The Wilson, Cheltenham
Dave Freak is impressed by Cheltenham's renamed, redeveloped and reinvigorated art gallery and museum
Cheltenham’s art gallery and museum recently resurfaced, after being closed for three years, with a £6.3m facelift and a new identity.
The original building was erected in 1899 and extended in 1989. The new structure, based around a large extension block to the side of the existing venue, was designed by architecture practice Berman Guedes Stretton, and was driven by a need to develop a more prominent entrance.
This has also created a picture gallery, flexible temporary exhibition space, a dedicated schools area and greener credentials.
There’s an aspiration to transform Cheltenham’s reputation by luring visitors to the spa town with a high-quality programme of national and international touring shows and loans.
As a result, the tourist information centre has relocated to the premises, acting as a tourist hub for not just Cheltenham, but the wider Cotswolds and Gloucestershire area. Accompanying the redevelopment is a new name.
The acronymic C-MAG and numeric 51 (a reference to the address) were both shortlisted but lost out to The Wilson, in honour of famed Cheltenham lad Edward Adrian Wilson.
Wilson, who was born in 1872 and was the son of a physician, looked set for a respectable medical career until he joined Captain Robert Scott as junior surgeon and zoologist on the 1901 Antarctic Discovery expedition.
Wilson made a further trek to the South Pole for Scott’s 1910-1912 Terra Nova Expedition as the chief of scientific staff, but he never returned.
When news of the death of the entire expedition finally arrived in Britain, Wilson was declared a national hero, his feats honoured with a bronze statue on Cheltenham Promenade designed by Scott’s widow, Kathleen.
Wilson was also a skilled artist and a collection of his sketches is housed in the museum, along with a number of polar relics.
The diversity of his talents coupled with his desire for exploration and discovery sit well with the venue’s new ethos.
The Wilson’s first month of opening attracted 25,000 explorers to the Clarence Street venue. The 21st-century entrance is open and spacious, with the tourist information centre in the large central desked area.
It is a modern, naturally lit, anonymous space, with a smooth concrete floor and rougher concrete walls to the left and wooden panels to the right. Signage, in keeping with the simple yet distinctive grid-based visual identity, is unobtrusive.
Despite the size of the space, there’s just one leaflet rack, a few seats and, at the time of visiting, a single artwork projection – the only real clue to the building’s use.
A concise retail display, with a few gifts, postcards and books, seems small, though there’s no shortage of specialist items in the neighbouring Guild at 51. This outlet, which is accessible via the foyer and Clarence Street, is home to the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen.
Arts and crafts
Cheltenham has not had a dedicated gallery to show off its fine-art collections for nearly 25 years because, since the late 1980s, paintings and sculpture have been displayed in chronologically arranged galleries alongside furniture and social history items.
On the first floor, the Friends’ Gallery presents a rotating collection of artworks as standalone displays or to tie in with temporary loans and exhibitions. The opening hang features 26 choice items – 24 paintings and two sculptures – from the permanent collection.
Among the “hidden gems and new acquisitions” on display are several Dutch and Flemish paintings previously owned by a former Cheltenham mayor and MP, Baron de Ferrieres, who kickstarted the original museum and gallery with a donation of more than 40 works and a cash injection.
A self-portrait by William Rothenstein, a rare John Piper collage and a two-sided painting by Vanessa Bell are also worth noting, with 19th-century naive artist John Miles of Northleach, PJ Crook, and Jake and Dinos Chapman representing local talent.
The temporary exhibition spaces on the third and fourth floors offer the option of displaying larger works. At the time of visiting, these showcased impressive items by glass artist Colin Reid.
The upper gallery also includes a seated area with large flatscreen and access to an outdoor terrace overlooking Cheltenham Minster (previously St Mary’s), the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham.
The real pull, however, is the new Arts and Crafts Gallery on the second floor, which provides a well-displayed home for The Wilson’s Designated collection of arts and crafts furniture and associated items, such as silverware and jewellery.
The galleries tell the story of handcrafted artisan craftsmanship through artists and designers such William Morris, William de Morgan, Ford Madox Brown and CFA Voysey.
Their legacy is fleetingly explored with Alvar Aalto, second world war utility furniture and St Ives Studio Pottery.
From plain, minimal tables to more ornate and inlaid cabinets, it is an inspired, well laid-out selection with a strong emphasis on work produced regionally by such designer/makers as CR Ashbee and Ernest Gimson.
Rodin’s Kiss
Further items are on display, stacked three high, in The Store, a short adjoining corridor that links the new developments to the older areas. There is a phase two plan (yet to be funded) to redevelop this space.
