The Munnings Art Museum
The Munnings Art Museum, Castle Hill, Dedham, Colchester, Essex, CO7 6AZ
The Munnings Art Museum is at Castle House, a Tudor and Georgian building, and former home of the artist and Past President of the Royal Academy, Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959). Munnings lived at Castle House for 40 years with his wife Violet. After his death, Castle House was opened as a museum by Violet Munnings, and is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.
The walls of Castle House are sumptuously adorned with both well-known pictures by Sir Alfred Munnings and lesser seen sketches and studies taken from the artist’s studio when he died in 1959. Thickly painted impressionistic scenes of ponies standing still against the bright East Anglian sunshine jostle for position with smoothly painted racing thoroughbreds. Sublime landscapes and delicate cloud studies pay homage to John Constable, a guiding influence on Munnings’ approach to painting nature.
The Tea Room in the garden is based in one of Munnings’ former studios and horses still graze in the paddocks he knew so well.
The Munnings Art Museum, Castle Hill, Dedham, Colchester, Essex, CO7 6AZ
All ground floor rooms are accessible. Both first floor rooms are only accessible via the main staircase. A light-weight wheel chair is available upon prior request. The grounds are accessible directly from the car park at ground level though there uneven and gravelled paths and grassed surfaces to the Tea Room.