Beecroft Art Gallery

The Beecroft Art Gallery is Southend's leading visual-arts venue and one of the cultural cornerstones of South Essex. Set in the city's former Central Library, it pairs a substantial permanent collection with an energetic, ambitious run of temporary exhibitions. Numbering more than 2,000 works, the collection reaches from 17th-century Dutch painting and Victorian masterpieces through to modern and contemporary art, with significant pieces by the likes of Constable, Rossetti and Edward Lear.

Impressive though the permanent holdings are, the gallery's real vitality comes from its constantly rotating exhibitions. Across the year the Beecroft mounts a broad mix of shows that often shine a light on artists from South Essex and the wider East of England, giving both emerging and established regional talent a valuable platform. It also hosts the long-established Essex Open Exhibition, a fixture of the county's artistic calendar.

Fashion and textiles run as a distinctive thread through the Beecroft's work. The gallery holds Southend Museums' extensive fashion and costume collections and stages regular exhibitions on dress, design and social history. Spanning historic couture to present-day fashion, these shows widen its appeal and underline its standing as one of the most dynamic cultural venues in Essex.