At the moment it is a crammed mishmash of items – Graham Sutherland war scenes, farming equipment, stuffed animals, Roman relics – and is also home to Edward Wilson’s archive.
As it is tucked away in a far corner, visitors need to explore to discover it, which is a shame given the venue has so keenly borrowed his name. Hopefully, a more prominent place will be found during phase two.
Ignoring the contrast between old and new, the redeveloped spaces have much to offer. The foyer is a significant upgrade from the previous entrance and its 1980s neon signage, and it will be interesting to see how (or if ) the space is used once the settling-in period is over.
The temporary exhibition spaces are decently proportioned, the partnership with the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen seems a perfect match, and the Arts and Crafts Gallery is a revelation.
This year’s exhibition programme is off to a promising start with the reappearance of Rodin’s once-controversial Kiss.
First seen in the gallery in 1933 after public protests resulted in its removal elsewhere, the iconic sculpture arrived from the Tate for Valentine’s Day, with its six-month stay tying in nicely with a mixed-media exhibition exploring notions of love.
This features Jacob Epstein, Marc Chagall, Chris Ofili, Gilbert and George, and others, and its potential to attract audiences is clear.
Dave Freak is a writer, editor and arts consultant based in the West Midlands
The new Wilson building is proving to be extremely popular, with more than 600 people a day visiting.
The old art gallery and museum had always brought a wide range of benefits to people visiting the museum. However, the facilities had not kept pace with what the collections needed or the access required to the building.
In 2006 a major redevelopment of the existing buildings and semi-derelict site was proposed. Planning for the scheme began with the launch of a Riba Open Design Competition in 2007.
Architects Berman Guedes Stretton won the competition and their brief was to design a new extension and refurbishment of the retained buildings, creating 1,250sq m of additional gallery space and a dedicated picture gallery (for the first time in the art gallery and museum’s history).
A review of visitor circulation routes, including improvements for physical access and energy efficiency features, were also key drivers of the brief.
The redevelopment has also become the new home for the town’s tourism services – through the relocation of Cheltenham’s Tourist Information Centre – with the intention of creating a first-stop for visitors and tourists coming to the town as a destination, as well as the wider area.
Jane Lillystone is the director at The Wilson
The original building was erected in 1899 and extended in 1989. The new structure, based around a large extension block to the side of the existing venue, was designed by architecture practice Berman Guedes Stretton, and was driven by a need to develop a more prominent entrance.
This has also created a picture gallery, flexible temporary exhibition space, a dedicated schools area and greener credentials.
There’s an aspiration to transform Cheltenham’s reputation by luring visitors to the spa town with a high-quality programme of national and international touring shows and loans.
As a result, the tourist information centre has relocated to the premises, acting as a tourist hub for not just Cheltenham, but the wider Cotswolds and Gloucestershire area. Accompanying the redevelopment is a new name.
The acronymic C-MAG and numeric 51 (a reference to the address) were both shortlisted but lost out to The Wilson, in honour of famed Cheltenham lad Edward Adrian Wilson.
Wilson, who was born in 1872 and was the son of a physician, looked set for a respectable medical career until he joined Captain Robert Scott as junior surgeon and zoologist on the 1901 Antarctic Discovery expedition.
Wilson made a further trek to the South Pole for Scott’s 1910-1912 Terra Nova Expedition as the chief of scientific staff, but he never returned.
When news of the death of the entire expedition finally arrived in Britain, Wilson was declared a national hero, his feats honoured with a bronze statue on Cheltenham Promenade designed by Scott’s widow, Kathleen.
Wilson was also a skilled artist and a collection of his sketches is housed in the museum, along with a number of polar relics.
The diversity of his talents coupled with his desire for exploration and discovery sit well with the venue’s new ethos.
The Wilson’s first month of opening attracted 25,000 explorers to the Clarence Street venue. The 21st-century entrance is open and spacious, with the tourist information centre in the large central desked area.
It is a modern, naturally lit, anonymous space, with a smooth concrete floor and rougher concrete walls to the left and wooden panels to the right. Signage, in keeping with the simple yet distinctive grid-based visual identity, is unobtrusive.
Despite the size of the space, there’s just one leaflet rack, a few seats and, at the time of visiting, a single artwork projection – the only real clue to the building’s use.
A concise retail display, with a few gifts, postcards and books, seems small, though there’s no shortage of specialist items in the neighbouring Guild at 51. This outlet, which is accessible via the foyer and Clarence Street, is home to the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen.
