Laing Art Gallery

About the museum

The Laing Art Gallery was a gift to Newcastle. In 1900 the wine and spirit merchant Alexander Laing offered to pay for a gallery for the free use and enjoyment of the public. It was designed by the architects Cackett and Burns Dick in a Baroque style with Art Nouveau details and opened in 1904, when Laing was made a Freeman of the City. He died a year later.

The gallery opened without a collection, and local industrialists, philanthropists and artists soon filled it with gifts, supported by national funds. Today the collection is recognised by Arts Council England as nationally important. It is centred on British oil paintings, watercolours, prints, ceramics, silver and glass. Well-known works include two Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt and Laus Veneris by Edward Burne-Jones, and the gallery holds the largest collection of works by the North East artist John Martin.

A new entrance was added in 1996, a major refurbishment restored the Edwardian interiors in 2004, and the Northern Spirit gallery, devoted to the art of the North East, opened in 2010. The gallery is managed by North East Museums on behalf of Newcastle City Council and shows its collection alongside a programme of changing exhibitions.

Highlights

• Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt and Laus Veneris by Edward Burne-Jones
• The world's largest collection of paintings by John Martin
• Northern Spirit gallery on the art of the North East
• Watercolours by Turner, Girtin and Palmer, and wood engravings by Thomas Bewick
• Beilby glass, Newcastle silver and Maling ceramics
• Free entry

Permanent exhibition

• Northern Spirit – A gallery on the art of the North East over three centuries, with John Martin's Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, works by Thomas Bewick and Victor Pasmore, and local glass, silver and ceramics.

Founded

1904

Operated by

North East Museums

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the gallery, shop and café is free, donations are welcome and no booking is needed. An admission charge applies to some temporary exhibitions, and tickets are bought at the shop. Children aged 11 and under can travel free on the Metro with a fare-paying adult.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building is Grade II listed. Entry from New Bridge Street is level, with two sets of automatic doors, and lifts and stairs serve the ground and first floors. The public lift is small (120 cm by 170 cm), so visitors with larger mobility aids can borrow a self-propelling wheelchair, booked in advance. Accessible toilets with baby changing are on the ground and first floors, and the nearest Changing Places toilet is in Newcastle City Library across the road. The Barbour Watercolour Gallery is entered by stairs, but access by lift can be arranged. Protective barriers stand 1 metre from artworks and the heavy first-floor gallery doors can be opened by staff. Seating and portable stools are provided, and assistance dogs are welcome if clearly identifiable. All screens have captions or subtitles, there are tactile artworks, large-print guides are available in temporary exhibitions and sensory maps can be downloaded. Two Blue Badge bays are at the parking meters beside the gallery.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Baby changing facilities are available in the accessible toilets, and breastfeeding is welcome throughout the gallery. The café has a children's menu.

Getting there & parking

The nearest drop-off point for taxis, coaches and cars is on John Dobson Street alongside the gallery, with another on Oxford Street.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Café Laing on the ground floor serves hot and cold drinks, light bites, meals and afternoon tea between 14:00 and 16:00. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00. The shop is on the lower ground and ground floors and sells gifts, postcards, prints, books and homeware. Toilets are on the lower ground and ground floors.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 550 guests.

Spaces include the Marble Hall, Café Laing, the Collection Display Gallery, the Northern Spirit Gallery and a function room for up to 60 guests. The whole gallery holds up to 550 guests for a reception.

Plan your visit