contemporary art and crafts
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Monkton Gallery
Monkton Gallery - Our History
Location, Location

Four years ago 5 of us Dorset artists got together with the aim of opening a small art and craft gallery near Dorchester.

Winterborne Monkton's old village school became the focus for our dream.

We renovated the building inside and out, fitted it with new lights and a hanging system, and opened in time for Easter 2002.

Since then our team has grown and changed and we have added other events to our activities at the Gallery, including festivals and tuition.

You can read about our plans for 2005 here on our site, find out about our team and see what happened in years past.
Read more about the Gallery renovation Here...

We'd love to hear from you, and to welcome you to our Gallery if you have time to visit us. We're only a stone's throw from Dorchester and Weymouth and can almost always offer you a cuppa if you're passing by!

We hope you'll call in and see us.

Art and Craft Demonstrations

When you visit you can watch the Monks at work making new pieces of art.

Bill Crumbleholme can be found making Celtic pots or throwing on a wheel. Jon and Sally normally spend their time painting new watercolours. Pippa creates her animal sculptures and Tessa makes her stained glass.

All of the Monks are happy to share their tips and tricks with you and to talk about their work.

If you want to book some tuition or a "taster session" just for you then do email us to arrange it.

Guest Artists

The Monks have always had a mission to promote and present new and established artists through Monkton Gallery.

2005 will see this tradition continue with an exhibition of several well known and many newly emerging artists from in and around Dorset.

Monkton Gallery is really easy to find.

We are just off the A354 which is the trunk road from Dorchester to Weymouth.

The road to Winterborne Monkton is on your right as you head to Weymouth, just at the foot of the hill.

The Gallery is 200yds along the road on your left.

Click here for a Multimap of the Gallery.
Creating Monkton Gallery

Winterborne Monkton is a small hamlet at the foot of the ancient monument of Maiden Castle. You can take a virtual tour of the castle here. You can find a map of how to reach us here. 

 

 

The village sits on the banks of the South Winterbourne and lies 2 miles south of Dorchester and 6 miles from Weymouth.

Many of the traditional cottages in the village were built in the mid 19th century and at the same time a village school was built for the local children.

 

The fifties saw the end of the village school and the parish church then kept the building as a meeting room and village hall. The Hall is still a centre for village events and hosted a fireworks party last November as well as parish meetings and elections.

 

 

The hall has now been redecorated and repaired by five members of RAFT to open as a new arts venue and gallery on Midsummer's day. As you can see there's been a lot of work to do.

Re-plastering and painting the walls and replacing rotten timber all had to be completed before we could add the gallery fittings, including new energy-saving lights and a track system for hanging the pictures.

 

Four weeks on... here we've reached almost the end of the re-decoration... paintwork completed, track installed, new lighting fitted and display units built... and plenty of tea drunk!!

And here we are, on the evening of the Monday before we open, admiring our handiwork and discussing the final layout of the interior. The last bits to do include scrubbing the floor and clearing away the tools. Then we're into hanging the pictures and arranging the pots, picking the strawberries and chilling the drinks...

... all ready for our GRAND Midsummer OPENING on the 23rd June 2002. 
 

 

 

Plans for 2005

 2005 Opening Times and Events

We've got lots lined up for the year. We're opening the Gallery every SATURDAY, SUNDAY and BANK HOLIDAY in 2005.

We're also running special art and craft events over the Bank Holidays.

Read more about these events here...

 

Our opening times for 2005 are as follows:

10.30am to 5.00pm
every Saturday and Sunday and Bank Holiday
from Easter to Christmas

We have staged many different events at the Gallery. These have included themed exhibitions reflecting subjects like the Jurassic Coast and changing seasons.

We also have hosted pottery workshops, Bronze Age pit firings and Raku events. We will be running more of these this year.

Click here for a fuller list and more information...
Maiden Castle
 Bill's Raku Firing

Monkton Gallery is at the foot of the largest Iron Age hillfort in the UK, Maiden Castle.

Maiden Castle is looked after by English Heritage.

You can take a guided tour of the castle by clicking here...
Calling Local Artists

 

 

 
Fans!!
Join Our Mailing List

RAFT is an informal organisation run by local visual artists to promote creative endeavours.
If you would like to join in with RAFT activities, including having a listing on this website, please contact RAFT by e-mail.

If you'd like to keep in touch with our latest plans then email us and we'll drop you a line whenever there's something new taking place.

Your details will not be passed on to anyone else.

Contact RAFT by e-mail.