Special exhibitions

Each year we host major exhibitions at some of our most iconic buildings and outdoor spaces. Some celebrate the people who hold special connections to those places; some shed new light on their histories. Others explore different aspects of our collections, from paintings and sculpture to interior design and photography. Our Trust New Art exhibitions showcase contemporary artwork inspired by our places.

Here are some highlights of what’s on now and what's coming soon.

Opening this autumn

Saint Agatha, by Carlo Dolci, on display at the Treasures of Osterley exhibition

Treasures of Osterley at Osterley Park and House, London 

Explore the rise to fame and fortune of the Child banking family and discover the art and design that they commissioned and collected from around the globe. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the recently acquired painting of Saint Agatha by the 17th-century Italian artist Carlo Dolci.

Opened 4 November
View of the Botallack mines

Contrasts of the Tin Coast at Gorthwedh, Cornwall 

Set within the Cornish Mining World Heritage site, the National Trust on the Tin Coast will be starting a new Arts Council England funded project called Gorthwedh: Contrasts of the Tin Coast. Gorthwedh means contrast in Cornish, and this project will reflect on the area’s industrial past, social change and its meaning to residents and visitors today.

Opened 9 November
The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition banner

The Tiger Who Came To Tea at Knole, Kent 

Get up close to the beloved artwork from Judith Kerr’s much-loved children’s classic picture book, 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea'. This touring exhibition will be at Knole until 5 January 2020.

Opened 9 November

Current exhibitions

Illustration from Welcome to Planet Zog

Flights of Fancy: The Wondrous World of Quentin Blake at Nyman's, West Sussex 

Leap into a fantasy world with a new exhibition of the work of legendary illustrator, Sir Quentin Blake. Kindly on loan from Sir Quentin’s archive, the exhibition features illustrations from his self-penned stories, including the joyful antics of ‘The Story of the Dancing Frog’ and voyages of imagination in ‘The Green Ship’.

Until 19 April 2020
Blue illustration of a hare created from linoprint

Winter Wildlife in Print at Beningbrough Hall, North Yorkshire 

After the leaves have fallen and the flowers have gone, wander the gardens of Beninbrough Hall to discover beautifully crafted installations by Yorkshire artist Gerard Hobson. Each artwork is inspired by real-life creatures that make Beningbrough their home.

Until 1 March 2020
Visitors looking at archive documents in an exhibition at Quarry Bank

A Healthy Profit at Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire 

Explore the physical, mental and emotional toil of working in a mill. What did it feel like to lose a finger, to suffer from cotton lung or return to work days after giving birth? Discover the impact of mill work on the body, the treatments given to workers, and how this historical story is relevant to our health and wellbeing today.

Until 19 April 2020
Beatrix Potter, Nature's Champions, Dunham Massey

Faces of Change: Nature's Champions at Upton House, Warwickshire 

From 21 September, get face to face with champions of the natural world in a new exhibition opening at Upton House in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. From Sir David Attenborough and Linda McCartney to William Wordsworth and Octavia Hill, we will be celebrating those who have shaped the way we think about nature today.

Until 9 December 2019
Vogue cover image from October 1950 by Anthony Denney

Anthony Denney at Rainham Hall in London 

Celebrating an icon of British 20th-century design and fashion photography, Rainham Hall launches its summer exhibition programme about the life and career of one of its 1960s inhabitants, Anthony Denney. One of Condé Nast’s chief photographers, Denney was featured in British Vogue magazine (where he was Decoration Editor for nearly 20 years), and House and Garden magazine. Rainham Hall and its garden are interpreted in Denney's original designs and decor with personal objects on display. Opened 29 June.

Until June 2021
Objects in focus Hardstones

Objects in focus: Hardstones at Hinton Ampner 

Showcasing some of the finest objects from Ralph Dutton’s hardstone collection, this exhibition also includes a 17th-century cabinet decorated with hardstones, on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Until 17 November 2019
5,000 ceramic rhino horns on display at Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire

Change in Attitudes at Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire 

Artist Layla Khoo’s installation reflects the change in attitude to big game hunting. On display are 5,000 small porcelain rhino horns, each representing one of the remaining black rhinos left in the world. You can take one home as a souvenir, but the moral dilemma is that each one taken cannot be replaced and will leave fewer for others to experience.

Until 30 November 2020
An illustration by J.F Mullock depicting the attack on the Westgate Hotel by the Newport Chartists.

