The Ruskin – Library, Museum and Research Centre is an archive, museum, and research centre at

Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

, in the north of England. The Director of The Ruskin is Professor Sandra Kemp. Prior to 2019, The Ruskin – Library, Museum and Research Centre was known as the Ruskin Library. The Ruskin is home to The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection, the world's largest assemblage of works by artist, writer, environmentalist and social thinker

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

(1819–1900), and his circle. The collection is on display in The Ruskin building at Lancaster University, designed for the collection by Sir Richard MacCormac, and Brantwood, Ruskin's house, garden and estate on Coniston Water. The Collection was purchased by

University of Lancaster Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

in 2019, with support from the

National Heritage Memorial Fund The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up in 1980 to save the most outstanding parts of the British national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. It replaced the National Land Fund, which had fulfilled t ...

. The Ruskin launched on 26 September 2019 with the exhibition, ‘Ruskin: Museum of the Near Future’, to mark the bicentenary of Ruskin's birth in 1819. In 2021, Lancaster University announced that The Ruskin would close until 2024 to enable planned capital works to take place. During the temporary closure, The Ruskin's programmes of exhibitions, events, research and learning are taking place digitally and off-site.

The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection

The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection was formed by the educationalist and Liberal MP,

John Howard Whitehouse John Howard Whitehouse (1873–1955) was the founder and first Warden of Bembridge School on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, and a Member of Parliament. His father, George Whitehouse, was a Quaker and an uncompromising Gladstonian Liberal ...

(1873–1955). It is the most extensive collection of Ruskin's works in the world, and the most widely consulted because of its depth and range. The collection contains thousands of paintings, drawings and diagrams, letters and manuscripts, photographs and daguerreotypes, a library – including Ruskin's own collection – and a complete repository of critical writing on Ruskin. Every aspect of Ruskin's polymathic interests are represented, from architecture and the arts, to political economy and the natural sciences.

2019 purchase

In 2019, the purchase of The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection at Lancaster University was funded by the Education Trust Limited and the Whitehouse Trust and with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund; Art Fund;

Garfield Weston Foundation The Garfield Weston Foundation is a grant-giving charity based in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1958 by Canadian businessman W. Garfield Weston (1898–1978), who during his lifetime contributed to numerous humanitarian causes, bo ...

; Bowland Trust; Friends of the National Libraries; John R Murray Charitable Trust; Guild of St George; Aldama Foundation; Pilgrim Trust; and the Cohen Foundation.

The building

Designed by Sir Richard MacCormac of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard,"Richard MacCormac, former Riba president, 1938–2014"
''Financial Times''. Retrieved 19 June 2016. it was opened in 1998 by Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy. It subsequently won the ''

Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' Building of the Year Award 1996, the Royal Fine Art Commission/

BSkyB Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers ...

Building of the Year University Winner 1998, and Millennium Products status awarded by the

Design Council The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom Charitable trust, charity incorporated by royal charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instr ...

in 1999.

Activities

The Collection is loaned to institutions internationally, across Europe, America and East Asia. The Ruskin offers a programme of temporary exhibitions, talks, lectures and performances, and creative workshops for all ages. Since 2020, these have taken place digitally. The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection is used in learning programmes taking place at Lancaster University, local schools and colleges, and continuing education, led by museum staff. The Ruskin Research Centre is integrated with The Ruskin's public-facing programme, producing ‘live’ research in partnership with its communities, and through its established seminar series and journal.

References

External links