Alfred East Gallery
Purpose-built Grade II listed art gallery in Kettering with about 1,000 works, many by Sir Alfred East; reopening is planned for late October 2026.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Alfred East Gallery opened on 31 July 1913 and was paid for by public subscription after the Kettering-born landscape painter Sir Alfred East offered the town a gift of his own works on condition that a gallery was built. The local architects Gotch and Saunders designed the building next to Kettering Library, and Earl Spencer performed the opening because East was too ill to attend; he died two months later.
The collection began in 1905, when townspeople raised money to buy The Connoisseur by Walter Bonner Gash. East gave around 70 works in 1911, and the holdings have since grown to almost 1,000 pieces: oils, watercolours, etchings, photographs and sculpture. They include about 97 works by East and a significant group by Thomas Cooper Gotch, together with pieces by local artists and mid-twentieth-century contemporary work.
The gallery is the only purpose-built art gallery in Northamptonshire. It is part of the Kettering site that also holds the library, the Manor House Museum and the Manor House Gardens, and it is currently closed while its roof is replaced and a new rear extension with a Garden Room for exhibitions and workshops is completed. The council plans to reopen it at the end of October 2026.
Highlights
- Landscape paintings and etchings by Sir Alfred East, the gallery’s founding benefactor
- Works by Thomas Cooper Gotch and other British artists
- The Connoisseur by Walter Bonner Gash, the first picture bought for the town’s collection in 1905
- Craft showcase with items for sale
- New Garden Room extension for exhibitions and art workshops
- Founded
- 1913
- Operated by
- North Northamptonshire Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Entry to the gallery is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The original gallery entrance in Manor House Gardens is reached by steps. The Cornerstone site has a separate accessible front entrance. Full access details are to be confirmed after reopening.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Kettering railway station · 5-min walk
Kettering railway station is a 5-minute walk or a 3-minute taxi ride away. The nearest bus stop is Dalkeith Place, about a 10-minute walk.
By car
Parking available
The council’s London Road car park is the nearest car park and has 6 disabled parking bays; the Corn Market car park is also signposted for the site.
The site lies between Sheep Street and the London Road car park in the centre of Kettering.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The gallery shop sells prints of works in the collection, postcards and greeting cards, books on the collection and its artists, and original art and prints by local artists.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
