of 500 paintings, including Victorian and earlier
watercolours and oils. The gallery houses a large collection of George
Weatherill watercolours and paintings by the Staithes Group of
Artists. |
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Burton Constable Hall, nr Hull, is a large
Elizabethan mansion with nearly 30 rooms open to the public. The interiors
of faded splendour are filled with fine furniture, features a collection
of scientific instruments. Members - FREE (normal price - £5.50) |
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North West
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Gawthorpe Hall, nr Burnley, is a
17th-century country house with a stunning riverside location. It was home
to the Shuttleworth family for over 300 years and features Rachel
Kay-Shuttleworth's extensive textile collection. The opulent period rooms
beautifully depict the lifestyle of an aristocratic Victorian
family. Members - FREE (normal price - £3) |
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Lyme Park, Stockport, is a Tudor house
which was transformed into a lavish Italianate palace in the 18th century.
The house is set amid a tranquil Victorian garden and vast medieval deer
park, with a woodland estate for visitors to explore. Members - FREE (normal price - £6.50) |
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Judges’ Lodgings, Lancaster, is the city's
oldest townhouse, dating from the 17th century. The house originally
belonged to witch-hunter Thomas Covell and displays a wealth of furniture,
porcelain, silver and paintings. There is also a recreation of an
Edwardian schoolroom featuring a collection of toys and
games. Members - FREE (normal price - £3) |
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Fleetwood Museum is situated in the town's
former Customs House, designed by the famous 19th-century architect
Decimus Burton in 1803. The museum brings to life the story of Fleetwood
and the surrounding Lancashire coast. Members - FREE (normal price - £3) |
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Wales
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Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, is a 19th-century
fantasy castle set in beautiful grounds with a Victorian walled garden and
views over Snowdonia. The contents include a furniture and art collection
along with a dolls museum, a railway museum and extensive Victorian
kitchens. Members - FREE (normal price - £8) |
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Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Brecon,
houses rare early medieval objects along with galleries devoted to the
rural life and natural history of the area. The varied exhibition
programme features the work of contemporary artists living and working in
Wales. Members - FREE (normal price - £1) |
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Tredegar House, Newport, is a 17th-century
mansion set in a beautiful 90-acre park. Here you can take a guided tour
of the impressive state rooms and servants' quarters, enjoy boating on the
lake, or explore the surrounding woodland. Members - FREE (normal price - £5.40) |
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Tenby Museum and Art Gallery is located in
the remains of Tenby Castle. Its galleries are devoted to the geology,
archaeology, natural, maritime and local histories of Pembrokeshire. There
is also a collection of fine art including works by local artists (notably
Augustus John and Gwen John) and visiting artists. Members - FREE (normal price - £3) |
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West Midlands
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Jackfield Tile Museum, Telford, celebrates
the British decorative tile industry from 1840 to 1960. Visitors can see
the original gas-lit trade showroom and explore period room settings with
beautiful tile panels, including an Edwardian underground station and a
children's hospital ward. Members - FREE (normal price - £14) |
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Ford Green Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, is a
17th-century house and period garden with a collection of textiles,
furniture and ceramics. The grounds feature an original 18th-century
dovecote. Members - FREE (normal price - £2.50) |
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Wroxeter Roman City shows what life was
like in the fourth largest Roman city in Britain. Though much of the city
remains underground, the municipal baths and walls are impressive. The
museum provides a fascinating glimpse of life in Wroxeter in the second
century. Members - FREE (normal price £4) |
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Shakespeare's Birthplace,
Stratford-upon-Avon, is housed in the restored building in which
Shakespeare was born and lived with his family. The house provides a
fascinating insight into Elizabethan life, containing original and replica
items that would have adorned it during the Bard's
time. Members - FREE (normal price - £7) |
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East Midlands
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Normanby Hall, Scunthorpe, is a beautiful
Regency house designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1825 for the former Dukes
of Buckingham. Explore the elegant rooms and learn about Lincolnshire's
rich rural history in the Farm Museum. The surrounding grounds have a
walled garden, a deer park, a miniature railway and extensive
woodland. Members - FREE (normal price - £4.40) |
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Woolsthorpe Manor, nr Grantham, is a small
17th-century manor house which was the family home of Sir Isaac Newton.
