Coming Up
Wixamtree and Connections Gallery
Free Entry
This exhibition, the first of its kind, will tell the story of unsung hero Noel Carrington (1895–1989), one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century in the commissioning, editing and publishing of children’s picture books. Eric Ravilious' High Street, Kathleen Hale's Orlando books, Mervyn Peake's Captain Slaughterboard, were all commissioned by Carrington. For these three alone Carrington merits attention, yet he also edited and commissioned the groundbreaking Puffin Picture Book series. Curated by writer and publisher Joe Pearson (Design for Today), the exhibition will bring together well-known classics of children’s publishing as well as Carrington’s commissions by artists such as Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden.
Pantomime Stories, 1943 by Hilary Stebbing © Hilary Stebbing Estate
Stanny’s Stus: Images of Bedford Physical Training College
6 November 2025 - 31 May 2026
Sir William Harpur Gallery – Free Entry
Known as ‘Stanny’s Stus’ around town, the students and staff of Bedford Physical Training College were often keen photographers who extensively documented their lives after pioneer Margaret Stansfeld founded her all female college in Lansdowne Road, in 1903. Recent digitisation of the photographs reveals their day-to-day engagement with sport, leisure and teaching in Bedfordshire, providing us with a glimpse of women’s social and sporting history. The digitised images from the Bedford Physical Education Archive are being exhibited for the first time outside their usual home at the University of Bedfordshire.
The Harpur Trust Art Competition
An exhibition of Children's Work
18 June - October 2026
Sir William Harpur Gallery - Free Entry