The Stanley Spencer Gallery — Attraction in Cookham

Small but packed with wonderful Stanley Spencer art and information and staffed by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers. There are two exhibitions a year on different themes as well as a video on the artist's life and loads of other resources. Stanley Spencer's paintings are powerful and beautiful. He was prolific and painted through many years so not all of them are the same flavour. All show passion and attention to detail which means with many of them.yoy are still seeing new things after multiple viewings. The gallery itself is well lit. It is in the centre of Cookham and there is a small free car park and public toilets nearby. There are no refreshments on sight but Cookham has a couple of lovely pubs and a tea room. There is a nice walk around the village to see places where the artist lived...

A very interesting small gallery, showing some of Spencer's more religiously inspired paintings, as well as his works depicting nature, the village buildings and so on. I preferred the latter, which were new to me. Note that the exhibitions change twice a year. The paintings and drawings are very well displayed, with clear and informative notes, and the volunteer (?) custodian was very helpful and informative. It was a shame that there was no notice explaining that the sound wasn't working on the short films you could watch about Spencer's life - we spent a fair bit of time fiddling with the headphones and the various buttons to try and make...

This small, well presented gallery is a must-see. The work on show is exceptional, and you can easily spend an hour wandering around the old Chapel. 3 of us visited on a Sunday afternoon, and it cost £7pp. There is on street parking if you are fortunate and there's a public car park around the corner. The staff member was friendly and welcoming. An array of books and cards are available to purchase. There is a staircase to the upper level, but a lift is available. If you live locally or are visiting the area, this is a superb way to...