The Art Museum and Tea Room will be open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.
Art Museum open Wednesday to Sunday, 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
enquiries: office@munningsmuseum.org.uk
01206 322127
You do not need to book admission tickets in advance.
Tea Room Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4.30pm.
enquiries: tearoom@munningsmuseum.org.uk
To enquire about a group visit in 2026 or 2027 then please complete the online form.
For archive and curatorial enquiries: curator@munningsmuseum.org.uk
Address: Munnings Art Museum
Castle House, Castle Hill
Dedham, Colchester, Essex
CO7 6AZ
“Who would have thought I should ever be President of the Royal Academy, or be knighted by the King? ” What a go ! ” as an Essex farmer friend wrote to me in a letter.” – Alfred Munnings
A home which houses the largest permanent retrospective of paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings
Each year, April to October, the walls of the museum are sumptuously adorned with 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 smooth and shiny racing thoroughbreds and their jockeys a-blaze in brightly coloured silks. Sir Alfred Munnings’ former working studio, complete with his brushes, paints and easels, stands in the grounds whilst ponies still look on from the paddocks nearby.
Exhibitions
65 Years of the Munnings Art Museum
1st April to 25th October 2026
In 2026 the museum is celebrating its 65th anniversary with two special exhibitions in addition to 150 paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings from its permanent collection. Violet Munnings was the driving force behind both the founding of the museum in 1961 and Munnings’ own career from 1920 until his death in 1959. Today, the museum is as much Violet’s legacy as it is that of her husband’s.
Pictures from Private Collections
1st April to 25th October 2026
A special exhibition charting the museum’s history culminates with twenty paintings from Private Collections, many rarely seen in public. These paintings not only demonstrate the versatility of Sir Alfred Munnings as an artist but highlight the continued popularity of his work amongst art collectors today. Pictures include The Woodcutter from 1899, Who’s the Lady?, created from a study of Princess Mary and a focus on The Grey Horse (right) started in 1913 and finished in 1924, a powerful picture full of movement and light.
The Influence of John Constable
1st April to 25th October 2026
In the 250th anniversary year of the birth of John Constable a second exhibition explores the influence of Constable on the life and work of Sir Alfred Munnings. Both these artists were born in Suffolk, immersed in its natural beauty which steered the course of their painting and could be argued added to Munnings’ rejection of Modern Art. Two rooms are filled with Munnings’ sky studies and landscapes which Constable would have recognised. A Constable sketchbook – or maybe not!? – is also on display, a gift for Munnings from Violet.
Royal Visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit the Munnings Art Museum
On Thursday 5th February 2026, The King and Queen took a tour of the Munnings Art Museum and opened the restored Garden-room as part of the museum’s 65th anniversary celebrations.
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