Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery

Established	1893; 132 years ago (1893)
Location	Castle Street, Carlisle CA3 8TP, England, United Kingdom
Visitors	240,000 (2018)

The Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, often called Tullie, is a cool museum in Carlisle, England. It's a place where you can explore art, history, and nature!

It first opened its doors in 1893. The main building used to be a grand old house from the Jacobean period. When it first opened, it wasn't just a museum. It also had a library, an art school, and a technical school.

Tullie recently reopened on April 26, 2025, after some big updates and improvements. It's now even better for visitors!

The museum building is very special. It's a 'Grade I listed building', which means it's super important for its history and architecture. Even the walls and gates outside are listed!

Over the years, the schools and library moved to other places. This allowed the museum to grow bigger. It expanded into the city's old Guildhall in 1980. The museum also had major updates in 1989-90 and again in 2000-01.

Since May 2011, Tullie House has been run by a special group called the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust. This trust is a charity. It works with other museums in the area, like Lakeland Arts and the Wordsworth Trust. Together, they form the Cumbria Museum Consortium.

Amazing Collections at Tullie
Awards and Recognition
Images for kids
See Also

Amazing Collections at Tullie

Tullie House Museum has many different types of collections. You can find everything from animals and plants to rocks and minerals. It's like a giant treasure chest of knowledge!

Nature's Wonders

The museum has huge collections of animals, plants, and rocks. You can see all sorts of creatures and learn about the natural world. A famous plant collector named Clara Winsome Muirhead worked here in the 1940s. She gave many plant samples to the museum.

Beautiful Art

The art collections include paintings and decorative items. You can see works by famous artists like Burne-Jones. He was part of a group called the Pre-Raphaelite artists. Other artists like Stanley Spencer and Winifred Nicholson also have art here.

Musical Instruments

Tullie House also has a collection of musical instruments. One amazing item is a violin made by Andrea Amati. This violin once belonged to the royal family of France!

Ancient Roman History

Carlisle was an important place during Roman times. There were two Roman forts here. One of them, called Uxelodunum (or Stanwix today), was the biggest fort along Hadrian's Wall. The museum has many important items and special exhibits about Hadrian's Wall. You can learn all about Roman soldiers and life in ancient Britain.

Post-Roman Adventures

After the Romans left, other groups shaped the history of this area. The museum has exhibits about the Vikings. You can also learn about the Border Reivers, who were groups of people living near the border between England and Scotland long ago.

Awards and Recognition

Tullie House Museum is a great place for families. In 2015, it won the annual Family Friendly Museum Award. This award shows how much fun and how educational the museum is for kids and parents alike!