Berwick’s Burrell Collection

With a fortune made in shipping, Sir William Burrell purchased art and objects from around the world. Most of the collection was donated to his home city of Glasgow, but around 50 paintings and 300 decorative items were given to Berwick – the closest town to his baronial residence at nearby Hutton Castle – and are usually housed in Berwick Museum and Art Gallery.

Berwick Visual Arts and Berwick Museum & Art Gallery came together to display a selection of the collection’s artefacts in The Granary Gallery in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The exhibition explored prominent themes in the collection including works from The Hague School – a small community of artists, based in the old fishing village of Scheveningen, near The Hague who enjoyed much success in Sir William’s day, works from 19th Century Glasgow painters and works inspired by Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The exhibition, featured works from the most important art collection in public ownership in Northumberland was delivered in partnership between Berwick Visual Arts and The Woodhorn Trust which manages Berwick Museum and Art Gallery.

Keith Merrin, Director of The Woodhorn Trust said ‘ “The exhibition has been a great success and it has been brilliant to see so many local people and visitors alike coming to see this fantastic art collection which belongs to the town of Berwick but is not as well known as perhaps it should be. We are certainly working hard to repeat the exhibition again and bringing other works from the collection to a wider audience.”