Oldham’s museum and gallery service dates back to 1883. It was established with the support of industrialist Charles Lees, whose family made their fortune in cotton spinning and weaving. In 1888, Lees donated a significant collection of 80 watercolours and drawings to the gallery, by artists including Constable and Turner. The Lees family later gave the gallery further engravings, watercolours and a number of oil paintings, including works by JW Waterhouse and Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The current, award-winning Gallery Oldham building, designed by architects Pringle Richards Sharratt, opened in 2002. The four galleries are located on the very top floor allowing them to benefit from diffused natural light, and the extraordinary panoramic views. 

In addition to its excellent fine and decorative art collections, Gallery Oldham has an extensive natural history collection, including fossils, insects and birds. The social history collection charts the story of Oldham and its people, from modest beginnings to its position as the world’s largest cotton-spinning town, and the legacies left by industrial rise and fall.

A vibrant, changing exhibition programme incorporates these collections alongside touring work, contemporary art and craft, international work, and exhibitions produced by local communities. It also has a busy programme of talks, handling sessions, family activities, courses and a range of other events.