Usher Gallery

The Usher Gallery is a public art museum on a south-facing hill in Lincoln, overlooking the lower town. It stands in a small park as Lincolnshire’s only purpose-built public art gallery. The building, designed by Reginald Blomfield, is a Grade II* listed structure with a stone façade, brick panels, and a balustraded roofline. A central portico topped by a broken pediment marks the south front. Inside, Tuscan pilasters and triglyph friezes frame the spaces. The gallery opened in 1927, funded by a bequest from local collector James Ward Usher. The gallery houses works by major British artists including J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. Its permanent collection ranges from portrait paintings to modern sculpture and decorative arts. Temporary exhibitions feature contemporary art alongside historical pieces. The museum also holds archaeological archives from Lincoln’s early history, studied since 1945. Educational programmes serve children, adults, and those with special needs. A 3D scanning project, led by artist Oliver Laric, allows digital access to parts of the collection. Visitors find two floors of displays. The ground floor shows the permanent collection, with ceramics, silver, and paintings by Benjamin West and John Piper. The first floor hosts temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Sculptures include a tree-ring work by Edward Allington. The museum’s programmes include art workshops and archaeological research archives. It remains a centre for Lincoln’s cultural and educational life.