Lowes Court Gallery Egremont 
12 Main Street, Egremont, Cumbria. CA22 2DW or CA27 0AD Telephone 01946 820693 Email lowescourt@btconnect.com Contact: Mrs Stewart
Lowes Court Gallery is housed in an 18thC Listed building and was converted for use as a gallery in 1972, when the Grade 2 listed premises was saved from demolition. 
The gallery aims to show high standard contemporary and traditional visual arts and crafts by emerging and established artists from Cumbria and bordering counties.
The building also houses a gift shop with a wide range of "Made In Cumbria" goods, and a busy Tourist Information Centre completes the services on offer.
View the Egremont TIC microsite at http://www.virtualegremont.co.uk/mysite/egremont-tourist-information/
The gallery has run regular exhibitions for a number of years. A programme of exhibitions runs throughout the year in the main gallery. The back gallery provides a members wall, which can be booked on a monthly basis. Members can submit their work for display following approval by the selection committee.
Lowes Court is an Art Gallery and a retail outlet for Made in Cumbria merchandise and Local Artists. See Made in Cumbria's website at http://www.madeincumbria.co.uk/
Disabled access to ground floor only. Limited facilities for groups and schools.
The gallery building is owned by Copeland Borough Council and leased to Lowes Court Gallery Association. The Association receives a grant from the Council to provide Tourist Information services for the town. The gallery and TIC has been highly praised in both Cumbria Tourism surveys and in a Copeland Borough Council commissioned study into TIC provision in the Borough.
Opening Hours
Season Dates
Opening Hours
Thu 1 Mar 2007 - Mon 24 Dec 2007
Mon - Tue 10:00 to 17:00 | Wed 10:00 to 13:00 | Thu - Sat 10:00 to 17:00
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Spring BH Sunday - Closed
Easter Monday, May Day BH, Spring BH Monday, Summer BH Monday - 11:00 to 15:00
Open Sunday in December.
History
In 1968 Lowes Court was a derelict coal merchant's cottage about to be demolished as the bulldozers came down the street.
Fortunately a local artist/teacher Lyn Purnell recognised the charm of the building and single handedly negotiated with Ennerdale Rural District Council to save the building.
She gathered together a group of like minded friends to restore the cottage as an exhibition centre for local and Cumbrian artists and craftsmen.
While looking around the ruined building they realised that in fact there was a cottage hidden away, and is now the back gallery.
Undeterred by the Herculean task before them Lyn and the committee of volunteers began the restoration work in 1971.
Both County and local Councils gave financial help, but the remainder of the money had to be raised by the group. Other local art, theatre and music groups generously put on plays, concerts and art shows to finance the building work.
It is incredible today to imagine the sheer hard graft entailed in turning this derelict old building into the treasured Gallery that formally opened in 1973.
Lowes Court also provides space for a gift shop and the Egremont Tourist Information to help locals and visitors to the town.
Lyn Purnell has written a fascinating history of Lowes Court published as a booklet entitled 'HOW IT ALL BEGAN', which is on sale in the Gallery and costs £1.
