Cecil Higgins Gallery Is The Principle Art Gallery In Bedford

Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday 11am–5pm
Sundays, Mondays & Bank Holiday 2pm-5pm

Address:
Castle Lane
Bedford MK40 3RP
Bedfordshire

Phone: +44 1234 211222

URL: http://www.cecilhigginsartgallery.org/

Type of Museum: Art, History

The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery is one of Bedford’s finest when it comes to great art collections. The gallery can be found on a scenic location by the River Ouse and the Castle Gardens. It is housed in a Victorian mansion that is known to be a recreation of a home from the 1880s that included the world renowned Gothic room that now contains William Burges’ artworks.

Aside from the Burges’ permanent collection, the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery also hosts visiting exhibitions of prints, drawings and watercolors. These include works from such artists as Turner, Gainsborough, Picasso, Sutherland, Cotman, Burne-Jones, Durer, Warhol, Constable, Freud and Rembrandt. The gallery also has a section for decorative arts where glass, ceramics, textiles and silver from the 17th to the middle part of the 20th centuries are featured. These include those done by Tiffany, Whitefriars Glass, Edwards Bawden, Arts and Crafts and William Burges.

Being the home of the world renowned collection of Bedfordshire Maltese Lace of Thomas Lester, the gallery also showcases the history of lace-making. This can be seen through the in-depth survey made on the lace industries in the East Midlands and in the rest of the world.

The gallery has disabled access like ramps, wheelchairs and disabled toilets. It also has a gallery shop and a self-service coffee lounge.