About The Beaney
A free art museum and library situated in the heart of the historic city of Canterbury. Finalist for the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2013.
The Beaney Description
The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge is an Art Gallery, Library and Visitor Information Centre situated in the heart of historic Canterbury.
This award winning facility provides state-of-the-art exhibition galleries, excellent educational facilities and a varied programme of events for all ages.
The building takes its name from its benefactor, Dr James George Beaney, a Canterbury-born man of modest background who studied medicine before emigrating to Australia, where he found his success. Upon his death in 1891, Dr Beaney left money in his will to the city of Canterbury to build an ‘Institute for Working Men’ with amenities for men from poor backgrounds such as his own. His patronage was fundamental in building the Beaney Institute: a new home for the Canterbury Royal Museum and Free Library, now known as The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge.
A cultural hub in East Kent, praised for its welcoming atmosphere, providing a range of services under one roof, uniting art, heritage, books, ideas, information and collections.
Whether you are a frequent Library user, a teacher on a Schools Workshop, a parent enjoying the perfect cup of coffee in our Café or an inquisitive explorer studying our treasures from the Ancient worlds; The Beaney is a building for everyone.
Canterbury City Council continues to own the Beaney and provides the museum and art galleries - Kent County Council is the library authority.
*Opening Times*
Museum, Tourist information and Café opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday 9am to 5pm
Thursday 9am to 7pm
Friday and Saturday 9am to 5pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm
Library opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday 9am to 6pm
Thursday 9am to 8pm
Friday 9am to 6pm
Saturday 9am to 5pm
Reviews
Brexit has sparked the largest surge in political debate Britain has seen in a very long time.. We've always loved a bit of political satire and even our friends the Clangers have got in on the action! Check out this Clangers special from 1974. Plus, don't forget to pop in to visit our Brexit display and let us know how you feel about Brexit in our comments book. You can even say hello to the original Clangers while you're here. Find them in our People and Places gallery. S...ounds like a great day out to us! #Clangers #Brexit #Museum #History #Politics #VoteForFroglet
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Check out the designs behind our beautiful building, drawn up 122 years ago. If you love a swanky staircase, stained glass windows, high ceilings and wooden beams then you need to get yourself down to The Beaney!
What's your fave part of the building? We'd love to know (mainly because we're super biased and can't pick one) #TransformationTuesday #Architecture #Museum #Canterbury
Creative Movement sessions started this week led by the talented team at Confidance. Mummifying each other and a teddy after being inspired by the mummified Egyptian cat from our Collection!
Come to The Beaney and take part in our Easter Egg Hunt Trail! Learn about the traditions of Easter, hunt for hidden egg clues around the galleries to find a secret code and crack the Easter Bunny’s case to claim your Chocolate Surprise!
£2.50 per trail
Our #ObjectOfTheWeek is this Anglo Saxon Kentish Silver Disc Brooch. It was found amongst other items excavated at Kings Field in Faversham. The brooch dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries and is intricately decorated with garnets and cloisonné, having likely belonged to someone of high social status and wealth. Pretty swanky if you ask us #MuseumFinds #AngloSaxon #History #Museum
Here are some of the intriguing objects that we chose to capture the complexities of Brexit in our new 'Brexit at The Beaney' display. As well as the display, you can find linked objects around the museum. Just look out for the blue labels! #Brexit #Museum #History
We've got some seriously creative activities for you guys, all inspired by our current exhibition on Gerald Scarfe's iconic work.
Decide whether you're a brave hero or cunning villain by creating a mask to match your new identity 🎭 explore The Beaney's Ancient Greek collection and design your own Greek Vase with the Hercules Adventure Pack🏺or grab our Make Your Own Gerald Scarfe Inspired Puppet Show and create your own short film 🎬 Find all the info at https://canterburymus...eums.co.uk/…/ge rald-scarfe-family-act…/
Gerald Scarfe: Stage and Screen is a touring exhibition by House of Illustration #KidsInMuseum #Family #Museum #GeraldScarfe
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It's time for another #WomensHistoryMonth post in honour of some truly fierce females 💪 This week’s post is a #ThrowBack to our recently commissioned exhibition ‘Beyond War: Visualising Peace’ with Kremena Dimitrova Illustration. The exhibition remembered those that lived and died during the First World War, with a particular focus on the unsung stories of the nation's women.
