Recently I headed back to my childhood stomping ground, and as I always do I made sure I spent some time in the beautiful and historic UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath. It's not far from my parent's house and was a regular weekly Saturday trip for me when I lived at home; even more so when I worked at The Fashion Museum in Bath many years ago.
This visit was not just for the fabulous shopping and Saturday Farmer's Market, one of the first local Farmer's Market in the UK (begun in 1997), but to go and see the newly opened Holburne Museum on Great Pultney Street. This art collection, that was bequeathed to the city in 1882, has been closed for the past 3 years, as a new extension has been added to the Neo-Classical building by architect Eric Parry. It reopened on 14 May this year.
Controversial at the time, when you are actually within the new extension there is no hint of its modernity. Even from the outside I felt that although rather unusual, in its own right it had a not unpleasant look to it. Green mottled ceramic tiles seem to make up the extension with a lot of glass used too of sharp vertical lines. From the back it looks like some modern Gothic Cathedral!
The weather was very pleasant that day but I do have to say it was rather warm inside the museum even though it wasn't overly crowded. I do hope that they have some air conditioning within the main house itself. The only cold room appeared to be the Picture Gallery, which kept the Gainsborough's, Turner's and Stubb's at a constant cool temperature.
The collection of Sir Thomas William Holburn includes not just paintings but a fantastic Majolica and Meissen collection, furniture, silver, plus smaller objects such as miniatures, coins and jewels. I really loved that in the new galleries you could pull open drawers beneath the main displays and see even more of the collection laid out for you. A lot of people in the Galleries didn't realise you could do this, and a very kind member of staff was on hand showing people. Children can have fun in the Museum too as most of the bottom drawers contained activities for them.
There was no map as such as far as I could see at the entrance that was free to take around, unless they had run out of them, though to be honest the Museum is not so vast that you would get lost. A Guidebook was available to purchase at the Visitor Desk for £9.95 (price as of June 2011). There was also a small shop by the entrance, but I have to say that myself and my partner were so enjoying the Museum that we forgot to go back there to have a look around! Maybe they will eventually have a shop online too?
There was a waiter/waitress service cafe through the back of the Museum, in the new extension. Comfy looking chairs inside and outside, plus some very scrumptious salads and cakes were on display tempting the visitor. Once outside the back one could walk through a gate and be within the lovely Sydney Gardens, Bath's oldest park. Known locally as "little Venice" due to the number of bridges that cross the park over the River Avon and railway, the park contains Classical Temples and was once frequented by the author Jane Austen as well as royalty.
One of the temporary exhibitions on display that should really be kept at the Museum is by the artist Karen Wallis, who over the 3 years of the new build, sketched and recorded the whole building works. Around the top of the room hang quick pencil sketches of all the people involved, from the Museum Curator to the electrician! The walls are covered with her work and her sketchbooks can be viewed via a computer where the pages can be turned. The sketches are quick, vivid and express movement and really bring to life, in black and white, the progress of the works.
The Museum is open 7 days a week, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. Entrance is FREE, though there is a charge for the Temporary Exhibitions.
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| Pultney Bridge, Bath |
This visit was not just for the fabulous shopping and Saturday Farmer's Market, one of the first local Farmer's Market in the UK (begun in 1997), but to go and see the newly opened Holburne Museum on Great Pultney Street. This art collection, that was bequeathed to the city in 1882, has been closed for the past 3 years, as a new extension has been added to the Neo-Classical building by architect Eric Parry. It reopened on 14 May this year.
 |
| Front of The Holburne Museum, Bath |
Controversial at the time, when you are actually within the new extension there is no hint of its modernity. Even from the outside I felt that although rather unusual, in its own right it had a not unpleasant look to it. Green mottled ceramic tiles seem to make up the extension with a lot of glass used too of sharp vertical lines. From the back it looks like some modern Gothic Cathedral!
 |
| New extension to Holburne Museum |
The weather was very pleasant that day but I do have to say it was rather warm inside the museum even though it wasn't overly crowded. I do hope that they have some air conditioning within the main house itself. The only cold room appeared to be the Picture Gallery, which kept the Gainsborough's, Turner's and Stubb's at a constant cool temperature.
The collection of Sir Thomas William Holburn includes not just paintings but a fantastic Majolica and Meissen collection, furniture, silver, plus smaller objects such as miniatures, coins and jewels. I really loved that in the new galleries you could pull open drawers beneath the main displays and see even more of the collection laid out for you. A lot of people in the Galleries didn't realise you could do this, and a very kind member of staff was on hand showing people. Children can have fun in the Museum too as most of the bottom drawers contained activities for them.
There was no map as such as far as I could see at the entrance that was free to take around, unless they had run out of them, though to be honest the Museum is not so vast that you would get lost. A Guidebook was available to purchase at the Visitor Desk for £9.95 (price as of June 2011). There was also a small shop by the entrance, but I have to say that myself and my partner were so enjoying the Museum that we forgot to go back there to have a look around! Maybe they will eventually have a shop online too?
There was a waiter/waitress service cafe through the back of the Museum, in the new extension. Comfy looking chairs inside and outside, plus some very scrumptious salads and cakes were on display tempting the visitor. Once outside the back one could walk through a gate and be within the lovely Sydney Gardens, Bath's oldest park. Known locally as "little Venice" due to the number of bridges that cross the park over the River Avon and railway, the park contains Classical Temples and was once frequented by the author Jane Austen as well as royalty.
 |
| Sydney Gardens, Bath |
One of the temporary exhibitions on display that should really be kept at the Museum is by the artist Karen Wallis, who over the 3 years of the new build, sketched and recorded the whole building works. Around the top of the room hang quick pencil sketches of all the people involved, from the Museum Curator to the electrician! The walls are covered with her work and her sketchbooks can be viewed via a computer where the pages can be turned. The sketches are quick, vivid and express movement and really bring to life, in black and white, the progress of the works.
The Museum is open 7 days a week, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. Entrance is FREE, though there is a charge for the Temporary Exhibitions.
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