Upcoming Exhibitions

An ever-changing space that holds four exhibitions a year, featuring a diverse range of crafts, textiles, painting and photography. Celebrating British arts and crafts, our gallery brings together both established and emerging artists.

Coming Soon:

Everest Revisited

From Friday 6 December to Sunday 23 February

2024 is the centenary of Mallory and Irvine’s disappearance near the Summit of Everest, so what better time to choose Everest as the Exhibition theme for our Gallery, and bring lesser known stories and Everest ‘firsts’ to life using art, photography and film making.

Experience the most significant mountain-focused exhibition since the National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged nearly 20 years ago.  

Explore rarely-seen artefacts from the Alpine Club, the Mountain Heritage Trust, and the Royal Geographical Society. We revisit the Mallory and Irvine story with a new perspective, and present original artworks by Somervell and William Heaton Cooper, alongside historic photographs from the Wakefield Family archives.

In this inspiring exhibition, delve into the stories of Everest climbers, from pioneering adventurers to today’s record-setters—and uncover an array of Cumbrian connections.


Spanning over a century of mountaineering history, the exhibition will also reflect on thought-provoking themes of mountain waste, spirituality and motivation, and highlight the positive efforts underway to support mountain communities in Nepal, whose futures are dependant on sustainable mountain tourism.

You will also have the chance to discover contemporary artworks and sculptures by UK artists including Julian Cooper, Derek Eland, Alexander Heaton, Susan Dobson, Peter Kettle, Andy Parkin, and Ruth Charlton, as well as Cumbrian artist, film maker and photographer, Rob Fraser, along with a curated selection of Nepalese paintings and images by renowned photographer Mani Lama.

A programme of talks, films and debates will also be running in Rheged’s cinema alongside the exhibition.

£5 Entry | 16 & Under Free

Open Daily from 10am | Last Entry 4:30pm


Everest Talks

01 Feb
£18 Full, £15 Conc
George Mallory had a look at Everest’s East Face in 1921 and commented famously, ‘others,…
11 Jan
£12 Full, £10 Student
£3 joint ticket discount when you purchase tickets to the Bonington The Mountaineer Film and…
11 Jan
£3 joint ticket discount when you purchase tickets to the Bonington The Mountaineer Film and…
02 Feb
£10 Full, £8 Conc
From Shepherd’s Crag to Everest is a new talk by Stephen Livingstone and shines a…
04 Jan
£16 Full, £14 Conc
In 2023, the Alpine Club commissioned a film to revisit the history of Everest, from…
10 Jan
£12
As part of our Everest Revisited programme of talks, we are delighted to welcome Julie…