Visit to The Harris Gallery and Museum
Tuesday 18th August 2026
Southport has The Atkinson, Liverpool has The Walker and Preston has The Harris, but only The Harris has had a recent £19m redevelopment. It re-opened last year with praise from the critics and healthy visitor numbers.
For our visit, we have arranged a special programme that will introduce some of the exhibition galleries and also take us behind the scenes.
On arrival, we will be divided into two groups. Scott Schiavone, Decorative Art Curator, will take one group through the entrance area, explaining the workings of what is the longest pendulum in the United Kingdom, before descending to the basement to look at items in the reserve collection, including some that will be displayed in the forthcoming exhibition about Horrocks’ textiles and dresses from the 1950s. Gemma Burns, Assistant Curator of Collections, will take the other group up to level 3 (lift available) and introduce both the building and some of its treasures, including paintings, books and decorative items. After an hour-long tour, both groups will come together for refreshments, after which they will complete the afternoon by taking the other tour.
Practicalities:
- The visit will begin at 1.30 pm and end at approx. 4.15 pm, but The Harris is open from 9 am to 5 pm
- Tours do not include the galleries on level 2. These provide an excellent introduction to Preston and its history and so you may want to arrive during the morning to see this part of The Harris and to have lunch in the café.
- The cost of the afternoon (two guided tours and refreshments) will be £20. The money will be collected on the day (cash or cheque).
- The Harris is in the centre of Preston and can be easily reached by car, by train from Ormskirk or Burscough and by bus (see below).
- To book a place, please contact the Membership Secretary, whose details are on the Contacts Page.
If you are coming from Southport or Formby, the easiest way to get to The Harris by public transport is to get the X2 bus, which goes through Ainsdale, Birkdale, the town centre (Lord Street), Churchtown and Banks. The 12:13 departure from the Birkdale end of Lord Street (outside the Travelodge) should get to Preston for 13:06, in time for a 13:15 start at The Harris. If you feel this is cutting it a bit fine, or you want to get lunch in Preston before the tour starts, then an alternative would be to get the 11:23 departure from Lord Street, which gets into Preston at 12:14. Depending on the traffic, the bus can sometimes get delayed, although there are built-in waits at various points to try and ensure the buses run to time.
From Preston Bus Station (where the bus terminates), cross the road and walk straight through a small shopping centre (the St John’s Centre) which will bring you out onto Lancaster Road. Turn left down Lancaster Road and you will come to the back of The Harris. Turn first right to get to the entrance. The walk from the Bus Station takes less than 5 minutes. Coming back, the X2 leaves from Stand 23 at the Bus Station at 17:00. As the bus starts from here, you can usually get on a few minutes early.
If you wish to travel by car, you can park in the multistorey car park at the Bus Station or at the Fishergate Shopping Centre.