About
Haworth Art Gallery stands in beautiful parkland overlooking Accrington, housed in an elegant mansion that provides an intimate setting for one of Britain's finest collections of Tiffany glass alongside notable British paintings and decorative arts. This hidden gem combines art appreciation with the pleasures of historic architecture and landscaped grounds.
The gallery opened in 1921 when local industrialist William Haworth gifted his family home and extensive grounds to Accrington Corporation for public benefit. The mansion, built around 1909, reflects Edwardian prosperity and taste, with well-proportioned rooms providing excellent gallery spaces. Haworth's bequest included funding for art acquisitions, enabling the gallery to develop collections over the following decades. The setting in Haworth Park adds considerable appeal, with the house surrounded by mature trees, gardens, and sweeping views across the Pennine landscape.
The gallery's claim to international significance rests on the Tiffany glass collection - the largest assemblage of American art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany in Europe. Donated by local entrepreneur Joseph Briggs, who worked for Tiffany Studios in New York for over forty years, the collection comprises nearly 140 pieces including stunning lamps, vases, windows, and decorative objects spanning Tiffany's career. Beyond the Tiffany treasures, the gallery holds British oil paintings from the 18th to 20th centuries, watercolors, prints, and decorative arts including furniture, ceramics, and textiles. Temporary exhibition galleries host changing displays of contemporary and historical art.
With free admission, beautiful surroundings, and world-class glass alongside accessible British art, Haworth Art Gallery offers a rewarding experience for art enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. The combination of mansion architecture, park setting, and exceptional collections creates special appeal.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday afternoons for quietest viewing. Morning light excellent for viewing glass.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Visit when natural light is good (morning or early afternoon) to fully appreciate the Tiffany glass colors and iridescence. The glass appears most luminous in daylight conditions.
- Allow 60-90 minutes minimum to properly appreciate the Tiffany collection - it rewards close observation and careful viewing from different angles to see how colors shift with light.
- The gallery is set in beautiful Haworth Park with mature trees and gardens - arrive early to enjoy the parkland before or after your gallery visit. The setting adds considerably to the experience.
- Free admission to world-class glass makes this exceptional value. Consider making a donation to support conservation of the Tiffany collection, which requires specialist care and expertise.
- The gallery cafe offers refreshments in pleasant surroundings - ideal for reflection after viewing the collections. The park provides picnic areas for good weather alternatives.
- Photography is permitted without flash - essential for protecting the glass and artworks. Natural light photography of the Tiffany pieces can be challenging but rewarding.
- Check the temporary exhibition schedule before visiting - the gallery hosts interesting contemporary and historical shows complementing the permanent collections. Repeat visits reveal new content.
Highlights
The Tiffany Glass Collection
Europe's largest and finest collection of Tiffany glass comprises nearly 140 pieces donated by Joseph Briggs, who worked for Louis Comfort Tiffany's studios in New York from 1890 to 1933. This extraordinary assemblage spans Tiffany's career, showcasing the evolution of his innovative techniques and artistic vision.
Stunning leaded glass lamps demonstrate the famous Tiffany lamp shades with botanical and geometric designs, while blown glass vases exhibit the iridescent Favrile glass technique that made Tiffany internationally famous.
Windows, panels, and decorative objects reveal the full range of Tiffany Studios' production. The collection's importance lies not only in its size but in its quality and comprehensiveness, representing one of the finest Tiffany holdings outside America. Displayed in purpose-designed cases with careful lighting, the glass appears luminous and jewel-like, revealing Tiffany's mastery of color, texture, and form.
Tiffany Lamps Collection
The gallery's collection of Tiffany table and floor lamps represents the pinnacle of American art glass craftsmanship, featuring iconic designs that made Tiffany Studios famous worldwide.
Dragonfly, wisteria, and geometric patterns are represented, each lampshade composed of hundreds of individual pieces of hand-cut colored glass leaded together. The lamps combine functional lighting with sculptural beauty, with bronze bases designed to complement the glass shades.
When illuminated, the glass reveals extraordinary color depth and translucency, with layered effects creating remarkable visual richness. These lamps were luxury objects in their time, affordable only to wealthy clients, and they remain highly prized today. The Haworth collection allows visitors to appreciate multiple examples and understand the variety within Tiffany's lamp production, from naturalistic floral designs to bold geometric patterns.
Favrile Glass Vases
Tiffany's innovative Favrile glass technique is brilliantly represented in the collection of art glass vases. Favrile glass achieved iridescent surface effects through metallic compounds mixed into molten glass rather than applied as surface decoration, creating permanent, non-tarnishing brilliance.
The vases display extraordinary colors - peacock blues, emerald greens, amber golds - with flowing organic forms inspired by natural objects like flowers, leaves, and shells.
Each piece is unique, created through blowing and shaping techniques requiring considerable skill. The iridescence shifts with viewing angle and lighting, creating dynamic visual interest. These vases exemplify the Art Nouveau movement's celebration of nature and craftsmanship, representing Tiffany's successful challenge to European glass dominance.
The Haworth examples include rare and exceptional pieces demonstrating the full range of Favrile techniques.
British Oil Paintings Collection
The gallery's British paintings collection covers three centuries, from 18th-century portraits through Victorian subject pictures to 20th-century modernism.
Notable works include landscapes, portraits, genre scenes, and still lifes by recognized artists. Lancashire artists are well represented, reflecting regional collecting priorities and local pride in northern artistic achievement.
Victorian narrative paintings provide insights into 19th-century social values and storytelling traditions, while early 20th-century works show modernist influences entering British art. The collection, though modest compared to major national galleries, offers quality examples across different periods and styles.
Regular rotation keeps displays fresh, and the mansion setting provides intimate viewing conditions superior to large gallery spaces.
These paintings complement the Tiffany glass, showing British artistic traditions alongside American decorative arts.
Collections
Haworth Art Gallery holds internationally significant Tiffany glass alongside British fine and decorative arts spanning three centuries. The Tiffany collection of nearly 140 pieces represents Europe's finest and largest holding of American art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany, donated by Joseph Briggs who worked for Tiffany Studios for over forty years.
British paintings include oils, watercolors, and prints from 18th to 20th centuries, with strengths in Victorian narrative painting and Lancashire artists.
Decorative arts encompass furniture, ceramics, textiles, and applied arts illustrating design history. The collections serve both specialist researchers interested in Tiffany glass and general visitors seeking accessible art experiences. Ongoing conservation work maintains the Tiffany collection to museum standards, while acquisition funding allows selective additions to British art holdings.
The Tiffany Glass Collection
Europe's largest collection of Tiffany glass featuring lamps, Favrile vases, windows, and decorative objects spanning Louis Comfort Tiffany's career.
📍 Tiffany Gallery
British Paintings
Three centuries of British art from 18th-century portraits through Victorian narrative paintings to 20th-century modernism, with Lancashire artists well represented.
📍 Main galleries
Decorative Arts
Period furniture, ceramics, textiles, and decorative objects illustrating design history and complementing the mansion setting.
📍 Period rooms
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.