Beverley Museum and Art Gallery

The Gallery first opened to the public in August 1910. The major protagonist and benefactor was Beverley native John Edward Champney a wealthy textile magnate, who first mooted the idea in 1902 when offering funding for the project. Further monies were donated and raised by locals and in 1906 a public library opened together with a ‘picture gallery’. Four years later Champney’s idea reached fruition when Beverley Museum and Art Gallery was formally opened. The Museum was enlarged in 1928 with further funding from Champney. The collection comprises works by local painter Fred Elwell and his family who bequeathed an enormous collection of work on his demise in 1958. Other artists represented include Arthur Middleton Todd, James Neal and Lamorna Birch.