About Us
A civic museum with a bequest at its origin, a collection built over more than a century, and a commitment to open public access.
A town’s gift to itself
The Harris Museum & Gallery began with a bequest from Edmund Robert Harris, a Preston lawyer who wanted the town to have a place for art, learning and public life. The building that followed was opened in 1893 and remains the heart of the institution today.
Over the decades the collection grew through gifts, purchases and loans. Paintings, prints, decorative arts and local history now sit alongside one another, and the reference library has become a place where residents and researchers alike come to work.
Mission
We keep the collection in public hands and open it to anyone who wants to look closely. Our work is to care for objects, to explain them honestly, and to make room for conversations that a single label cannot hold.
That means free admission to the permanent galleries, a learning programme for schools and families, and exhibitions that bring new voices into a building with a long memory.
Our values
Every object is catalogued, stored in controlled conditions and reviewed on a regular schedule. Conservation decisions are recorded so that future staff can understand why each step was taken.
Entry to the permanent displays is free, and our reference library welcomes anyone who wants to research the collection, the town or the building itself.
Labels and talks state what is known, what is disputed and what is still unclear. We would rather admit a gap than present a neat story that cannot be defended.
A museum is a place where a town can see itself at different ages at once.
Curatorial team, Harris Museum & Gallery
Milestones
1863
The bequest
Edmund Robert Harris’s will sets aside funds for a public museum and library in Preston.
1893
Opening of the building
The museum opens its doors to the public in the building that still houses its galleries.
Today
A working public museum
Exhibitions, learning programmes and research services continue to serve local and visiting audiences.
The team
Our staff include curators, conservators, learning officers and library specialists, supported by volunteers and a long list of community partners. Most of the team work across several areas, so that a question about a painting can be answered by someone who also knows the building and its history.
You can meet the people behind the collection on our team page, or read about recent work on the blog.