Ruskin Gallery

Listing Name: Ruskin Gallery
Address: Millennium Galleries, Arundel Gate, Sheffield S1 2PP
Area: City Centre
Tel: 0114 278 2600
Website: www.sheffieldgalleries.org.uk/coresite/html/ruskin.asp

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Welcome to Ruskin Gallery

The Ruskin Gallery, which is in the Millennium Galleries, contains a unique collection of minerals, paintings, drawings, ornithological prints, Medieval manuscripts, books and architectural plastercasts assembled by John Ruskin. The collection is known as the Ruskin Collection. It is owned by the Guild of St. George and cared for by Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust.

Items on display range from the small to the large. The jewel like colours in a single peacock feather are picked up in watercolours displayed alongside. Detailed drawings of architectural features and landscape views illustrate the skill of the craftsman and the beauty of nature. The front of Rouen Cathedral is recreated in large panels enlarged from photographs taken by Ruskin.

History of Ruskin Gallery

John Ruskin was one of the most eminent figures of the Victorian Age. His writings on natural history, art, architecture, social and economic matters helped shape British cultural life and had a significant impact on a wide range of other countries. His influence is still felt today and his ideas are as relevant to the twenty-first century as they were to the nineteenth.

In 1875 John Ruskin founded the Ruskin Gallery (originally called the Museum of St George) in a small cottage in the suburbs of Sheffield. He intended it as an educational resource for the benefit of the people of the city. The collection of items that Ruskin gathered for the museum belonged to the Guild of St George, an organisation set up by Ruskin in 1871.

In 1890 the Museum of St George moved to a new Ruskin Museum in Meersbrook Hall.

This remained open until the 1950s when the collection was relocated to the University of Reading, eventually to be housed in a new museum. This never materialised and the collection was returned to Sheffield. In 1985 a new Ruskin Gallery opened on Norfolk Street in the city centre. A small Craft Gallery was added to the building in 1988. In April 2001 the Ruskin Gallery moved once more into the Millennium Galleries.

Opening Times:
Monday – Saturday 8am - 5pm (exhibitions from 10am)
Sunday 11am - 5pm
Bank holiday Mondays 10am - 5pm
Closed 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January

Admission:
FREE

Group Visitors:
Pre-booked groups of 10 or more can get a 10% discount on entry to the Special Exhibition Gallery. For more information please call 0114 278 2655.

Mobility Access:
The building is fully accessible to visitors with disabilities.

Café:
Café Azure is open during gallery opening hours and serves an excellent selection of high quality meals and light refreshments.

Shop:
The gallery shop sells a wide range of cards, posters, pictures, magazines and other items related to the exhibitions.

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