As The Wilson continues to be closed this year to enable a major refurbishment creating a community arts gallery and vibrant arts café to go ahead, the art gallery and museum is taking to the road and going on tour.

A new summer series of fascinating talks and workshops is announced today and will be held in the sumptuous surroundings of the Grade I listed Pittville Pump Room.

Curators Ann-Rachael Harwood, Kirsty Hartsiotis and Sophia Wilson will take the audiences on a fascinating journey through an eclectic mix of subjects and eras, bringing to life the landscapes of Cheltenham through the paintbrushes of artists including Edward Wilson; the Arts and Crafts movement, and the glitz and glamour of tiaras.

There’s also the opportunity to handle a selection of mystery items from The Wilson and pit your wits guessing what they might have been used for in the 19^th century.

Explore Cheltenham through Wilson’s paint brush on Tuesday 13 July

Curator Ann-Rachael Harwood showcases Cheltenham’s remarkable landscape and nature, from mini beasts to mammals, flowers to fields, churches to colleges. Edward Wilson is best known as one of the explorers who travelled to the South Pole with Captain Scott and was Cheltenham born and bred. This talks explores his Cheltenham-based art, and brings alive the Gloucestershire landscape he loved.

Cheltenham mysteries quiz on Tuesday 27 July

Can you tell your butter pats from your glove stretchers? Join curator Ann-Rachael Harwood for an afternoon of eccentricity and fun, and a chance to show off your knowledge of Cheltenham’s secrets and have a go at identifying some of our stranger 19^th century objects.

‘Every hour indoors is an hour wasted’ Exploring nature in the Arts and Crafts movement on Tuesday 10 August

During the pandemic being outside in the countryside and our gardens has been more important than ever before on our mental health and wellbeing. More than 100 years ago the designers of the Arts and Crafts movement drew much of their inspiration from nature and spent a lot of time outside, walking, cycling, gardening, watching and sketching especially here in the Cotswolds where many, including William Morris, settled. This talk by curator Kirsty Hartsiotis explores Cotswolds-based Arts and Crafts designers including Ernest Gimson, Sidney and Ernest Barnsley, William and Eve Simmonds, Alfred and Louise Powell, Barron and Larcher and, of course, Morris and his daughter May.

Watercolour workshop, painting the view from Pittville Pump Room on Tuesday 24 August

Join watercolour artist Kim Hill in a watercolour sketches workshop using the wonderful view from the pump room across Pittville Park as your inspiration. Create your own watercolour under the guidance of Kim Hill. You can either use your own materials (sketchbooks, 2B pencils, paints, palette and brushes) or purchase in advance when buying your ticket.

Tiaras – celebrating beautiful bling Tuesday 31 August:

Sparkling, bejewelled tiaras conjure up a picture of women in silk gowns, their jewels shimmering and sparkling in candlelight as they gracefully dance in the resplendent ballroom at Pittville.  In this talk, curator Sophia Wilson will reveal how The Wilson acquired its collection of beautiful tiaras, how the fashion for wearing this head ornament evolved. She’ll look at who wore them and explore the occasions for which they were worn. The talk explores what tiaras can tell us about a particular time in the past, what they are made from and the techniques used to craft this decorative band that was deemed essential by any fashionable woman of the early 19^th century.

Tickets for the summer series are limited and can be booked from today at www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk