Completing Kettle's Yard

Kettle’s Yard was created by Jim Ede, who was the first curator of modern art at the Tate Gallery. In the 1950s, four derelict cottages were converted into a gallery space with the idea of making art and beauty more approachable and accessible for everyone. The space was filled with paintings, sculpture, glass, ceramics and natural objects.

This project created greater public access and improved the care of the collection with a four-floor extension into a period building next to the gallery. Funding also supported an oral history project collecting memories of 50 years at the venue.

The project was designed to open up opportunities for more people from across the community to explore and learn about the collections and history of the building.

The original building had obvious access challenges as, with 16 flights of stairs, it was not accessible to people with additional mobility needs. To address these challenges, the main entrance of the building was altered and a focus was put on providing disabled people with the same access as non-disabled people.

More information can be found on the Kettle's Yard website.