Bath's oldest public art gallery, housed in a handsome former hotel at the end of Great Pulteney Street with a striking modern glass extension at the rear by Eric Parry. The core collection was assembled by Sir William Holburne in the nineteenth century and includes paintings by Gainsborough, Stubbs, and Guardi, alongside silverware, porcelain, and miniatures.
The museum is free to enter (charges apply for temporary exhibitions) and the cafe in the modern extension has a pleasant garden terrace. The walk from Pulteney Bridge along Great Pulteney Street to reach it is one of the finest approaches in the city — a broad, straight Georgian boulevard lined with uniform townhouses. Sydney Gardens, Bath's oldest park, lies just behind the museum and makes a good spot for a break.