Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery Review

Famed for its regal Old Master painting collection, the Dulwich Picture Gallery (pronounced "Dull-ich") was Britain's first purpose-built art museum when it opened in 1811. The permanent collection includes landmark works by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens, Poussin, and Gainsborough, and it also hosts three major international exhibitions each year. As one British art critic puts it, "we would all travel bravely for a day in Tuscany or Umbria in order to see much less." The gallery also has a lovely café serving meals and drinks, and there's a schedule of family activities (see website for details). Most of the land around here belongs to Dulwich College, a local boys' school, which keeps strict control over development. Consequently, Dulwich Village feels a bit like a time capsule, with old-fashioned street signs and handsome 18th-century houses strung out along its main street. Take a short wander and you'll find a handful of cute clothing and crafts stores and the well-manicured Dulwich Park, with lakeside walks and a fine display of rhododendrons in late May.