The third Baron de Ferrieres who was a former Mayor and MP for Cheltenham gave 43 important paintings, mostly from Belgium and the Netherlands, to the town in 1898, together with £1000 to go towards building a gallery in which to house them. This gallery was opened in 1899.
In 1905 the Schools of Art and Science left the premises next door to the Art Gallery and the Museum was opened in these rooms two years later. From then the collections grew in number and quality, with the great many given by the people of Cheltenham. In 1975 a branch museum was opened in Gustav Holsts birthplace, which was completely furnished from the collection. This then went on to become an independent museum in 2000.
The collections include paintings, natural history, decorative art, local and social history, archaeology and ethnography.

Open all year  Monday - Saturday 10.00am - 17.20pm
First Thursday of each month open at 11.00am  Closed Bank Holidays Closed Sundays

Admission  Free however donations are welcome

Accessibility
Totally accessible for wheelchair users, lift, ramps, etc to all floors (to use lift, please ask a member of security staff). Free loan of wheelchair, pushchair or toddler stool. Induction loop and speech reinforcement system in the Meeting Room. Handling tables throughout the galleries. Guide dogs welcome.