Arts and crafts
Cheltenham has not had a dedicated gallery to show off its fine-art collections for nearly 25 years because, since the late 1980s, paintings and sculpture have been displayed in chronologically arranged galleries alongside furniture and social history items.
On the first floor, the Friends’ Gallery presents a rotating collection of artworks as standalone displays or to tie in with temporary loans and exhibitions. The opening hang features 26 choice items – 24 paintings and two sculptures – from the permanent collection.
Among the “hidden gems and new acquisitions” on display are several Dutch and Flemish paintings previously owned by a former Cheltenham mayor and MP, Baron de Ferrieres, who kickstarted the original museum and gallery with a donation of more than 40 works and a cash injection.
A self-portrait by William Rothenstein, a rare John Piper collage and a two-sided painting by Vanessa Bell are also worth noting, with 19th-century naive artist John Miles of Northleach, PJ Crook, and Jake and Dinos Chapman representing local talent.
The temporary exhibition spaces on the third and fourth floors offer the option of displaying larger works. At the time of visiting, these showcased impressive items by glass artist Colin Reid.
The upper gallery also includes a seated area with large flatscreen and access to an outdoor terrace overlooking Cheltenham Minster (previously St Mary’s), the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham.
The real pull, however, is the new Arts and Crafts Gallery on the second floor, which provides a well-displayed home for The Wilson’s Designated collection of arts and crafts furniture and associated items, such as silverware and jewellery.
The galleries tell the story of handcrafted artisan craftsmanship through artists and designers such William Morris, William de Morgan, Ford Madox Brown and CFA Voysey.
Their legacy is fleetingly explored with Alvar Aalto, second world war utility furniture and St Ives Studio Pottery.
From plain, minimal tables to more ornate and inlaid cabinets, it is an inspired, well laid-out selection with a strong emphasis on work produced regionally by such designer/makers as CR Ashbee and Ernest Gimson.
Rodin’s Kiss
Further items are on display, stacked three high, in The Store, a short adjoining corridor that links the new developments to the older areas. There is a phase two plan (yet to be funded) to redevelop this space.
At the moment it is a crammed mishmash of items – Graham Sutherland war scenes, farming equipment, stuffed animals, Roman relics – and is also home to Edward Wilson’s archive.
As it is tucked away in a far corner, visitors need to explore to discover it, which is a shame given the venue has so keenly borrowed his name. Hopefully, a more prominent place will be found during phase two.
Ignoring the contrast between old and new, the redeveloped spaces have much to offer. The foyer is a significant upgrade from the previous entrance and its 1980s neon signage, and it will be interesting to see how (or if ) the space is used once the settling-in period is over.
The temporary exhibition spaces are decently proportioned, the partnership with the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen seems a perfect match, and the Arts and Crafts Gallery is a revelation.
This year’s exhibition programme is off to a promising start with the reappearance of Rodin’s once-controversial Kiss.
First seen in the gallery in 1933 after public protests resulted in its removal elsewhere, the iconic sculpture arrived from the Tate for Valentine’s Day, with its six-month stay tying in nicely with a mixed-media exhibition exploring notions of love.
This features Jacob Epstein, Marc Chagall, Chris Ofili, Gilbert and George, and others, and its potential to attract audiences is clear.
Dave Freak is a writer, editor and arts consultant based in the West Midlands
Focus on... Building design
The new Wilson building is proving to be extremely popular, with more than 600 people a day visiting.
The old art gallery and museum had always brought a wide range of benefits to people visiting the museum. However, the facilities had not kept pace with what the collections needed or the access required to the building.
In 2006 a major redevelopment of the existing buildings and semi-derelict site was proposed. Planning for the scheme began with the launch of a Riba Open Design Competition in 2007.
Architects Berman Guedes Stretton won the competition and their brief was to design a new extension and refurbishment of the retained buildings, creating 1,250sq m of additional gallery space and a dedicated picture gallery (for the first time in the art gallery and museum’s history).
A review of visitor circulation routes, including improvements for physical access and energy efficiency features, were also key drivers of the brief.
The redevelopment has also become the new home for the town’s tourism services – through the relocation of Cheltenham’s Tourist Information Centre – with the intention of creating a first-stop for visitors and tourists coming to the town as a destination, as well as the wider area.
Jane Lillystone is the director at The Wilson
Project data
- Cost £6.3m
- Main funders Cheltenham Borough Council; Heritage Lottery Fund; Summerfield Trust; Monument Trust; Foyle Foundation; Garfield Weston Foundation; Wolfson Foundation; the Friends of The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
- Architect Berman Guedes Stretton
- Main contractor ISG
- Project management Aecom
- Branding Arthur Steen Horne Adamson