Museum, art gallery, community hub and generally cool place to be (even if we do say so ourselves).
Despite being far away from the UK’s big cultural centres, the collections we care for are truly world class. We care for an impressive set of Pre-Raphaelite artworks, an Arts Council England Designated Natural Science collection, and a vast Human History collection covering over 10,000 years. The total number of items we look after now totals over one million!
Facilities
Tullie House
Our four galleries span from present day all the way back to neolithic times. Discover Carlisle’s social and natural history in the Border Galleries. Marvel at 300 years of Cumbrian fashion in one of the largest dedicated costume galleries in the north. Go back to Roman times with our British Museum partnership gallery showcasing our significant Roman collection and loans from the British Museum. Finally, our impressive Fine and Decorative art collection, including our world-class Pre-Raphaelite artworks, is located in Old Tullie House.
Originally built in 1689, the house retains some original features including an oak staircase and ground floor fireplace.
Our purpose-built exhibition gallery has hosted some incredible, world-renowned shows. We’ve had Turner, Rembrandt, the Crosby Garrett Helmet and even Paddington Bear. Not bad for a city of fewer than 100,000, eh?
On top of that, we have a pretty great café serving brunch, lunch, hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes. The perfect place to meet a friend or refuel after a trip round the museum.
Local Area
As the northernmost city in England, the thriving metropolis of Carlisle is both a busy modern hub and a historically important place due to its strategic location across the neck of the country, just a short hop from the Scottish border. The border city of Carlisle dates back almost 2,000 years and is most famous for Hadrian’s Wall – the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. Today visitors flock to Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall to walk the ancient footprint of this fascinating site and explore the remains of historic Roman forts, castles and garrisons dotted along the route.
How To Find Us
You’ll find Tullie in Carlisle’s Historic Quarter, between Carlisle Castle and the Cathedral.
We have entrances on:
Castle Street – off-limits for now – but when current redevelopment work is finished this will be the museum’s main entrance. Until the work is complete you’ll have to walk a little further onto Annetwell Street – more on that below
Annetwell Street – you can’t miss the rotunda, head under it to reach the red automatic doors to reception. There is ramp access at this entrance. This will be your main entrance for the exhibition gallery and the Border Galleries.
Abbey Street – this will be how you access events not in the exhibition gallery and our temporary café in the Function Room. From this cobbled street you can access our gardens through large wrought iron gates. Then you just need to follow the path through the garden, to the doors of Old Tullie House. From here you can also access all the galleries, though there is no lift access at this side of the building.