Kremena used our collections to help capture the histories of ordinary women through the eyes of a... Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. During the war, Canterbury played a major role in giving medical care to sick and wounded soldiers at the Dane John VAD Hospital, as many soldiers were transported back to Britain through Dover. Due to a lack of military medical services, the voluntary help of female civilians was crucial in providing soldiery care. Canterbury women took up the role of cleaners, nurses, cooks, air raid wardens and even served overseas as ambulance drivers. The stories of these women may not be the sensational war narratives that we are accustomed to hearing, yet they are, nonetheless, equally as impactful and worthy of remembrance.
We take this opportunity to remember the vital contributions, both big and small, that women made to the First World War and the brilliant work of Kremena in bringing these histories to the fore. Image Credit: Kremena Dimitrova Illustration. #GirlBoss #HeritageHeroines #WW1 #WomenInHistory #Exhibition #Museum #Art
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Today is #InternationalDayOfHappiness which is the perfect time to talk about how museums can help with this whole being happy malarkey. We understand that the quest for happiness isn't always as straightforward as it seems. That’s why museums play a vital role in supporting community wellbeing, whether that's through creative workshops, inspiring exhibitions, or by simply serving you a nice cup of tea. We've got tons of stuff to brighten your day 🌞 See our website for all goings on: https://canterburymuseums.co.uk/ #WellbeingInMuseums #HappyMuseums
Museums like The Beaney keep and display cultural heritage, make it accessible and transmit its meaning and in doing so they adopt a fluid approach to interpreting, exhibiting and mediating cultural heritage to make people look at things differently and question embedded beliefs.
Our Brexit display and array of objects utilises a mixture of historical insight, humour and unusual juxtaposition of the objects to do this, offering a fresh perspective on the key issues such as de...mocracy, identity, self-determination and movement of people whilst inviting responses from you, the gallery visitor.
Regardless of your political allegiance or your views on Brexit we hope this display gives you the opportunity to consider new ways of looking and thinking about some of the themes around this very current and divisive topic.
Brexit at The Beaney will be live from March to June 2019 (Closed Mondays).
Location: Special Exhibition Gallery Atrium, 1st Floor, The Beaney
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Since this whole Brexit thing is turning out to be a bit of a big deal, we've had a go at putting together a thought provoking, historic and humorous display with the hope of promoting meaningful discussions about this oh-so divisive subject. Visitors can find a curated cabinet along with linked objects throughout the museum.
No matter how you feel about the big B-word, our display invites visitors to interpret objects through their own lense whilst encouraging new ways of thinking about some of Brexit's key issues. Find all the info here: https://canterburymuseums.co.uk/events/br exit-at-the-beaney/ #Brexit #Museum #History
This month marks the debut of our Object of the Month installment! The activity forms a part of our Health and Wellbeing Offer and invites staff to talk about their favourite object from the museum's collections. Kicking things off is Gary, one of our Visitor Service Officers, who has chosen our Anglo Saxon Bucket from the Explorers and Collectors Gallery. Discover why Gary reckons this is such a sweet find #ObjectOfTheMonth #Wellbeing #Museum #AngloSaxon #History
Want the inside scoop on our intriguing collections? We offer pre-booked highlights tours for groups of up to 30 people (minimum 8 people). The tour lasts 45 minutes and gives a fascinating insight into the stories behind The Beaney building and its diverse collections. Tours must be booked at least 2 weeks in advance and are subject to availability. Book online at https://canterburymuseums.co.uk/schools/b ook/ and select 'The Beaney Highlights Tour' #Museum #Tours #Art
Gerald Scarfe: Stage and Screen is officially open and we're feeling as excited as this guy looks! We've got stage designs, props and illustrations from the man himself, as well as our brand new Gerald Scarfe creative activities to keep the kids entertained 🎨🙌 A touring exhibition by House of Illustration. Find out more here: bit.ly/2Ck7DeR #GeraldScarfe #StageAndScreen #Illustration #Art #Exhibition #Museum #Theatre
Today's #WomensHistoryMonth post pays homage to local artist, Harriet Halhed.
