The Higgins Bedford

The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum stands in Bedford’s Castle Quarter, on the site of the former Bedford Castle beside the River Great Ouse. The quarter also includes Castle Bailey gardens, Castle Mound and the John Bunyan Museum. The gallery reopened in 2013 after a £5.8 million refurbishment that joined three separate venues. The new building unites the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford Museum and Bedford Gallery under one roof. Charles Higgins, a former mayor, gave his name to the combined site. The gallery houses nationally important collections of Victorian architect William Burges and 20th-century designer Edward Bawden. Cecil Higgins created the original museum in 1949 to display his ceramics, glass and objets d’art. His will set up a trust fund and required acquisitions to be approved by recognised authorities. Curators such as Graham Reynolds, Edward Croft-Murray and Ronald Alley shaped the watercolour collection between 1952 and 1964. Over 500 watercolours were added in twelve years, forming one of the finest post-war collections outside London. Visitors find dedicated galleries for Burges and Bawden alongside touring exhibitions and learning spaces. The museum also displays prints by Picasso, Lichtenstein and Dürer, and works by Dora Carrington. A café and shop sit within the refurbished building. Castle Mound offers views over the river and the town. The John Bunyan Museum nearby recalls Bedford’s literary past.