Ipswich Art Gallery

Christchurch Mansion is a stately home within Christchurch Park on the edge of the town centre of Ipswich, owned by the town and houses a museum. The Grade I listed building has a collection of pottery and glass, a contemporary art gallery and a collection of paintings by artists including John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough which is the largest outside the capital. The mansion was bought by Felix Cobbold a brewery magnate from a syndicate of property developers in 1894 to save the building from demolition. Cobbold, a wealthy local businessman and philanthropist, then offered to give it to the Ipswich Corporation to establish a Museum and Art Gallery, together with a further £20,000 for the purchase of artworks. The offer was conditional on the corporation buying the surrounding parkland for the people of Ipswich. In February 1895 the mansion was transferred to the town and in April 1895 the corporation purchased the central part of the park.

The museum services in Colchester and Ipswich merged on the 1st April 2007, creating a brand new service for the two towns. This unique venture, which is thought to be the first of its kind, makes social, economic and cultural sense, providing the people of Colchester and Ipswich with a museum service to treasure.