Burton Constable Hall has partnered with East Riding Artists in a gallery takeover
An Elizabethan country house in the heart of the Holderness countryside and a group of artists working across 950 square miles of the county have formed a creative collaboration that will last throughout the coming year. Burton Constable Hall and East Riding Artists (ERA), one of the north’s largest art groups, have joined forces to take over the Hall’s prestigious Stables Gallery in 2026.
It will mean that the ERA will organise and oversee an exciting series of nine back-to-back themed exhibitions, exclusively for its members, throughout the year. The iconic East Yorkshire mansion house attracts up to 40,000 annual visitors from all over the world.
They are drawn not only by the property’s highly acclaimed range of Chippendale furniture but also by its unique Cabinet of Curiosities. This is an assemblage of scientific instruments, antiquities and natural history specimens that are regarded as the most significant surviving collection of its kind in any English country house.
Now, following extensive discussions between ERA chairman Larry Malkin and committee member Jane Higgins with Alasdair Hutson, the Burton Constable Foundation (BCF) chief executive, the BCF has handed over the running of the spacious Stables Gallery – currently known as the Community Gallery – to the ERA from February 2026 to January 2027.
Alasdair said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with East Riding Artists to bring a full year of creative programming into the Stables Gallery. Burton Constable Hall has always been a place where history, heritage and culture meet, and this collaboration will give visitors the opportunity to enjoy an ever-changing series of exhibitions by some of the region’s most talented artists.”
The house and its surrounding parkland has been the home of the Constable family for over 700 years. The BCF was established in 1992, following negotiations between the Chichester-Constable family, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Leeds City Council, to secure the house and parkland’s long-term future, although descendants of the family still own the surrounding agricultural estate and continue to occupy the south wing of the house.
Larry said: “This amazing opportunity will give ERA members a chance showcase their work at one of East Yorkshire’s most well-known historic venues. We have more than 60 full members who will be able to take part in an on-going rolling programme of exhibitions for 2D and 3D works throughout the year, while associate members will be able to submit work to a two-week open exhibition in the middle of the summer season.”
The ERA’s reputation as a pro-active and well-respected art organisation has led to exhibitions in a growing number of prestigious Yorkshire venues, including Nunnington Hall, the Brynmor Jones Gallery at the University of Hull, Beverley Minster and Selby Abbey. The first six-week exhibition will be called Changing Season, to be held in February, followed by A Moment in Time, commemorating 250 years since the death in 1776 of John Harrison, creator of the marine chronometer.
The third exhibition, Surface and Structure, will explore texture, relief and layers. ERA is a growing and vibrant platform for painters, ceramicists, jewellery-makers, sculptors and mixed-media creators, who live and work in this expansive and beautiful part of Yorkshire.
Stretching from Bridlington to Spurn Point in the east, Stamford Bridge to the west and down as far as Howden and Goole at the end of the Humber estuary, this vast area covers 950 square miles of coastline, Wolds and market towns which are a constant source of inspiration to the artists. Run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers, ERA supports and encourages visual artists across the whole of the county through a programme of events, exhibitions and networking.
It also runs a comprehensive website and produces an annual full colour directory which is distributed throughout East Yorkshire and beyond. ERA is a not-for-profit organisation whose focus is to raise the profile of artists and makers and promote economic growth within the creative community.
At Burton Constable Hall, visitors can explore 30 grand rooms filled with fine art, exquisite furniture and decorative treasures. The surrounding parkland, designed by “Capability” Brown, offers scenic woodland trails, lakeside walks, and abundant wildlife.
The historic stables add another layer of interest, showcasing Billy the stable boy’s bedroom and the astonishing 60ft sperm whale skeleton, famously mentioned in Moby-Dick. After exploring, guests can relax and refuel in the Stables Kitchen.