WELCOME TO THE
OLD COURTHOUSE GALLERY
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 10am to 5pm.
Sunday: 10am to 4pm
online
Old Courthouse Gallery Shop
“Welcome to The Old Courthouse Gallery, where we are proud to showcase an extensive collection of artists and their works. Feel free to browse through the small selection below. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the artworks, you can easily do so by clicking on any of the images or alternatively click the button below to directly access our comprehensive online shop. Happy exploring!”
Built 1856
Ambleside Courthouse
1919 – 1994
Draper Shop
1994 – today
Art Gallery
History of
The Old Courthouse Gallery
Ambleside
Market Place
Ambleside
Market Place
The Old Courthouse Gallery 2023
Many visitors ask about the fascinating history of our building so we decided to write a guide!
Ambleside was granted a Charter in 1650 to hold a Market which traded in cloth, bark, corn and paper. By 1850 the area around the lake gradually developed and in the 1840’s several large villas were built. In the 1850’s the area around Ambleside’s stone Market Cross was redeveloped. At this time the population of Ambleside was 1,592. The original Market Hall, which had an open ground floor with pillars and a building above, was developed into the current trio of buildings – the Market Hall, the Mechanics Institute and reading rooms and the Courthouse Building.
Ambleside Courthouse
The Courthouse was built in 1856 as Ambleside’s original town hall and then served as the law courts and cells.
The Old Courthouse Gallery in Ambleside, Lake District, is a family-owned independent art gallery with a long history of displaying superb contemporary arts. The gallery is spread across three floors of the town’s historic court building, giving us a bright and welcoming space to showcase the best arts and crafts available from the Lakes and around Britain today.
We feature a wide range of original wall art from paintings & drawings to textiles & linocuts. We also display fine wood craft & furniture, glass and sculptures in bronze & ceramic. Our jewellery section includes collections that are both beautiful and very wearable. We like to ensure that there is always a wide variety of high quality pieces at a range of prices on display. So, whether you’re a serious collector or just looking for an ideal gift or a memento of your visit you’re always welcome to pop in for a browse. Our friendly team will be happy to help!
Drapers Shop
Frederick Penrice, one of 11 siblings, opened his drapers shop in the Courthouse building in 1919. After training in London he moved to Ambleside. Several members of the Penrice family shared in the running of the business as it evolved from a general drapers to a specialist clothing outfitter until it closed in 1994 having served residents and visitors for 75 years.
The Gallery
The Old Courthouse Gallery first opened in 1994 and was created and established by the Brammall family. The premises were totally renovated and the magnificent upstairs space was opened up, to bathe the exhibits in natural light. A mezzanine and bespoke shop fittings in wrought iron were created by Chris Brammall.
The gallery went from strength to strength over the next twenty years and the business stayed within the family until Sylvia and Andrew retired in 2016. At that time a new chapter began when the current owners, Paul & Caroline Jones, took over the business together with their friends Andy and Rebecca Thelwell. With the help of their fantastic team of staff they aim to keep the gallery at the forefront of contemporary arts & crafts in the Lakes & beyond.
Coming Up
Upcoming Exhibitions
Exhibition 001
Michael Webster
Aug 16 – Oct 14
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Exhibition 002
Gosia Whatever
Aug 28 – Oct 2
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Past Exhibitions
SARAH & DAVID CEMMICK:
TRUE TO FORM, from March 5th to 26th 2022
This exhibition saw the return of David Cemmick, in collaboration with his equally-talented wife Sarah. They developed a new collection of work titled ‘True to Form‘ centred around the iconic March hare.
A form is the open-air space that a hare makes in long grass and via a mix of paintings, lino cuts and sculptures Sarah & David explored the personality of this much-loved British creature in its natural environment.
DAVID CEMMICK:
GORILLA, from May 29th to June 13th 2021
David is a very well-respected wildlife artist, renowned for his work on endangered species and habitats. This new exhibition was a mix of sculptures, drawings and paintings focussing on gorillas and gave an evocative portrayal of these magnificent creatures.
The exhibition featured three brand-new sculptures alongside three editions of David’s existing gorilla works. There were also 20 new original artworks, half oils and half other media, and around 30 mounted unframed sketches. We also have more of David’s work at the gallery, which can be found here
FAY COLLINS:
A Return to Nature, from September 19th to October 3rd 2020
For this exhibition we displayed a beautiful new collection of work by Fay Collins, in her exhibition ‘A Return to Nature’. The exhibtion ran from September 19th 2020 for two weeks. All the paintings were evocative representations of the landscape around the Ambleside area, in oils on board. Although ths exhibition is now over, we still feature Fay’s work in the gallery and you can see her latest paintings here.
Working from her studio in the Forest of Bowland, Fay creates distinctive paintings of both landscape and nature. For this solo exhibition she created a new body of work inspired by the slow return to normality in the Lakes post-COVID.
Ambleside, Inside & Out:
27th April – 11th May 2019
Dawn Gabrielle Chandler, Philip L Hobbs and R Martin Tomlinson
Dawn is well-known for her ShelfLife paintings but for this exhibition she returned to a medium, pencil, with which she began her art career over twenty years ago.
The gallery has previously hosted an exhibition of Phil’s Venetian work and was excited to show his more local work too. “I’ve lived and worked in and around Ambleside all of my adult life and I’ve watched it change and seen its people come and go. The farms, blacksmiths’ workshops, slate works and boatyards are all among my favourite subjects”.
This was the first time that the gallery had the pleasure of featuring Martin’s work. Like Phil, Martin has lived in Ambleside for most of his life – “this Exhibition has given me a great chance to focus my painting on the familiar landscape and buildings I see every day. Several of the pictures in this collection have been painted within yards of my front door and it has been a wonderful opportunity to fully appreciate what is virtually on my doorstep.”
