Tullie… is the heartbeat of Carlisle’s cultural life tells stories and inspires learning for life connects Carlisle and Cumbria to the world

Tullie is a museum, art gallery, community hub and generally cool place to be (even if we do say so ourselves).  

We’ve been part of Carlisle life since 1893. We’ve even been referred to as “Carlisle’s first learning centre”. Before the city had a university, Tullie gave Carlisle a museum, library, art school and technical school.  

This heritage is something we’re incredibly proud of and shapes who we are today. Inspiring lifelong learning is at the very heart of what we do.  

We do this in many ways, including sharing the stories of the objects in the collection, our work with schools, introducing children to the museum through crafts and play, changing exhibitions and regular workshops and events.  

Despite being far away from the UK’s big cultural centres, the collections we care for are truly world class. We care for an impressive set of Pre-Raphaelite artworks, an Arts Council England Designated natural science collection, and a vast human history collection covering over 10,000 years. The total number of items we look after now totals over one million!  

Our exhibition gallery has hosted some incredible, world-renowned shows. We’ve had Turner, Rembrandt, the Crosby Garrett Helmet and even Paddington Bear. Not bad for a city of fewer than 100,000, eh?  

Another of our aims is to mean more to more people. We try to remove as many barriers as possible so Tullie can be a place for everyone, giving people from marginalised groups the chance to access world-class culture and the opportunity to learn outside of formal education. We work with people seeking asylum, those living with Dementia and others who might otherwise struggle to access heritage and culture. Where possible, we take the museum to the people (see Tullie on Tour).  

In 2011, Tullie became an independent charitable trust and is now dependent on support from our visitors and supporters, grants and charitable foundations. We are the lead organisation of the Cumbria Museum Consortium, a Band 3 National Portfolio Organisation for Arts Council England who, along with the local authority, is one of our core funders. 

You’ll have to make up your own mind as to exactly what we are. We’re probably something slightly different for every visitor. We’re happy as long as we do our bit to get Carlisle and its visitors the culture they deserve.  

If you want to find out even more about what we do, can we suggest a browse through our yearly Impact Reports...

Our environmental commitment

Our mission is to deliver exceptional cultural experiences while reducing our environmental impact, protecting biodiversity, and inspiring positive change towards a more sustainable future. You can read our full environmental policy here. 

Make a donation

One-off donation or regular payment, we’d be incredibly grateful either way. As a charity, we rely on your support to carry on keeping the curious inspired.