Members of the group were given a very interesting tour of the Gallery by our guide Jodie.  She explained that our time there would take in two very different exhibitions.

The first was situated in the  building which formerly had housed the swimming pool.  However traces of its previous incarnation remain visible in the brickwork, the glass roof and the spaces that still exist beneath the floors.  The exhibition reimagines the room as a swimming pool, telling the story of its history and showing how swimming has been an inspiration to artists.  Jodie drew our attention to many artefacts and supplied interesting anecdotes to each one.

The second exhibition was along more conventional lines for an art gallery.  Curators had put together paintings from their 17th century Dutch collection.  The museum had collected them between 1947 and 2015 from three British collectors.  These paintings explored the artistic richness of the 17th century Netherlands and were divided up into pictorial landscapes, portraiture and religious works.

These two exhibitions were packed full of items to view and content to read.  After the tour was over we continued to peruse the displays at a more leisurely pace.