Cartwright Hall

What it’s like

Free art galleries in a grand Victorian hall, with a park, boating lake and playground right outside for afterwards.

Getting in costs nothing, which makes Cartwright Hall an easy one to fit into a rainy afternoon. Inside there's Victorian, modern and contemporary art to wander round, and on the second Friday of the month there are free drop-in Museums for Play & Growth sessions for under-fives, built around the "50 Things to Do Before You're Five" idea. The Hockney Gallery is shut for redevelopment at the moment, so don't build a visit entirely around that.

One thing to flag before you go in: food and drink aren't allowed in the gallery spaces, so that snack box needs to stay in the bag until you're back in the Refreshment Room café. The café itself is in the original 1904 Refreshment Room, does coffee, cakes and light snacks with vegan and gluten-free options, and has a kids' menu too, though food orders stop at 2:30pm even if the café stays open later for takeaway coffee and cake.

Children under 14 need an adult with them at all times, which is worth knowing if you were hoping an older one could wander off to a different gallery while you sit with a coffee. Step-free access and a lift mean it works fine with a buggy or a wheelchair, and there's an accessible entrance round the back with an intercom system, which sounds fiddly the first time but is clearly built for exactly this.

The real bonus is what's outside. Lister Park has a boating lake and an adventure playground right by the hall, so a gallery visit can turn into a whole afternoon without much planning. Keep an eye out for events like Action for Nature Day, with wildlife walks and hands-on activities, or the Lantern Parade, where the daytime lantern-making workshops need booking ahead and cost £6 a lantern, building up to an evening parade with giant puppets and live music.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Limited parking in Lister Park from North Park Road

Food

Café serving coffee, handmade cakes, light snacks, with vegan and gluten-free options

Wheelchairs

Step-free entrance, accessible parking, lift access to all floors, accessible toilet

Getting there by bus or train

Buses 23, 25, 26, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 622, 647, 662, w5 to Lister Park

• The Hockney Gallery is closed for redevelopment at the moment.
• Food orders at the café stop at 2:30pm, but takeaway coffee and cake carry on till closing.
• The accessible entrance is round the back, reached by pressing an intercom on North Park Road.
• Lantern-making workshops during the Lantern Parade are £6 a lantern and need booking ahead.

Plan your visit

Featured in 3 Huddlepin lists

See all Galleries & Exhibitions in Leeds · Things to do in Leeds