The Gloucestershire Context

Throughout the galleries, the life and landscapes of Gloucestershire, from prehistory to modern times, are recurring themes.

The county is rich in natural resources, particularly wood and stone. In the Summerfield Galleries these are shown in settings featuring animals, birds and flowers of the Gloucestershire countryside. They also include some of the tools used by people working with these: stone for the houses and drystone walls that characterise the Cotswold hills; wood for building, and for the furniture of the Cotswold craft tradition.

Gloucestershire is also rich in archaeology and history, both of which are represented in the galleries. From our distant past comes excavated material from the Stone Age to Roman Britain.

More recent times are reflected by images such as the two early 18th-century paintings of Dixton depicting scenes of rural life, and by the local displays in the Arts and Crafts Gallery. Here, high quality handmade furniture, textiles and metalwork are shown alongside paintings, prints and objects representing aspects of life in one of England’s most beautiful and varied counties.