Abbot Hall Art Gallery is housed in a magnificent Grade I listed Georgian building in Kendal’s Abbot Hall Park; a delightful green space next to the Parish Church and the River Kent.
Its permanent collection includes a wide range of 18th, 19th and 20th century British paintings including works by George Romney and John Ruskin.
Temporary Exhibitions & Events
The gallery enjoys a superb reputation for the quality of its temporary exhibitions. Shows scheduled for 2011 include Cumbrian landscape artist Sheila Fell, RB Kitaj – Portraits and Reflections, and The Great Picture.
Every Tuesday at 2 pm there are guided tours of the current exhibition. The gallery also offers ‘Spotlight On’ talks which explore a particular piece from the permanent collection in more depth.
The café hosts a programme of exhibitions by local and regional artists and photographers, and much of the work here is for sale.
Other events at Abbot Hall include evening lectures and children’s art workshops.
For further details about all events and temporary exhibitions visit the official Abbot Hall Art Gallery website.
Facilities
The café serves hot and soft drinks, beer and wine, cakes, light meals, sandwiches, and soup, while the book shop stocks a good selection of art books and catalogues, postcards and CDs.
Opening Hours
Abbot Hall is open Monday to Saturday. Opening times are 10.30 am to 5 pm (between November and March the gallery closes at 4 pm).
Entrance
Tickets for adults cost £6. Under-18s and full time students aged up to 25 enjoy free admission.
Location
The gallery is located on the banks of the River Kent, just south of Kendal town centre.
Visitors travelling by car and using satellite navigation systems should use the postcode LA9 5AL.
A pay-and-display car park serves both Abbot Hall and the Museum of Lakeland Life.
Lakeland Arts Trust
The gallery is owned and operated by the Lakeland Arts Trust. The independent charity also manages the Museum of Lakeland Life and Blackwell.
If you have an ArtFund pass and hope to see the permanent collection for free as stated the handbook, you are in for a disappointment. When there’s an exhibition on,you have to pay to get through the door, and will not see the permanent collection because the exhibition is taking up space. Definitely a thumbs down from us on both visits. Paid the first time and felt cheated, did not bother to go in on the second occasion.