Friends of Lytham St Annes Art Collection

Friends of Lytham St Annes Art Collection assist the collection started in 1925 by John Booth, of Booths supermarkets fame.

He presented one of his paintings, The Herd Lassie by Richard Ansdell to the St Annes Town Corporation, while apologising that he wasn’t able to provide the town with an art gallery.

In 2008 John Booths descendants finally carried out his wishes and provided the area with the beautifully designed gallery above their food store at Booths in Lytham.

The Fylde Gallery was open for more than ten years, until finally closing in 2020. It housed themed exhibitions between July 2007 and August 2019. The formerly free-to-access public exhibition space showed different displays from many local art and community groups.

More about the Collection & Friends

There are well over 200 works of art in the Lytham St Annes Art Collection. It’s kept in specialised storage at St Annes Town Hall. Fylde Council is working towards accreditation of the collection. However, they don’t intend to use the Fylde Gallery for future exhibitions.

Fylde Council planned to do regular tours of the town hall to show the works off. Sadly, Covid-19 temporarily put a halt to that. But it is something they are looking at introducing when fully safe to do so.

The first donation from John Booth was the start of many bequests. Alderman James Dawson greatly expanded the collection in the 1930’s. He gave over 50 paintings and sculptures to the Borough for the benefit of local people.

Fylde Decorative and Fine Arts Society were successful in a £24,000 bid from the heritage Lottery Fund. The money funded a two year project to raise awareness about the Art Collection. Also creating an online and printed catalogue about the collection through the ‘Tagging the Treasures’ project.

The Friends of the Lytham St Annes Art Collection aim to raise awareness of the collection and raise funds for its conservation.

Why don’t you join and get involved?

Find out More

• Friends of Lytham St Annes Art Collection website

• Explore Lytham St Annes Art Collection website

• The Arts Society Fylde, previously Fylde Decorative and Fine Arts Society

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