Riches and Rebellion: Tredegar House and the Newport Rebellion 

Our new exhibition at Tredegar House, marks 180 years since the Newport Rising, the deadliest rebellion of the Chartist movement. Riches and Rebellion explores the Morgan family’s role in the uprising, the surveillance of their tenants and Octavius Morgan’s passion for collection and curation.

Until 3 April 2020
Sutton Hoo replica helmet

Sutton Hoo exhibition, Suffolk 

The redesigned Tranmer House and new High Hall exhibition space at Sutton Hoo will unveil dramatic new displays, showcasing finely-crafted replicas of glittering Anglo-Saxon treasures, to tell the story of a spectacular King’s ship burial. This site is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries. Sutton Hoo is waking up...

Ongoing
Historic image of Hughenden's secret Second World War mapmakers

Second World War story at Hughenden in Buckinghamshire 

Discover more about Hughenden's secret wartime past in the new permanent display supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. In ground floor rooms opened to the public for the first time, find out why this manor house was high on Hitler's target list.

Ongoing
Visitor looking into What is Home exhibition

What is Home at Croome in Worcester 

A new exhibition at Croome Court in Worcestershire, that once housed a school for boys, explores the question ‘what is home?’ through the voices of former pupils and children currently in care. Artist Kashif Nadim Chaudry’s installation is inspired by a period in Croome’s history from 1948–1978 and the pupils' real-life stories and personal objects.

Until July 2020
Visitors explore HumanKind exhibition at National Trust Calke Abbey in Derbyshire

Humankind at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire 

This exciting exhibition sheds new light on the imposing Baroque Calke Abbey in Derbyshire and its ‘isolated’ family that was said to hide from the world. It explores the themes of loneliness and human kindness. Follow the lives of six Calke inhabitants over two centuries, through immersive audio-visual experiences, displays and outdoor installations.

Until March 2021
Delicately drawn pencil head self portrait of a young D.G. Rossetti with chalk detail

Rossetti, pre the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton 

His paintings of flame-haired women define the style that Rossetti is best known for. But this year at Wightwick Manor in the West Midlands, you'll discover the early work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, before the advent of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Until 24 December 2019
Churchill arriving in Geneva, 1946

A History of Winston Churchill in 50 Objects at Chartwell in Kent 

This new permanent exhibition at Chartwell focuses on the extraordinary life of Sir Winston Churchill, telling the stories of his many achievements and personal life. Get close to the fascinating collection of Churchill’s own possessions accumulated by him over the course of his lifetime; from personal mementos to gifts he received from friends, family and political contacts from around the world.

Ongoing exhibition
Chippendale green dressing table with open drawer

Chippendale Revealed: online exhibition 

On 5 June we launched ‘Chippendale Revealed’, an online exhibition which includes specially commissioned photography showing previously unseen aspects of Thomas Chippendale’s furniture at Nostell Priory and showcasing the expertise of the National Trust's Furniture Research & Cataloguing team.

Ongoing exhibition
Hannah Squire, curator of the exhibition 'Look Beneath the Lustre' admires the work of Evelyn De Morgan

Look Beneath the Lustre: The De Morgan Gallery at Wightwick, West Midlands 

In partnership with the De Morgan foundation, a new exhibition exploring the work of Evelyn and William De Morgan has opened at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton. Hosted in The Malthouse, a new purpose-built gallery space, the exhibition showcases some of Evelyn De Morgan's most iconic works including Night and Sleep, as well as a fantastic array of plates, vases and tile panels by William De Morgan.

Ongoing exhibition
Humphry Morice a painting by Pompeo Batoni

At Home with Art: Treasures from the Ford Collection at Basildon Park in Reading 

See nearly 70 objects from art historian Sir Brinsley Ford’s extraordinary collection, on loan from Augustine Ford. An avid collector from the age of eleven, Ford built on the art collection inherited from his father and grandfather. By the time of his death in 1999 he had amassed over 1500 works of art that included Old Master paintings, 20th-century British pictures, sculpture and decorative arts.

Ongoing exhibition
Visitor walking through 'The Golden Box'

Croome's collection returns with a twist, Croome in Derbyshire 

Historical objects from the 6th Earl of Coventry’s collection have returned to Croome. Very important pieces that have been absent for over 70 years - including Lord Coventry's exquisite Meissen, Worcester and Sèvres porcelain - are presented in unique ways. Two artists exhibit new installations, The Golden Box and Chair Play, celebrating Croome's collection treasures and furniture.

Ongoing exhibition
A visitor looking at items from an exhibition at Hardwick Hall

Exhibitions in your area 

Search all our current exhibitions, installations and displays at a place near you