Skipton Art Gallery

The Skipton Museum and Art Gallery is the same entity as the Craven Museum & Gallery, located within Skipton Town Hall. The museum was founded by local history and archaeology enthusiasts, including the Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association. It officially opened on October 6, 1928, in a room above the Skipton Library. In 1934, responsibility for the Museum was transferred to the Skipton Urban District Council, which ensured its survival and growth. In 1973, the museum moved to its current location in Skipton Town Hall, where it had a purpose-built annexe. Between 2019 and 2021, the entire Town Hall underwent a major redevelopment, including a complete redesign of the museum space. It reopened in June 2021 on the ground floor with a focus on accessibility and themed displays showcasing local history, from prehistory to modern day. The museum houses around 60,000 objects, including a rare Shakespeare's First Folio, Roman artefacts, an Iron Age sword, and furniture by Robert "Mouseman" Thompson.

The Roebuck Collection was a significant art bequest that forms a large portion of the museum's art collection. Clement Roebuck (1898–1988) was a wealthy art collector and amateur artist from Huddersfield who moved to the Skipton area later in life. He collected art for personal enjoyment, not investment, and his collection included works by nationally significant artists such as Laura Knight, Stanley Spencer, and John Nash, as well as local artists. When he died, he bequeathed his collection of 145 items to the museum in Skipton. This bequest significantly enhanced the museum's art holdings, and while not all pieces are on permanent display, selections are featured in temporary exhibitions in the exhibition gallery.

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