Born in Australia, Halhed came to England as an orphan, aged six, to be brought up by her aunt and uncle in Harbledown, near Canterbury. After moving to Kent, her two youngest siblings died young, leaving only Harriet and her older sister. She trained at the Sydney Cooper School of Art in Canterbury and was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art in London. She went on to train w...ith artist Louis Deschamps at his studio in Paris for a number of years.
Halhed returned to Kent in the mid-1890s where she set up a studio in Sevenoaks to teach art classes. She regularly exhibited work in London, Paris and Glasgow as well as in St Georges Hall, Canterbury.
One of the best examples of her work, ‘The Little Girl at the Door,’ was shown at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon in 1910 and can now be found proudly hanging in our People and Places Gallery where it remains, unsurprisingly, a visitor favourite.
Some seriously cool accomplishments by a truly inspirational woman! 🙌 #GirlBoss #HeritageHeroines #Art #WomenInHistory
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Only 2 days left until Gerald Scarfe: Stage and Screen opens! The exhibition offers the opportunity to view Scarfe's design work for productions like Walt Disney's Hercules, The Nutcracker and The Magic Flute. Bring your lovely selves along to see props, designs and illustrations created by the UK's most celebrated political cartoonist. A touring exhibition by House of Illustration. Find out more here: bit.ly/2Ck7DeR #GeraldScarfe #StageAndScreen #Art #Museum #Exhibition
Swing by the Front Room and take a look at the wonderful mixed media work from UCA's School of Fine Art. The artwork is in response to Gerald Scarfe's illustrations and designs, as well as our beautiful building and the intriguing collections that it houses. Some pretty cool stuff to feast your eyes on! #UCACanterbury #Art #Exhibition #Museum
Great Mindfulness Mondays session this week for staff health and wellbeing. Feedback from participants commented that the use of something to focus on to practice mindfulness was helpful, 'have tried focusing on breathing before, but thoughts quickly come back in - having a picture to focus on and think about meant I didn't think about my to do list in those moments.' To book Mindfulness for your staff or for a school group, please contact our learning team on learning@canterbury.gov.uk
Shout out to 'Adopt an Object' parents, Barham Church of England Primary School, for snatching up our Mastodon Anduim Jaw! The 'Adopt an Object' initiative is an awesome way to get kids engaged with history by offering a sense of ownership over our internationally significant collections. More deets at: https://canterburymuseums.co.uk/adopt-an- object/ #KidsInMuseums #Learning #Museum
what a great museum, something for everyone. Really helpful staff who let us touch some objects. We had a really great visit, and its free.
Very interesting collection and always a very good exhibition on.
Slightly disappointed that the museum was closed on Monday however all was forgiven today when we visited the museum and then wine for a drink at the cafe. The lady who served us was absolutely fantastic, completely understood the difficulties of children and she went above and beyond to make our brief visit less stressful. She was 10/10!
My daughter loves the beaney ..went to star wars exebition today was fantastic for both big and little kids :)
Lovely museum with a great collection of paintings, including some beautiful local ones of Canterbury, and a charming one by Tissot of Ramsgate. And an interesting collection of ancient artifacts. A very pleasant little cafe as well.
Just wanted to say how fantastically helpful and informative the staff here are- extremely good service, lovely library/museum.
