Buxton Museum & Art Gallery is a smallish venue in the town centre, with modest exhibits of…read morehistorical objects and paintings (on the upper floor) which also offers a glimpse into the history of Buxton. There are some genuine artefacts on display, most obviously the "Buxton Mermaid" (see photo) - in the 19th century, people like the infamous P.T. Barnum displayed such objects as genuine "mummified mermaids"! Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there: the mostly modern paintings on the upper floor are insignificant, made by local artists - but they do add to the "community feel" of the place, and as suggested by the many posters and leaflets lying around, the museum plays an important part in the communal activities of the town. The entry is free, and you're allowed to take photos. So if you're close by, why not drop in for a half hour on a rainy day.

Some great displays and amazing art work, especially the art work from local schools.read more

There is nothing intimidating about Novus Contemporary Art, a family owned gallery in Didsbury, and…read morethat's what I love about it. There are probably some art purists out there who hate the concept of a gallery that is warm, welcoming, reasonably priced and varied, but for me these can only be pluses. Supporting local artists as well as established names, you can see everything from abstract to still life in originals, limited edition prints, sculptures, ceramics and glass. I've become something of a familiar face in here because everyone is so welcoming and happy for you to spend as much time as you like appreciating the art. There's nothing bad I can say about this place.

A very well maintained gallery - there is always good quality & interesting art available with a…read moregood rotation of works available. The staff are very friendly, knowledgable & helpful and a warm welcome always awaits, this gallery doesn't feel stuffy unlike some I have been into in other towns.

This is such a beautiful building, and the perfect space for such a wonderful gallery. Dedicated to…read morepromoting originals from top UK artists as well as emerging artists, you can tell that a lot of care goes into displaying and maintaining the paintings. Hung on the tiled walls, they have works from my personal favourites, James Lawrence Isherwood and Arthur Delaney to name but two. Apart from the wonderful canvases, there's a bespoke framing service and a very large selection of cards and unique wrapping papers which I'm sure serves as the gallery's bread and butter in between artwork sales. A delight.

This is a lovely spacious old sandstone building with a high ceiling and a fine display of fine art…read moreprints and contemporary paintings. The guy that works in here is so chilled out, and will personally see to your art needs being carefully dealt with. There is a large counter which displays the wide range of bespoke frames offered here. On sale also is a good selection of greeting cards including the National Trust range and wrapping paper of various sorts. You can pick up a well framed unique piece of Art for around £200.

I love this little art gallery shop. It's all original paintings and other art, handmade items like…read morejewellery, decorative items, gifts, etc. The paintings vary in style, but there does seem to be an overabundance of fairy-related artwork. Someone must be a fairy fan. There is quite a variety of media as well, from paintings to drawings to collage art. The quality of this art is excellent, so I have no doubt that the prices are good for what you are getting. But remember, you're buying art, so it's not going to be cheap.

Visited on a weekday with my mum. What a lovely shop with a knowledgeable and friendly lady to help…read moreus choose. Wasn't expecting to buy but couldn't help it! A really good range of art and beautiful unique handmade crafts (a lot on my wish list!) and we found something in our budget that we can both enjoy for ever. A really lovely visit - could easily have stayed all day! We'll be visiting again as soon an possible. Worth noting - easy parking and public loo facilities in the complex which was a useful and welcome bonus.

I nipped into Dalesway Gallery, situated in the lovely little market town of Ilkley, just to…read morepurchase some birthday cards actually. I work in an office with a great deal of people and as a rule we generally make an effort to buy birthday cards for people's birthdays. I'm usually pretty useless at this sort of thing, and I've little excuse, but I am forever forgetting to give cards. In a surprising moment of preparedness I made the move towards Dalesway in order to stock up. Although cash-wise this was a bad idea (it wouldn't have worked out to bulk buy according to my wallet ... ) it was a great idea art wise to pop in! I hadn't actually noticed that they sold art works as well as cards, I was being that one track minded! Inside there were a number of lovely special arty cards, some funny ones with animals, some beautiful landscape photography ones, some vintage style ones and so on. They also had a number of prints and art works on sale too. There were these huge framed prints in the window, one of a vase of flowers (a proper above-the-fireplace type of picture) and another two of these purple field scenes. As well as those they had some interesting 'fashion' prints of men and women dressed in lovely clothing only none of those images included the person's face. I realise as I write that it sounds macabre, but it wasn't really! Anyway, an interesting bimble worth the visit.

I old my hands up I am no art collector but Unicorn Gallery still grabbed my attention for just…read moreunderan hour one Saturday afternoon in Wilmslow. This place is a family business with work from some very talented artists from the U.K and abroad. This place mostly sells originals but you will still find something no matter what your budget is. The staff are passionate about the art they display and are more than happy to help. I felt inspired to paint myself as I left Unicorn ...it lasted all of ten minutes before my mind was drawn to what I was having for tea that night but hey ho it crossed my mind.

Avoid...After sending a speculative enquiry about a specific artist we received a response saying…read morethey would 'try' to obtain some examples. We managed to contact the artist directly to have a painting commissioned for our wedding present, agreed the price and the painting was done. Shortly after the gallery contacted us to offer a similar painting but we politely advised we had been in contact with the artist direct and were awaiting our commissioned painting. We were then advised that the galleries agent had stopped our purchase as we had already agreed a commission via the gallery!! We had only sent an enquiry and a response of 'i'll try' hardly constitutes as a commitment. All said and done we now don't have the painting that was created for us. There are plenty of other galleries in the local area so will never use this one or that agent again....

I got a bit confused at the entrance because it was unnecessarily huge but other than that really…read morecool place! You could watch glass blowers and buy things from the gift shop.

TL;DR - Great museum, but fantastic demos of glass making are the real star…read more We came here whilst looking for a day out on a wet and cold day and were pleasantly surprised by what we found. Firstly, admission is free which is always welcome. The building is a mixture of new and old - you enter through an amazing old brick chimney, but inside you find a modern gallery (shared with the local library). There are exhibits on the history of glass making in the area as well as displays of art work. There's a well stocked shop, and a cafe too. A connecting bridge over the canal takes you to the museum part of the site, based in old glassworks which have been partially restored. The real highlight though was the glassblowing workshop. You do have to pay to watch these, but it was well worth it. When we went, we were the only two people present so effectively got a personal demonstration. Absolutely fabulous and highly recommended.

Gallery 3 is a light and spacious art gallery in the Barton Marina Complex. The staff greet you…read morewith a smile and pass the time of day, which is a nice touch. Most of the pictures in Gallery 3 are either originals or limited edition prints, with a good mix of different media - watercolour, oils etc. There are small alcoves that highlight a particular artist, where you can sit in a comfy seat and peruse some stunning paintings. Next to each artists group of paintings, was a photograph of them, with a piece about their life and inspirations, a nice idea. Art is very subjective, but for me the large oil paintings of a bustling Piccadilly Square and a Parisian street at night were the pick of the bunch. Obviously being mostly originals, the prices were high, but I genuinely thought some of the paintings were worth their price tag. You can even get a limited edition print by none-other than Mr Rolf Harris!