This inspiring space plays host to a variety of events including private views, celebratory drinks and performances.
Near Bath Abbey and the Guildhall, this building was named to celebrate Queen Victoria's sixty years on the throne. It houses a fine collection of paintings, sculpture, glassware and decorative arts, including works by Gainsborough, Sickert, Nash and Klee. The building consists of the grand Upper Gallery and a more contemporary Lower Gallery, with an inviting marble entrance hall and grand staircase.
Call us on 01225 477786 or fill out our quick enquiry form to get started.
Take a walk through the inspiring Victoria Art Gallery using the virtual tour below.
Let us know if you'd like a guided virtual venue visit. We will join you on a virtual tour, answer your questions in real time, and highlight the key points of interest relevant to your event.
Email [email protected] or call 01225 477786 or to arrange a guided virtual tour.
Our friendly and experienced team will help you every step of the way, from planning and logistics through to being there to support you on the day.
At the Victoria Art Gallery, you are free to choose your own suppliers although we do have a list of people and businesses who have worked well in our venues previously.
Please do get in touch if you have any queries you would like to discuss with the team.
At the Victoria Art Gallery you can choose either the contemporary Lower Gallery, or the more traditional Upper Gallery.
The Victoria Art Gallery is a lovely venue for celebrating with friends and family.
Inject some creativity and culture into your drinks event and engage your guests by surrounding yourselves with inspiring works of art. You can enjoy drinks and nibbles in either our Upper or Lower Gallery (dependent on the exhibition). You have the choice to stay at the gallery for a few hours or you can continue your celebrations in one of our other venues or at one of many nearby restaurants.
Please contact our friendly team about hosting your event at the gallery.
Upper Gallery, Anna Barclay Photography
Upper Gallery, Anna Barclay Photography
Lower Gallery
Upper Gallery, Andy Fletcher Photography
Rotunda, Andy Fletcher Photography
Lower Gallery, Andy Fletcher Photography
Capacities & pricing
Visit us out of hours and allow yourself time to really savour the current exhibition on display.
Especially useful during blockbuster shows, you can avoid the crowds and appreciate exciting exhibitions in your own time with colleagues, friends or family. Although perfect for intimate groups, up to 150 guests can enjoy an exhibition privately.
You could also upgrade your visit to include a drinks reception in the Upper Gallery or book the curator for a private introduction to the exhibition.
Lower Gallery
Lower Gallery
Lower Gallery, Anna Barclay Photography
Lower Gallery, changing exhibitions
Capacities & pricing
The gallery’s inspiring and creative environment is the perfect backdrop for a performance or presentation.
You can use either our Upper or Lower Gallery (dependent on the exhibition) and a bar area can be located within the venue for reception drinks and refreshments. You are also free to choose your own caterer within the gallery.
Please contact our friendly team about hosting your event at the gallery.
Upper Gallery
Lower Gallery
Rotunda, Andy Fletcher Photography
Upper Gallery, Andy Fletcher Photography
Capacity & pricing
At the Victoria Art Gallery you are free to make your own choice of caterer and the galleries are most suitable for drinks, nibbles and cold canapes. The venue is licensed, and where alcohol is served, a personal licence holder must be present and would usually be provided by your caterer.
In the Upper Gallery, due to the value of the artworks on display, only clear drinks are permitted, and in the Lower Gallery restrictions will vary depending on the exhibition taking place.
The venue is available for events from 6pm Tuesday to Sunday (set-up from 5.30pm) and available all day on Mondays.
Contact our friendly team to find out more and to book.
A short history of the Victoria Art Gallery
In the 1890s many local people supported the project to build Bath’s public art gallery. Led by the Mayor, Councillor George Woodiwiss, funds were raised and works of art given to form a public collection. This groundswell of local support and sense of shared ownership has remained a hallmark of the Victoria Art Gallery ever since, emphatically making it the ‘people’s gallery’.
The Gallery was named after Queen Victoria; a civic tribute to a much-loved monarch. 1897, the year of her Golden Jubilee, saw the laying of the foundation stone. The building opened three years later, adorned by a crown atop the building’s distinctive dome. A statue of Queen Victoria was soon added to the Bridge Street façade, paid for by the women of Bath. The Gallery’s collection grew quickly, with over 500 works of art being donated in its first decade.
The building was designed by John McKean Brydon, a lover of classical design. He was thus well able to create a building that could merge with the Guildhall and complement the surrounding Georgian cityscape. Brydon was clearly proud of the building, donating a copy of the Parthenon Frieze to adorn the top-lit gallery. Downstairs was Bath’s new library. It moved to larger premises in 1989 and the Gallery expanded to fill the space with a new more contemporary gallery which hosts a year-round programme of high-quality temporary exhibitions.
The Gallery continues to enjoy widespread public support. It is visited by thousands of tourists every year and by more local residents than any other museum in Bath; and it has a thriving and supportive Friends organisation. Thanks to the generosity of individual donors and organisations including the Art Fund and the National Lottery Heritage Fund the Gallery’s collection continues to grow. Throughout the country, local authorities are trustworthy guardians of public museum collections that reflect thousands of generous individuals who have entrusted their treasured possessions into public ownership for others to enjoy forever.
The majority of the Victoria Art Gallery’s collection has come in this way, mostly fromlocal people. It is an important resource for leisure, inspiration and education, and is available to everyone, whether on display or in store.
For more information about availability, fill out our short enquiry form or call us on 01225 477786.