The physicist formulated some of his major works here, and an early
edition of his Principia is on display. Visit the orchard, which
includes a descendant of the famous apple tree, or explore the Science
Discovery Centre and Young Newton Exhibition. Members - FREE (normal price - £4.50) |
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East Anglia
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Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery was
built by the Normans as a royal palace 900 years ago and is one of the
city's most famous landmarks. Formerly used as a prison, it now houses a
host of treasures from fine art and archaeology to natural history. The
castle boasts the world's largest collection of ceramic
teapots. Members - FREE (normal price - £6.30) |
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Stained Glass Museum, Ely, offers an
insight into the fascinating story of stained glass. Housed in Ely
Cathedral, the museum contains an outstanding collection, from copies of
works by Raphael and Sir Joshua Reynolds to pieces by modern artists such
as Evie Hone and John Piper. Members - FREE (normal price - £3.50) |
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Ickworth, Bury St Edmunds, is a Georgian
house that was built by the eccentric 4th Earl of Bristol. The house has a
distinctive oval design, set amid Mediterranean-style gardens and
18th-century parkland. The collection features some important Old Master
paintings. Members - FREE (normal price - £7) |
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Wimpole Hall, nr Royston, is
Cambridgeshire's largest Georgian mansion. The grand interior features
work by Gibbs, Flitcroft and Soane, while the extensive wooded park was
landscaped by Bridgeman, Brown and Repton. The grounds come complete with
a folly, a Chinese bridge and a tranquil lake. Members - FREE (normal price - £7.50) |
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Central Southern
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Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford,
houses an important collection of Old Master drawings and paintings,
including work by artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and
Rubens. The collection is particularly strong in Italian art from the 14th
to the 16th century, featuring paintings by artists including Filippino
Lippi, Tintoretto and Veronese. Members - FREE (normal price - £2) |
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Wrest Park, nr Luton, has 90 acres of
formal gardens which provide a fascinating insight into the history of
gardening styles. Inspired by the gardens of Versailles, the early
18th-century grounds are famed for their formal design. Highlights include
the pavilion, bath house and a vast orangery. Members - FREE (normal price - £3.50) |
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London highlights
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Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery houses
a highly varied collection, including a superb array of Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist paintings, among them world-famous masterpieces by
Cézanne, Van Gogh, Manet and Renoir. There are also impressive holdings of
Old Master paintings and drawings, Renaissance and modern sculpture,
ceramics, metalwork, furniture and textiles. Members - FREE (normal price - £5) |
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Kensington Palace has been a royal home
for over 300 years. The State Apartments feature paintings, furniture and
other works of art from the time of William and Mary to that of Queen
Victoria, and the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection includes dresses worn
by The Queen and Diana, Princess of Wales. Members - FREE (normal price - £11.50) |
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The Wernher Collection at Ranger’s House
features medieval and Renaissance works of art purchased by the diamond
magnate Sir Julius Wernher (1850–1912). The collection offers a glittering
display of silver and jewels, paintings and porcelain, arranged within the
panelled interiors of a graceful 18th-century mansion. Members - FREE (normal price - £5.50) |
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Foundling Museum tells the story of
London’s first home for abandoned children, which opened in 1739. William
Hogarth, one of the original governors, encouraged leading artists of the
day to donate works to the home, with the aim of attracting wealthy
benefactors. Today the collection features works by Gainsborough, Hayman,
Hogarth, Reynolds, Roubiliac, Rysbrack and Wilson. Members - FREE (normal price - £5) |
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South East
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Ditchling Museum houses a collection of
calligraphy, printed works, weaving, silverwork and local history objects.
Artists and craftspeople represented include Sir Frank Brangwyn, Ethel
Mairet and local children's author Raymond Briggs. Members - FREE (normal price - £3.50) |
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Charleston, nr Lewes, was a focus for the
association of artists, writers and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury
Group. The interior of the house features murals, furniture, ceramics,
paintings and textiles produced by the members of the Group. The
collection also includes work by Renoir, Picasso, Derain and
Sickert. Members - FREE (normal price - £6.50) |
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Osborne House, East Cowes, was the
favourite residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The house was
redesigned and embellished by architect Thomas Cubitt, who added a pair of
Italianate towers which dominate the grounds. The opulent interior
features sculptures, portraits and frescoes. Members - FREE (normal price - £9.50) |
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Royal Pavilion, Brighton, has lavish
interiors which combine Chinese-style decorations with magnificent
furniture and furnishings. Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees
and imitation bamboo staircases, the Palace's unique style mixes Asian
exoticism with English eccentricity. Daring and inventive colours feature
throughout, and there are many original items on loan from HM The
Queen. Members - FREE (normal price - £7.50) |
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South West
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Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, houses a
fine collection of ceramics, jades, bronzes and other treasures from
China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. The museum has almost 2,000
objects dating from 5000 BC to the present day, including a large jade
collection and fine bamboo carvings. Members - FREE (normal price - £4) |
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Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance, has a
wide-ranging collection which includes fine and decorative art, textiles,
archaeology and photography. Among its best-known paintings are works by
artists of the Newlyn School and the Lamorna Group. |
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Lydiard House, Swindon, is an ornate Palladian country
house set in 260 acres of parkland. The house belonged to the St John
family for more than 500 years, and is one of Wiltshire's finest small
stately homes. The elegant ground-floor apartments include family
portraits and furnishings. |
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Dorset County Museum, Dorchester, records
the cultural, social and natural history of the county. Its collection
includes Roman mosaics, Thomas Hardy manuscripts and fossilised dinosaur
footprints. The museum also has a diverse art collection including works
by Gainsborough and Thornhill. Members - FREE (normal price - £6) |
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