The Minories

The Minories is a Grade II listed building and gardens in Colchester’s east end, near Hollytrees, Gate House and Colchester Castle. Built in the Tudor period, it became an elegant Georgian residence after Thomas Boggis hired architect John Alefounder to remodel it in the 18th century. The Boggis family lived there for nearly two centuries, and later Dr. Ruth Crawford used the front rooms as her consulting rooms while opening Colchester’s first infant nursery. The Gothic Folly, a summer house built in 1830, still stands in the grounds. The house passed through several owners before becoming an art gallery in the 20th century.

The Minories has served as a cultural centre for Colchester and North-East Essex since the Victor Batte-Lay Trust purchased it in 1956. The trust displayed works by artists such as Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and Lucien Pissarro, expanding the collection with prints, drawings and modern acquisitions. By the 1980s, the gallery had added a sculpture collection and a Permanent Collection room for rotating displays. The trust’s collection now includes 135 works by British and international artists, often loaned to regional institutions or shown in temporary exhibitions.

Today, The Minories Galleries hosts contemporary art exhibitions organised by Colchester School of Art, featuring artists like Abram Games and Keith Albarn. The walled garden and 18th-century Gothic Folly remain open to visitors, maintained with support from the Friends of The Minories. A café in the rear space has been run by different local groups, including Wilkin & Sons and Common Ground Colchester. The building continues to play a role in the town’s artistic life under the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation.