Kettle’s Yard is a wonderfully informal art gallery in Cambridge. It was originally the home of Jim Ede and his family, who used their rooms to display Ede’s collection of art from the early 1900s.
When the Ede family lived in the house, which was first four small cottages that they turned into one, Jim Ede would open up every afternoon for visitors. He would even give many people a personal tour of his collection. He was formerly a curator at the Tate gallery, and made many connections through the post. Hence now the house displays a somewhat avant-garde permanent collection. It consists of pieces by Joan Miro, Henry Moore and Christopher Wood, among others.
Ede gave the house to the University of Cambridge in 1966, but continued to live there until moving to Edinburgh with his wife Helen seven years later. The University has preserved the place as Ede left it – still very an informal space where visitors can wander from room to room enjoying the art. There is even on occasions the addition of live music as you enjoy the great pieces hung in the Ede house. Many artists come to talk about their own work, and the collections are added to and varied in different ways throughout the year – so nothing ever gets dull.
Kettle’s Yard is now planning to expand to include an educational centre, a library, a space for new artists and more. Work on the architecture of the house itself is being done by architect Jamie Fobert. His 2003 Anderson House near Oxford Circus won an award for ‘Best House in the UK’, and an English Heritage Award for a Building in a Historical Context.
Visitor Information
Kettles Yard Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11.30am to 5pm. The museum house is open Tuesday to Sunday 1.30pm to 4.30pm (2pm to 4pm September to March). Entrance is FREE. Tel: 01223 352 124
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