The Holburne Museum Reviews Summary

Category: Art museum

Address: Great Pulteney St, Bathwick, Bath BA2 4DB, United Kingdom

Phone: +441225388569

Rating: 4.4
based on 174 reviews.

Exhibitions and Collections

Pros:

  • "Very good exhibitions, the permanent collection has some very interesting pictures."
  • "Passed a very pleasant couple of hours in here. Some very famous names on show - (Gainsborough, Johan Zoffany) and an excellent exhibition of Rossetti's portraits."
  • "Two floors of exhibition showcasing well preserved ceramics, oil paintings, and items alike."
  • "The collection of Rembrandt pieces were wonderfully intricate and absolutely beautiful. Matisse was simply amazing."
  • "I particularly enjoyed the Nalini Malani exhibit of moving images."
  • "Great examples of traditional oil on canvas work and various displays of porcelain, silver and bronze work."
  • "Interesting museum, with fantastic exhibition of early Grayson Perry work, now open until January 2021."

Cons:

  • "Recently changed so the permanent exhibit is no longer free but costs £12, except on certain days."
  • "The collections were very dull and there was not a whole lot to do in the museum."
  • "I went to see the Rossetti exhibition, which was much smaller than I expected- I was only there about 10-15 minutes for £11!"
  • "Apart from a current exhibition I found the curation quite full and the entry fee quite steep."
  • "The main collection wasn't my cup of tea, but it was very well curated and kept my interest as far as it could."
  • "I find the cost of the temporary exhibitions too high, and it's such a small place you don't get much for that price either."
  • "The permanent collection is pretty dull to anyone without a serious interest in antiques."

Staff and Service

Pros:

  • "The staff are always very happy and helpful."
  • "Also very friendly gallery staff."
  • "Very interesting interpretation of the collection and friendly, knowledgeable volunteer staff."
  • "Wonderful helpful staff."
  • "Staff were all very friendly and welcoming."
  • "Very friendly and informative staff."
  • "The staff were all lovely and very willing to help."

Cons:

  • "Coffee was cold, food shoddy and service was surly."
  • "Staff not too helpful. Maybe it was a busy Saturday afternoon and a lot of things sold out but we didn't feel very welcome."
  • "Walking around I felt uncomfortable, with many eyes on me to the point where I eventually got followed by a member of staff."
  • "Staff ruined the visit... make the whole experience uncomfortable and awkward."
  • "The staff at the main desk seemed to be sitting there doing nothing except chatting."
  • "Do not use, they are rude, unhelpful, insensitive, and flat out stealing money."
  • "A woman came up to me & told me to 'be careful with my bag' - like I was going to face my back to the wall, step over the barriers and ram into the paintings. Absolutely unwelcoming and patronising."

Cafe and Amenities

Pros:

  • "Lifts to all floors."
  • "The cafe on bottom floor at the back of the museum is also amazing, a nice modern building which juxtaposes the old museum building."
  • "Love this gallery. The new extension is well worth seeing."
  • "The beautiful original building has been expanded with a striking modern extension which makes the whole building accessible and provides a lovely, spacious café."
  • "Wheelchair accessible venue; nice garden cafe."
  • "The cafe has limited but scrumptious food."
  • "The cafe Is situated in a large conservatory overlooking the outstanding gardens and is reasonably priced."

Cons:

  • "Only toilets we could use were the public toilets in Sydney gardens that cost 20p and weren't very clean."
  • "The exhibition was wonderful. The cafe was very disappointing."
  • "My mother paid 2.75 for a 'fresh' orange juice but it was poured from a carton and was definitely of poor quality."
  • "Visited the cafe today. Very slow service, although the staff were perfectly polite."
  • "The cafe is a little on the pricey side and doesn't seem to offer much variety on the light bites side of things, sandwiches are horrendously expensive."
  • "The cafe lunch is very poor. We chose cheap options. They brought me the wrong baguette. It was smeared with mayonnaise and inedible."
  • "The cafe is overpriced and not worth it."

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