DANIEL COOPER:
NORTHERN SITES, 15th September to 7th October 2018
A solo exhibition of original art and
limited edition prints by Daniel Cooper
PHIL HOBBS:
A Day in Venice, 21st October to 5th November 2017
“I am always slightly envious when someone tells me that they are planning to go to Venice for the first time. Although I have visited that unique city many times, nothing could have prepared me for that first visit. Nor has anything since come close to that initial revelation” – Phil Hobbs
THE LAKE ARTISTS SOCIETY:
Members’ Special Exhibition, August 22nd to September 5th 2020
We were very happy to host this very special exhibition of works by the members of the prestigious Lake Artists Society. Sadly, the Society’s usual highly-regarded Summer Exhibition had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Summer Exhibition has been a fixture of the Lake District Arts calendar for many decades and previously only paused for World War II.
Although the normal full exhibition with multiple new works from the Members and selected Guest Artists couldn’t go ahead, we offered our Chambers exhibition room for a smaller event. As long-time attendees of the Societies’ shows ourselves we were keen to do something to help out and avoid a total cancellation. We therefore hosted this exhibition of one or two works from each Member, with all proceeds going to the Society and its artists.
Ceri Allen
Christine Baine
Catherine MacDiarmid
Kate Bentley
Angie Mitchell
Marion Bradley
Rebecca Naimski (Darbishire)
Dawn Gabrielle Chandler
Rebecca Payn
Kevin Chester
Annie Peaker
Danny Clahane
Janette Phillips
Fiona Clucas
Vivienne Pooley
Stephen Darbishire
Hideyuki Sobue
Mark Gibbs
Alan Stones
Rachel Gibson
R. Martin Tomlinson
Susan H. Glassford
Graham Twyford
Gordon Griffiths
Elizabeth Walsh
P.L. Hobbs
Ian Walton
Janet Kenyon
Ralph Wardle
Marion Kuit
Michael Wilson
Tracy Levine
Judith L.Wood
David Macaulay
Beverley White
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I RETURN ITEMS BOUGHT IN-STORE?
At our discretion we will exchange or give a credit note for items purchased in-store at The Old Courthouse Gallery, Ambleside. Items must be returned in their original condition & packaging and within 5 working days (or within 30 days where an item is agreed to be faulty) unless other prior arrangements have been made with the gallery. Please contact us about your intention to return goods. Neither Commissioned artwork nor ear-rings may be returned.
CAN I RETURN ITEMS BOUGHT ONLINE?
If you choose to return an on-line purchase you must contact us within 14 calendar days after you receive your order. You then have a further 14 calendar days to return the item to us. We will refund you in the same form of payment originally used for purchase within 14 days of OCG Arts Ltd receiving your return. You will be credited for the price of the purchase minus the original cost of postage. Please note that ear-rings cannot be returned.
You are responsible for the cost of safe delivery of returns to us and we cannot accept items that have been damaged, altered or worn. Repack the product in its original packaging materials, unless the package’s condition is not suitable for a safe return. We will notify you of the status of your return by e-mail or postal mail.
If your delivery appears damaged, or once opened, you find damaged artwork, please contact us straight away so we can arrange to have it picked up and inspected. Please retain all of the original packing materials. All complaints will be dealt with immediately and any remedial action taken will be fully explained by phone or email on the same day if possible. Goods agreed to be faulty or damaged during transit will be replaced or a refund made (including the cost of any return postage) in accordance with currently applicable consumer law.
WHAT ARE YOUR DELIVERY CHARGES?
Delivery charges depend on the size and value of the item purchased and are shown in your Basket before you checkout. Charges apply for all items and those shown are for mainland UK only. For non-UK and Scottish Highlands & Islands please contact the gallery for shipping costs.
All delivery and insurance is arranged by OCG Arts Ltd. We deliver by the most secure and cost effective method available, using only reputable and efficient companies. All charges are met by the purchaser.
DISCLAIMER
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that this site contains accurate and up to date information, neither OCG Arts Ltd nor Michael Webster will take any responsibility for any errors that the site contains. Any e-mail information provided for the OCG Arts Ltd newsletter is used solely by OCG Arts Ltd and not released to any third parties.
All items sold on OCG Arts Ltd are sold on the understanding that the technical limitations of showing images through various monitors, on the internet, and the resultant potential variation in colour displayed, may mean that the colour of the original item may vary from the one displayed on your monitor. Items purchased are sold with this condition in place.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright for the site layout and all the contents rests with OCG Arts Ltd. No part of this site including any image or part of any image may be copied and used for commercial purposes without prior permission. If you wish to copy any of the images for anything other than personal use, please e-mail or write to Paul Jones at OCG Arts Ltd.
Old Courthouse Gallery and OCG are trading names of OCG Arts Ltd.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION.
When you make a purchase, we request contact information (such as name, billing and shipping address). We also require that you create a user name and password to expedite the order process, or to create a Wish List. Contact information is used to send orders to our customers and to get in touch with the customer when necessary. Subject information is used to keep visitors informed of updates to specific categories.
No information gathered from this website is passed to any third party organisation. To remove your information from our own database, and no longer receive future communications please email us at gallery@ocg-arts.com or send a message via postal mail to the following address:
OLD COURTHOUSE GALLERY
Market Place
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 9BU
015394 32022
CONTACT US
THE OLD COURTHOUSE GALLERY
Market Place
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 9BU
Address
Market Place,
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 9BU
Tel: 015394 32022
Open Hours
Monday – Friday: 10am – 5pm
Weekends: 10am – 9pm
Holidays: Closed