Pallant House Gallery
Chichester gallery in a Queen Anne townhouse and modern wing, showing one of the leading collections of 20th-century British art.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Pallant House Gallery occupies a townhouse built in 1712 for a Chichester wine merchant. The building served as council offices from 1919 and was restored in the late 1970s. The gallery opened in 1982 and has been run by an independent trust since 1985.
The collection was founded on the gift of Walter Hussey, who as Dean of Chichester Cathedral had commissioned many works from leading modern artists. When he retired in 1977 he left his collection to the city on condition that it be shown at Pallant House. It includes works by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, John Piper, Ceri Richards and Graham Sutherland.
Further gifts widened the collection, among them the Kearley bequest of British and European art and the architect Colin St John Wilson's collection of modern British works, which includes pieces by Lucian Freud, Richard Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi and Walter Sickert. A contemporary wing designed by Wilson with Long & Kentish opened in 2006 and won the Gulbenkian Prize the following year.
Today the gallery shows 20th-century and contemporary British art in the historic house and the modern wing, alongside changing exhibitions. It also has a print room, a studio for learning programmes, a café and a bookshop.
Highlights
- Walter Hussey collection with works by Hepworth, Moore, Piper and Sutherland
- Wilson collection including Freud, Hamilton, Paolozzi and Sickert
- Queen Anne townhouse linked to a contemporary wing opened in 2006
- Free Print Room exhibition and ground floor
- Bloomberg Connects digital guide
Permanent exhibition
- Permanent Collection – Displays of 20th-century and contemporary British art, from the Hussey and Wilson collections to recent acquisitions, shown in the historic house and the modern wing.
- Founded
- 1982
- Operated by
- Pallant House Gallery Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £17 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £8.50Young adults aged 18 to 25 and Art Fund members |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Under-18s are free. |
| Seniors | –Concessions are available; proof is required on arrival. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free for a companion of a visitor with disabilities. Visitors receiving certain benefits (JSA, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, DLA, ESA, PIP) are also admitted free, with proof. |
| Students & apprentices | £8.50Young adults aged 18 to 25. |
The adult and young adult prices include a voluntary donation (£2 and £1) that allows Gift Aid to be claimed on the full ticket price. Entry to the ground floor and the Print Room exhibition is free. Friends of the gallery (from £46 a year) and members of the Museums Association or ICOM enter free; holders of Defence Discount Service or Blue Light cards get 20% off online. Tickets can be booked online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Level access through automatic doors at the main entrance, and a large lift with audio announcements and braille labels serves all levels. Two accessible toilets on the ground floor; there is no Changing Places toilet on site (the nearest is at Northgate Car Park). Induction loops at the Welcome Desk, Room 11 and the Studio, plus a portable loop for talks. Two wheelchairs can be borrowed (booking in advance). Large-print wall texts can be downloaded. Seating in many rooms and portable stools at the Welcome Desk. There is no on-site parking, but cars with disability badges may park in North Pallant. Sunday afternoons are usually the quietest time.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
Under-18s enter free and the gallery is accredited under the Family Arts Standards. Free hidden-object trails and Ways of Looking bags with hands-on objects are available, with a monthly Saturday Art and Craft workshop and holiday workshops for ages 7 to 11. The gallery is pushchair friendly with lift access to all areas, pushchairs can be left behind the Welcome Desk, and there is baby changing on the ground floor.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Chichester railway station · 8-min walk
Chichester railway station is about an 8-minute walk away. Regular buses run from Felpham, Bognor Regis, Portsmouth and Littlehampton to the bus station, less than half a mile from the gallery.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No on-site parking. There are ten car parks in and around central Chichester; the nearest are South Pallant, East Pallant and Baffins Lane. Disabled parking bays are in North Pallant.
- Accessible parking
Bike racks are outside the front entrance. From the station walk up South Street, turn right at the Market Cross into East Street, then right into North Pallant.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
Pallant Café inside the gallery (tea, coffee and cake all day; lunch daily 12:00 to 15:00, booking recommended) and the Pallant Bookshop. Free wifi on the ground floor and in the Contemporary Wing; the signal may vary in the historic house. Cloak rail and lockers (£1 coin or token) near the Welcome Desk; large bags must be stored in a locker.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The gallery can be hired for events. The café also takes private hire bookings for 20 or more people.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Personal, non-commercial photography is usually allowed where wall texts show it is permitted; flash and tripods need prior agreement. |
| Good to know | Allow one to two hours. The digital guide is the free Bloomberg Connects app, used on your own device. Guided tours of the collection and the current exhibition can be booked online. Large bags go in the lockers and rucksacks must be carried on the front in exhibition rooms. Schools can book self-led visits. |