I've been visiting Canterbury for many years - can't believe I've never set foot inside this place before. What an absolute gem! Popped in for Grayson Perry exhibition and found so much more to look at. Cafe staff were really pleasant and refreshments were just right. Toilets could've been a bit cleaner but it was a busy Saturday and not everybody is as clean as me!
Great place to visit especially on a Thursday when it is open till 7pm. Great new library, cafe and art gallery all in one place.
Fantastic mix of static exhibits & contemporary travelling exhibitions. Went Sunday to see the Grayson Perry tapestries which were fab, and luckily caught the last day of Georgie Meadows fantastic & poignant stitched illustrations. I visit whenever I'm in Canterbury, if nothing but to see the beautiful cow paintings. It's a wonderful place, lots to see of different types of exhibits from different eras & mediums. A beautiful building, lovely staff, well laid out & obviously good curator(s).
Fabulous to have seen touring exhibitions here without needing to head into London to catch them. Despite the small space, we've spent ages here absorbing intricate details of both the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Award this year and the Grayson Perry tapestries last year. Please keep bringing these touring exhibitions to The Beaney. We love them. :)
Cannot rate Jumping Beaneys at The Beaney highly enough, we had a wonderful, exciting time having a story read to us and seeing the 'treasures' around the museum before making our own little treasure chest to take home. The sheer enthusiasm and professionalism of the host was worth the ridiculously cheap price of £3.50 alone, and we can't wait to do Spooks next month but please advertise it, it's on the web page but has been missed out from the What's On guide
Cafe was perfect for our family (urgent coffee & kids food!), picturing faith exhibition was great, dolls house & colour coordinated cases fascinated my five yr old, loos clean & accessible, perfect place to regroup with kaleidoscope & farm. Whistle stop perfection - will be Back as adults soon!
Brilliant place to spend an hour or more, soaking up the info on local history and admiring the current exhibition...
Bijou, perfect 'time killer' in the heart of Canterbury.
A great little gallery and museum ... and it's free too!
a very good place to meet and right in the centre of the town.
The loss of one star is purely own to the rather perfunctory cafe and un-engaging staff and menu
It was a eclectic museum with alot put into its space.
I really liked how the museum is organized by theme rather than period, this brings a mix a artwork in each room giving the whole experience the sort of feeling you have when exploring a old chest in your grandparents attic. Only regret, it's too small :-)
what a great museum, something for everyone. Really helpful staff who let us touch some objects. We had a really great visit, and its free.
Very interesting collection and always a very good exhibition on.
Slightly disappointed that the museum was closed on Monday however all was forgiven today when we visited the museum and then wine for a drink at the cafe. The lady who served us was absolutely fantastic, completely understood the difficulties of children and she went above and beyond to make our brief visit less stressful. She was 10/10!
My daughter loves the beaney ..went to star wars exebition today was fantastic for both big and little kids :)
Lovely museum with a great collection of paintings, including some beautiful local ones of Canterbury, and a charming one by Tissot of Ramsgate. And an interesting collection of ancient artifacts. A very pleasant little cafe as well.
Just wanted to say how fantastically helpful and informative the staff here are- extremely good service, lovely library/museum.
I've been visiting Canterbury for many years - can't believe I've never set foot inside this place before. What an absolute gem! Popped in for Grayson Perry exhibition and found so much more to look at. Cafe staff were really pleasant and refreshments were just right. Toilets could've been a bit cleaner but it was a busy Saturday and not everybody is as clean as me!
Great place to visit especially on a Thursday when it is open till 7pm. Great new library, cafe and art gallery all in one place.
Fantastic mix of static exhibits & contemporary travelling exhibitions. Went Sunday to see the Grayson Perry tapestries which were fab, and luckily caught the last day of Georgie Meadows fantastic & poignant stitched illustrations. I visit whenever I'm in Canterbury, if nothing but to see the beautiful cow paintings. It's a wonderful place, lots to see of different types of exhibits from different eras & mediums. A beautiful building, lovely staff, well laid out & obviously good curator(s).
