Abbot Hall Art Gallery
Kendal's finest historic house is now an award winning art gallery. Exhibitions showcase a variety of works by a wealth of international artists.
Plan Around Abbot Hall Art Gallery
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Abbot Hall Art Gallery Details
The Gallery is housed in one of Kendal's most important buildings, a Grade I listed villa, on the banks of the River Kent. The galleries offer two floors of light-filled spaces in which to see art. Abbot Hall has a comprehensive collection of George Romney's work. His paintings are hung in the elegant historical settings for which they were painted, amongst fine 18th-century furniture and porcelain. Watercolours are shown in a small gallery reminiscent of a collector's private room, with regularly changing displays that allow a Turner to be seen alongside a Ruskin or a Constable sketch next to works by the likes of Cotman, Cozens and Edward Lear. This has been one of the most active galleries collecting British art in recent years and important works have been acquired, ranging from a Turner watercolour of Windermere to portraits by Stanley Spencer and abstract paintings by Bridget Riley and Sean Scully. Abbot Hall has also secured some spectacular long-term loans, including works by Constable, L. S. Lowry and Lucian Freud. As well as a fine permanent collection, Abbot Hall is acknowledged as having one of the most imaginative and independently minded temporary exhibition programmes outside London. Abbot Hall was designed as an opulent house by architect John Carr of York in 1759 for Colonel George Wilson of Dallam Tower. Recognised as Kendal's finest building, it was lived in by a succession of different families over the next century. It was purchased by the Kendal Corporation in 1896 for 3,750 pounds. By the 1950s it was almost derelict and threatened with demolition until a group of local people formed a charitable trust and raised money to save it. It opened as an art gallery in 1962. Opening Times: Monday - Saturday, 10.30am - 5pm Sundays in July & August, 12 - 4pm Winter closing time: 4pm (Nov - Feb) Closed 17 Dec 2016 - Mid January 2017 Grid Reference: SD 51657 92203 Address (near): Peppercorn Ln, Kendal LA9 5AL, UK
Difficulty
Low
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
N/A
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Abbot Hall Art Gallery
Compare nearby parks around Abbot Hall Art Gallery when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Abbot Hall Art Gallery
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Abbot Hall Art Gallery while the map context is still fresh.
1044.2 mi away
Falling Waters
This is an excellent hiking trail with numerous places where you can cool off along the babbling Dry Brook.
1248.2 mi away
Calder Abbey
The abbey of Calder is situated in a wooded recess nearly a mile from the village of Calderbridge.
1248.4 mi away
Monk's Bridge, Cold Fell
The oldest packhorse bridge in Cumbria.
1248.8 mi away
Wordsworth's House
Wordsworth House and Garden, in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy.
