Harris Museum & Art Gallery

Category: Public Gallery
Address: Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston, PR1 2PP.
Opening hours: See Harris website for details
Contact: Debbie Smith
Email: d.j.smith@preston.gov.uk
Website: www.harrismuseum.org.uk
Telephone: 01772 258248

Description: The Harris is a stunning Grade I listed Neo-Classical building which was designed by James Hibbert (1833-1903) to house the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library. It was completed in 1893. The history and architecture of the Harris are of great interest to local people and visitors to Preston. The building also has many interesting features including a cast of the Parthenon Frieze, Preston’s Roll of Honour and a Foucault’s Pendulum.

The Harris Museum and Art Gallery is an important regional museum which holds exciting collections including fine art, decorative art, costume and textiles, history and photography. Many of the collections are of regional, national and international significance.

The fine art collection includes the largest collection of work by the Devis family of painters and a contemporary photography collection which is considered to be one of the finest in the country. The decorative art collection includes the Mrs French Perfume Bottle Collection, which is the largest in the country and one of the most important in the world, and an important collection of mid-20th century fashion dresses by the famous Horrockses Fashions label.

Highlights of the history collections include the Poulton Elk, part of the Cuerdale Hoard and the famous Yard Works model which shows the extent of Horrockses Cotton Manufacturers' operations in 1913. The Harris also holds an important photography collection featuring images of Preston from 1850 and a collection of prints of the Crimea by Roger Fenton. Many of the artefacts in the museum were donated by the people of Preston and relate to local life, events and businesses making us ideally placed to tell the story of Preston.