Fabulous to have seen touring exhibitions here without needing to head into London to catch them. Despite the small space, we've spent ages here absorbing intricate details of both the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Award this year and the Grayson Perry tapestries last year. Please keep bringing these touring exhibitions to The Beaney. We love them. :)
Cannot rate Jumping Beaneys at The Beaney highly enough, we had a wonderful, exciting time having a story read to us and seeing the 'treasures' around the museum before making our own little treasure chest to take home. The sheer enthusiasm and professionalism of the host was worth the ridiculously cheap price of £3.50 alone, and we can't wait to do Spooks next month but please advertise it, it's on the web page but has been missed out from the What's On guide
Cafe was perfect for our family (urgent coffee & kids food!), picturing faith exhibition was great, dolls house & colour coordinated cases fascinated my five yr old, loos clean & accessible, perfect place to regroup with kaleidoscope & farm. Whistle stop perfection - will be Back as adults soon!
Brilliant place to spend an hour or more, soaking up the info on local history and admiring the current exhibition...
Bijou, perfect 'time killer' in the heart of Canterbury.
A great little gallery and museum ... and it's free too!
a very good place to meet and right in the centre of the town.
The loss of one star is purely own to the rather perfunctory cafe and un-engaging staff and menu
It was a eclectic museum with alot put into its space.
I really liked how the museum is organized by theme rather than period, this brings a mix a artwork in each room giving the whole experience the sort of feeling you have when exploring a old chest in your grandparents attic. Only regret, it's too small :-)
what a great museum, something for everyone. Really helpful staff who let us touch some objects. We had a really great visit, and its free.
Very interesting collection and always a very good exhibition on.
Slightly disappointed that the museum was closed on Monday however all was forgiven today when we visited the museum and then wine for a drink at the cafe. The lady who served us was absolutely fantastic, completely understood the difficulties of children and she went above and beyond to make our brief visit less stressful. She was 10/10!
My daughter loves the beaney ..went to star wars exebition today was fantastic for both big and little kids :)
Lovely museum with a great collection of paintings, including some beautiful local ones of Canterbury, and a charming one by Tissot of Ramsgate. And an interesting collection of ancient artifacts. A very pleasant little cafe as well.
Just wanted to say how fantastically helpful and informative the staff here are- extremely good service, lovely library/museum.
I've been visiting Canterbury for many years - can't believe I've never set foot inside this place before. What an absolute gem! Popped in for Grayson Perry exhibition and found so much more to look at. Cafe staff were really pleasant and refreshments were just right. Toilets could've been a bit cleaner but it was a busy Saturday and not everybody is as clean as me!
Great place to visit especially on a Thursday when it is open till 7pm. Great new library, cafe and art gallery all in one place.
Fantastic mix of static exhibits & contemporary travelling exhibitions. Went Sunday to see the Grayson Perry tapestries which were fab, and luckily caught the last day of Georgie Meadows fantastic & poignant stitched illustrations. I visit whenever I'm in Canterbury, if nothing but to see the beautiful cow paintings. It's a wonderful place, lots to see of different types of exhibits from different eras & mediums. A beautiful building, lovely staff, well laid out & obviously good curator(s).
Fabulous to have seen touring exhibitions here without needing to head into London to catch them. Despite the small space, we've spent ages here absorbing intricate details of both the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Award this year and the Grayson Perry tapestries last year. Please keep bringing these touring exhibitions to The Beaney. We love them. :)
Cannot rate Jumping Beaneys at The Beaney highly enough, we had a wonderful, exciting time having a story read to us and seeing the 'treasures' around the museum before making our own little treasure chest to take home. The sheer enthusiasm and professionalism of the host was worth the ridiculously cheap price of £3.50 alone, and we can't wait to do Spooks next month but please advertise it, it's on the web page but has been missed out from the What's On guide
Cafe was perfect for our family (urgent coffee & kids food!), picturing faith exhibition was great, dolls house & colour coordinated cases fascinated my five yr old, loos clean & accessible, perfect place to regroup with kaleidoscope & farm. Whistle stop perfection - will be Back as adults soon!
