The Russell-Cotes Museum (formally, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum) is an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

and

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, England. A Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

originally known as East Cliff Hall, it is located on the top of the East Cliff, next to the Royal Bath Hotel.

History and collections

In 1897, the architect John Frederick Fogerty was commissioned by Merton Russell-Cotes, then the owner of the Royal Bath Hotel, to build a house as a birthday present for his wife Annie. Originally called East Cliff Hall, it was built in the northeast section of his hotel's garden, in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style, with interiors by John Thomas and his son Oliver. It was completed in its first form in 1901. In 1907, Annie Russell-Cotes donated East Cliff Hall and its contents as a museum to the town of Bournemouth, and Merton donated his fine art collection. In return they were made honorary freemen of the town. They continued living in part of the house and over the next ten years they paid for an extension to be built and made further donations, including the freehold of the site. It was formally opened by

Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...

in 1919. After their deaths, the Borough of Bournemouth took over the running of East Cliff Hall and re-opened it as the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum on 10 March 1922. After Sir Merton's death, it was extended into his part of the house; a further extension was opened in 2000. The house and the new annexe display various items collected in the course of Sir Merton's foreign travels, especially to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and paintings from his personal art collection. One room is the Sir

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

Museum; Irving, a friend of the Russell-Cotes', had stayed in that room. When Irving died in 1905, this room was devoted to his memory. Items purchased at the sale of Irving's effects formed the basis of the Irving Museum and were displayed with memorabilia associated with his contemporaries such as

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

and

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

. In October 2023, it was reported that the Russell-Cotes requires £4m of repairs to restore the museum to an acceptable standard due to water damage. The museum is in the process of becoming an independent charity.

Exhibitions

Twice-yearly exhibitions of contemporary art support works from the main collection, and have included painter Jonathan Yeo and sculptor

Jon Edgar Jon Edgar is a British sculptor of the Frink School. Improvisation is an important part of his reductive working process and developed from the additive working process of Alan Thornhill. Final works are often autobiographical, perhaps referenc ...

in 2011.

Children's facilities

The new annexe also has a restaurant and a play area for young children. The art gallery in the old annexe displays a wide and frequently changing collection of pictures and statues. Older children are invited to complete a "detective sheet", for example finding where there are pictures of a bat, a kingfisher and other animals and birds.

Gallery

File:RussellCotesInterior1.jpg, Interior of the hall in the museum File:HMS 'Bombay' on Fire at Montevideo, Uruguay, 14 December 1864 by George Cochrane Kerr DOR BRC AH129.jpg, HMS ''Bombay''; on Fire at Montevideo, Uruguay, 14 December 1864 by George Cochrane Kerr File:Etty – The Dawn of Love.jpg, '' The Dawn of Love'', 1828, by

William Etty William Etty (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, he left sch ...

File:Henry Irving's Objects in the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum.jpg, Henry Irving's props File:Dish decorated with a scene from the Nō play 'Momijigari' ('Maple Viewing') - RC110.tif, Dish decorated with a scene from the Nō play 'Momijigari' ('Maple Viewing') by Komai File:Figure group entitled 'The Wrestlers' or 'Kawatso Saburo Overcoming Matano Goro' - RC1008-1.tif, Figure group entitled '''The Wrestlers or '''Kawatso Saburo Overcoming Matano Goro''' File:Iron plaque depicting a mounted Samarai battling Mongol foot soldiers - RC129.tif, Iron plaque depicting a mounted Samarai battling Mongol foot soldiers by Komai File:Japanese Mino ware (stoneware) plate - RC311.tif, Japanese Mino ware (stoneware) plate decorated with an image of rats attacking cats after Kawanabe Kyousai (1831-1899) File:Small cabinet shaped like a pagoda - RC114-1.tif, Small cabinet shaped like a pagoda by Komai File:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Venus Verticordia.jpg, ''Venus Verticordia'', oil on canvas by Dante Gabriel Rossetti between 1864 and 1868 File:Morgan, Evelyn de - Aurora Triumphans - c. 1886.jpg, ''Aurora Triumphans'' (1877–78 or c. 1886), oil on canvas by Evelyn De Morgan

References

External links

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The Joy of Shards Mosaics Resource information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum Houses completed in 1901 1919 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Bournemouth Biographical museums in Dorset Art museums and galleries in Dorset Musical instrument museums Museums in Bournemouth Historic house museums in Dorset Art museums and galleries established in 1919 Art Nouveau architecture in England Tourist attractions in Bournemouth Grade II* listed buildings in Dorset Grade II* listed museum buildings