Holburne Museum

Over het museum

The Holburne was founded in 1882, when the sister of the collector Sir William Holburne (1793-1874) left his collection of more than 4,000 objects to the people of Bath. It was the city's first public art gallery. Holburne had collected Italian and Dutch paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries, silver, sculpture, furniture, porcelain and decorative objects, and the museum has added to this ever since.

Since 1916 the collection has been housed in the former Sydney Hotel at the end of Great Pulteney Street, a Grade I listed building designed by Charles Harcourt Masters. The foundation stone was laid in 1796 and the hotel was finished by 1799. It stands beside Sydney Gardens, the only surviving Georgian pleasure gardens in the UK. A contemporary extension designed by Eric Parry opened in May 2011.

The collection now includes eighteenth-century British painting by Gainsborough, Ramsay, Stubbs and Zoffany, Allan Ramsay portraits of the Sargent family left in 1962, and long-term loans such as Albrecht Dürer prints and a Burgkmair portrait. The Holburne is an independent charity with no core government funding and runs a programme of temporary exhibitions that set historic art alongside contemporary work.

Hoogtepunten

• Sir William Holburne's founding collection of paintings, silver, porcelain and sculpture
• Eighteenth-century portraits by Gainsborough, Ramsay, Stubbs and Zoffany
• Georgian building with an Eric Parry extension opening onto Sydney Gardens
• Programme of temporary exhibitions in dialogue with contemporary art
• Cafe and activity drawers, sensory bags and a free creative space for families

Vaste collectie

• The Holburne collection – Paintings, silver, porcelain, sculpture and decorative arts from the founding collection, with eighteenth-century British portraits by Gainsborough, Ramsay, Stubbs and Zoffany.

Opgericht

1882

Beheerder

The Holburne Museum (independent charity)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Gratis toegang: Wednesdays after 15:00 (collection displays)

General admission includes all collections, displays and exhibitions. Friends and Patrons enter free, and membership from £50 per person gives unlimited free entry. Entry to the ground-floor shop and cafe is free. Online bookings carry a £2 booking fee per transaction; the museum has been cashless since 1 July 2026 and accepts electronic payments only. Art Fund members pay the concession price.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The front door has level access and opens automatically, and the ground floor is level. A lift serves all floors. There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet on the ground floor and more toilets on the lower ground floor, reached by lift. Wheelchairs can be pre-booked by phone. There are benches or chairs in all galleries, large-print labels in most galleries, and a hearing loop at the reception desk, in the Picture Gallery and in the Clore Learning Space. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout; other dogs are allowed on the ground floor and in the cafe. A downloadable visual guide helps visitors prepare. Blue Badge parking is available.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk: niet aanwezig
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Families can use activity trails, discovery drawers with magnifying glasses in the collection galleries, sensory bags that can be pre-booked, and the free self-led creative area Space to Make on the ground floor. Creative workshops run throughout the year. Baby-changing is available in both the men's and women's toilets. Pushchairs cannot be taken into the galleries but can be left at Reception. Visitors aged 18 and under enter free.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum is about a 10-minute stroll from the city centre.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel

The Holburne Cafe, run by Graysons, is at the rear of the museum and opens onto Sydney Gardens. It serves coffee, tea, pastries, a lunch menu from 12:00 to 15:00 and cakes, with vegan and gluten-free options, and welcomes dogs inside and out. The shop sells creative art-inspired gifts, including pocket-money items. Pushchairs can be left at Reception.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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