Nicholson Museum and Art Gallery
Museum and art gallery of the Staffordshire Moorlands in the Victorian Nicholson Institute in Leek, closed for refurbishment until autumn 2026.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Nicholson Institute in Leek was given to the town by the silk manufacturer Joshua Nicholson, who died in 1885, as a memorial to the politician Richard Cobden. Designed by the architect William Larner Sugden in the Queen Anne style, it opened in 1884 and is listed Grade II*. It was built to hold a museum, a picture gallery, a free library and rooms for the Leek School of Art.
The museum and art gallery still occupy the building. Their collections tell the story of the Staffordshire Moorlands and include paintings, textiles, ceramics and everyday objects. Highlights include work by the Leek Embroidery Society, silk moths given by the textile manufacturer Thomas Wardle, who worked with William Morris, and a taxidermy wallaby from a group that escaped from a private zoo and settled in the Peak District. The art gallery used to run an annual programme of temporary exhibitions.
The museum and gallery closed on 1 March 2025 so that the collection could be moved to secure storage while the building is improved. A 3.8 million pound programme, led by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and funded by the government and local councils, is refurbishing the whole building. It will bring exhibition space on the top floor, rotating displays, closer links with the library and a flexible arts and community space on the lower ground floor. The council says the building will reopen in autumn 2026.
Highlights
- Grade II* listed Queen Anne style building from 1884
- Work by the Leek Embroidery Society
- Thomas Wardle silk moth collection
- Paintings, textiles and ceramics of the Staffordshire Moorlands
- Operated by
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Entry was free before the closure; prices after reopening have not been announced.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
A temporary library is open at Moorlands House while the building is closed.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
New high-speed public Wi-Fi is planned for the whole building as part of the refurbishment.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