Brilliant place to spend an hour or more, soaking up the info on local history and admiring the current exhibition...
Bijou, perfect 'time killer' in the heart of Canterbury.
A great little gallery and museum ... and it's free too!
a very good place to meet and right in the centre of the town.
The loss of one star is purely own to the rather perfunctory cafe and un-engaging staff and menu
It was a eclectic museum with alot put into its space.
I really liked how the museum is organized by theme rather than period, this brings a mix a artwork in each room giving the whole experience the sort of feeling you have when exploring a old chest in your grandparents attic. Only regret, it's too small :-)
what a great museum, something for everyone. Really helpful staff who let us touch some objects. We had a really great visit, and its free.
Very interesting collection and always a very good exhibition on.
Slightly disappointed that the museum was closed on Monday however all was forgiven today when we visited the museum and then wine for a drink at the cafe. The lady who served us was absolutely fantastic, completely understood the difficulties of children and she went above and beyond to make our brief visit less stressful. She was 10/10!
My daughter loves the beaney ..went to star wars exebition today was fantastic for both big and little kids :)
Lovely museum with a great collection of paintings, including some beautiful local ones of Canterbury, and a charming one by Tissot of Ramsgate. And an interesting collection of ancient artifacts. A very pleasant little cafe as well.
Just wanted to say how fantastically helpful and informative the staff here are- extremely good service, lovely library/museum.
I've been visiting Canterbury for many years - can't believe I've never set foot inside this place before. What an absolute gem! Popped in for Grayson Perry exhibition and found so much more to look at. Cafe staff were really pleasant and refreshments were just right. Toilets could've been a bit cleaner but it was a busy Saturday and not everybody is as clean as me!
Great place to visit especially on a Thursday when it is open till 7pm. Great new library, cafe and art gallery all in one place.
Fantastic mix of static exhibits & contemporary travelling exhibitions. Went Sunday to see the Grayson Perry tapestries which were fab, and luckily caught the last day of Georgie Meadows fantastic & poignant stitched illustrations. I visit whenever I'm in Canterbury, if nothing but to see the beautiful cow paintings. It's a wonderful place, lots to see of different types of exhibits from different eras & mediums. A beautiful building, lovely staff, well laid out & obviously good curator(s).
Fabulous to have seen touring exhibitions here without needing to head into London to catch them. Despite the small space, we've spent ages here absorbing intricate details of both the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Award this year and the Grayson Perry tapestries last year. Please keep bringing these touring exhibitions to The Beaney. We love them. :)
Cannot rate Jumping Beaneys at The Beaney highly enough, we had a wonderful, exciting time having a story read to us and seeing the 'treasures' around the museum before making our own little treasure chest to take home. The sheer enthusiasm and professionalism of the host was worth the ridiculously cheap price of £3.50 alone, and we can't wait to do Spooks next month but please advertise it, it's on the web page but has been missed out from the What's On guide
Cafe was perfect for our family (urgent coffee & kids food!), picturing faith exhibition was great, dolls house & colour coordinated cases fascinated my five yr old, loos clean & accessible, perfect place to regroup with kaleidoscope & farm. Whistle stop perfection - will be Back as adults soon!
Brilliant place to spend an hour or more, soaking up the info on local history and admiring the current exhibition...
Bijou, perfect 'time killer' in the heart of Canterbury.
A great little gallery and museum ... and it's free too!
a very good place to meet and right in the centre of the town.
The loss of one star is purely own to the rather perfunctory cafe and un-engaging staff and menu
It was a eclectic museum with alot put into its space.
I really liked how the museum is organized by theme rather than period, this brings a mix a artwork in each room giving the whole experience the sort of feeling you have when exploring a old chest in your grandparents attic. Only regret, it's too small :-)