The Victorian Art Gallery
The Gallery’s collections range from the 15th century to the present day and were formed mainly by gift and bequest since the building first opened in 1900.
The Gallery’s most famous painting by Thomas Jones Barker is The Bride of Death.
The Victorian period was a time of great prosperity. The wealthy middle classes had money to spend, and collecting paintings became fashionable. Art was made more accessible for poorer people too, as exhibition venues opened up that displayed art to the masses.
The Victoria Art Gallery’s collection has works by over 2000 artists. These range from amateur local artists, who have provided us with valuable records of Bath and Somerset over the centuries, to well-known figures. From the 18th century Bath became a popular city for society people to visit.
The Gallery has examples of work by portrait painters such as Thomas Gainsborough, Johann Zoffany and Thomas Lawrence who painted the wealthy people who visited the city.
Upper Gallery:
Enjoy the permanent collection in the recently refurbished Upper Gallery, situated on the first floor. This is home to a selection of its extensive collection of over seven hundred oil paintings and five thousand watercolours, drawings and prints ranging from European old masters to contemporary prints.
The decorative arts are well presented with fine collections of porcelain, glass and watches. On display are 100 works of art and over 1000 items of decorative art to suit all tastes, including famous masters by Gainsborough, Turner and Sickert.
Lower Galleries:
With the Victoria Art Gallery's varied and exciting programme, including major national touring exhibitions, this area transforms itself throughout the year.
New display cabinets are situated in the small gallery, allowing visitors to view prints and drawings from the collection.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
The Victoria Art Gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday all year round except 25/26 December, Good Friday and New Year's Day.
Tuesday - Friday 10.00 to 17.00
Saturday 10.00 to 17.00
Sunday 13.30 to 17.00
Gallery is closed on Mondays, with the exception of some Bank Holidays.
Facilities designed to meet the needs of youngest visitors include:
Easy access for pushchairs via our side door on Bridge Street
Free child carriers available to borrow - please ask at reception on the ground floor
Baby-changing facilities on the ground floor
Art trolleys stocked with a range of art materials to try out
Children's worksheets
For wheelchair users, the ground and first floors can be accessed via the ramped entrance on Bridge Street.
By Train:
Bath is an excellent city to visit by rail. The station is called BATH SPA. There are frequent high-speed connections to London Paddington. For a slower service that is likely to be cheaper, try London Waterloo.
Major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester have frequent services via Bristol. The south coast ports of Southampton and Portsmouth have direct services by train.
By Bicycle:
Cycling along the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bath
There are several pleasant routes into Bath avoiding the city traffic:
From the west:
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path forms part of the Sustrans route 4. The path is 19kms long and level nearly throughout, offering a very pleasant path for cycling or walking between the two cities.
From the north:
You can avoid the traffic by joining the Kennet and Avon Canal at Bathampton and then coming into the city along Great Pulteney Street.
From the east and south:
The Colliers Way is a 23-mile long multi-user path between Frome and Bath via Midsomer Norton and Radstock. It is part of National Route 24 of the National Cycle Network. It joins Sustrans Route 4 at Monkton Combe and the route runs alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal for the final 6kms into the city.
Address:
The Victoria Art Gallery
Bridge Street
Bath
BA2 4AT