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The Building
Gainsborough's House is a typical example of Suffolk vernacular architecture.
Constructed from a timber frame with wattle and daub in-fill, two cottages were joined in
about 1520. Since then the house has undergone considerable modifications and additions,
including the addition of a brick facade built in the 1720's by the artist's father.
For most of its life the house has been a private residence, although it was converted
into a small hotel in the 1920s.
In 1958, the property was purchased and restored by Gainsborough's House Society and was opened as a privately-funded museum in 1961.
It is not known exactly when Gainsborough's family first occupied the house but we do know that they eventually sold it to Peter James Bennett in 1792. In 1735, following the bankruptcy of the artist's father, the house was purchased by a rich cousin of the artist thus providing the family with security of tenure. The Aubrey Herbert Room (the first room on the first floor) is believed to be the room in which the artist was born.
The Collection
The collection is mostly of paintings, drawings and prints by Thomas Gainsborough.
However, the museum also possesses work by a number of other artists and these provide a
context for Gainsborough's achievement.
The paintings are grouped chronologically, with the Suffolk period (up to 1759) shown
in the Parlour, the Bath period (1759 - 1774) displayed on the first floor in the room
where Gainsborough was born and the London period (after 1774) in the second room on the
first floor.
In addition to the works of art, the museum also displays a number of Gainsborough's
possessions and some of his correspondence.
The Upper Bow Room at the back of the house is used to display prints and drawings, while the library (open to visitors by appointment) contains articles, books, manuscripts and photographs about Gainsborough and eigtheenth-century British art.
The Weaving Room on the first floor, the gallery on the ground floor, and the garden are all used for temporary exhibitions, mostly of contemporary work, which provide a stimulating contrast to the permanent collection.
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Gainsborough's House, 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, UK.
Telephone: (UK) 01787 372958 Fax: (UK) 01787 376991