A lovely discovery!!! This museum is in a beautifully preserved mansion with amazing sea views. The visit was a real delight as there are so many paintings, sculptures, artifacts, stained glasses, etc... from all over the world to discover. The temporary exhibition was quite interesting as well. There is also a little café with sandwiches, cakes, etc... The garden is very well maintained and beautiful.

Didn’t know this place existed, but well worth the visit. Interesting story behind the owners, the Royal Bath Hotel and the house itself. Amazing collection of paintings and items on display

A really nice environment to spend a couple of hours. It is well worth the entry fee, if the price is challenging you, I understand, as I personally shudder at paying entry fees. So much to see, with all exhibits being of excellent condition, as is the property. Presently, the Siam exhibition is well worth the fee too, included in the initial entry fee(few), some excellent pictures from John Thomson.of early Siam. The tea room serves a pleasant tea and scone too.

On Wednesday evening my wife and myself were invited to attend the Opening of the ‘SIAM Through the Lens of John Thomson’ Exhibition at the excellent Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth. The event was opened by the Thai Ambassador and it contains a fascinating array of photographs of different events, people & places throughout Siam - many of the places/sites remain unchanged in Thailand today. It was well attended by many of the Gallery’s patrons as well as local signatories - all of which were very well looked after but the Gallery’s team. The Exhibition runs until 14 April 2024 and will, hopefully, prove a most popular added attraction to the many other artefacts on display.

This has been on our bucket list for some time and finally we were able to visit. Spent two hours mesmerised by the content of the building and the eclectic mix of paintings, collections, sculpture and furniture. We were also impressed by the ability to be close to objects (in most cases) and not distanced as in some venues of a similar nature. They have a cafe serving the usual light meals, sandwiches etc. as well as beverages. Staff were friendly and helpful. The building itself is also worthy of a mention as it is really eccentric.Two hours was not enough to take it all in and we will, at some time in the future, return.

Visited last Sunday as we had been in Bournemouth the previous evening for a concert and decided to make a weekend of it. This is a fantastic and mesmerising place to visit. A lot of art and objet d'art which was fascinating. We had started to wander around ourselves when we stumbled upon a tour guide Pippa who was just about to start her tour. Well she was an absolutely delightful lady who spoke very well ( me wife is registered deaf and managed to hear her very clearly) with the most fascinating stories about the family and their history and pointing out some pieces of the collection and the history behind them something you don't usually learn when you wander around on your own. She held us captivated for 2 hours whilst she guided us through the house and we could quite happily have listened for a further 2 hours. I understand that the guides do their own research Pippa was an absolute credit the the place and never ummed or ahhed once. All in all it was worth every penny (which was very many) and if we are ever in the area again would be at the very top of of list of places to visit.

Fantastic visit to this stunning museum and gallery. Hadn't been for years but have rediscovered it this year and what a treasure trove of wonderful things it is. We enjoyed the exhibition of Lucy Kemp Welch paintings in the summer and this time we were enthralled by the photographs of Siam by John Thomson which are fascinating. The building itself is amazing , keep looking up , and is currently decorated for Christmas which further adds to the atmosphere. If you're lucky a pianist will be playing in the main hall , take a seat and soak up the atmosphere. Highly recommended for a visit. We shall return.

We visited whilst staying in the area for a 4 night Turkey & Tinsel break. My primary interest was the PreRaphaelite art which I had read is shown here. The house itself is most interesting and we were pleasantly surprised by the house and art gallery. There is so much to see that we spent a good 2 hours wandering around and had coffee and (yummy) cake in the cafe. We absolutely loved our visit and recommended it to our friends on the trip with us. Highlights for me were the paintings by Rossetti, Moore and Evelyn de Morgan. Lovely guides too, nothing too much bother! Highly recommended, will return!

I have visited the Russell-Cotes art gallery and museum a few times before, but never at Christmas. It was stunning! The attention to detail by those who care for this beautiful Victorian manor house, was incredible. The Victorian Christmas experience was beautifully replicated and really did make me feel that I had stepped back in time. I visited on my own on this occasion, as I wanted to take in the splendour of this unique and extensive artwork and artifact collection from all around the world without distraction. It is incredible to think that Annie and Merton Russell-Cotes left it all to the town to enjoy! What a gift!! It took me three hours to get around at my own pace! Afterwards I had a delicious coffee, sandwiches and Christmas cake in the lovely cafe and there a very nice gift shop with a variety of gifts and artwork. I did not get a chance to explore the pretty gardens on this occasion as it was pouring with rain!

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we thought it might be worth a visit whilst in the area and we very much enjoyed it. Very reasonably priced and the house looked great decorated for Christmas. There were even carols round the piano.