Bury Art Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Bury Art Museum
Bury Art Museum with Bury Central Library
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Established	9 October 1901; 123 years ago (1901-10-09)
Location	Moss Street, Bury
Type	Art museum
Collection size	approx. 62,000 objects
Public transit access	Bury Interchange

Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre is a cool place in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It's a public museum, archives, and art gallery all in one! The local council, Bury Council, owns it. The building was first built in 1901. It got a big makeover and reopened in 2005, looking better than ever. It used to be known as Bury Museum and Art Gallery.

A Look Back in Time
Amazing Art Collections
Modern Makeover
Gallery
See also

A Look Back in Time

The idea for Bury Art Museum started way back in 1897. This was to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. This was a special event marking 60 years of Queen Victoria being on the throne. A kind paper maker named Thomas Wrigley (who lived from 1808 to 1880) gave over 200 paintings and ceramics. He said they could have them if a proper building was made to keep them safe.

The building we see today was designed by Woodhouse and Willoughby from Manchester. It opened on October 9, 1901. A special guest, Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, opened it. The town's Museum opened in the basement of the Art Gallery in 1907.

Amazing Art Collections

The museum's special "Wrigley Collection" has more than 200 oil paintings, watercolours, prints, and ceramics. It includes famous works by artists like J. M. W. Turner, John Constable, Edwin Landseer, and George Clausen.

After the museum opened, many other artworks were given as gifts. These came from people like the town's Member of Parliament, James Kenyon, and many others. You can also see paintings by Henry Dawson, John Bagnold Burgess, and Joseph Noel Paton. The museum also has paintings from the 1900s by artists such as Victor Pasmore and Edward Burra. Plus, there's even newer art from the 2000s!

Modern Makeover

In 2005, the museum had a big renovation that cost £1.2 million. The goal was to create a brand new museum, art gallery, and library all under one roof. This new space includes a combined Museum and Archives Centre. It uses old objects, documents, and art to tell the story of the town of Bury.

In 2006, the council decided to sell a painting by L. S. Lowry called The Riverbank. This was done to help with town services. Because of this sale, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) temporarily removed the museum's special "accredited" status. Bury Museum and Art Gallery was renamed Bury Art Museum in 2011. The most recent updates include modern items like iPods and robot vacuum cleaners.