Gainsborough's House

Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk in 1727 and spent much of his childhood sketching the woods and fields surrounding the town. In 1746, the artist returned to his hometown and also spent many years living in other beautiful areas of Suffolk.

This Georgian townhouse, a former independent meeting house-turned museum, was the place where Gainsborough was baptised. In 2022, the museum reopened after a year-long project, Reviving an Artist’s Birthplace, which helped transform the museum into a national centre for Gainsborough’s work. As well as a refurbished three-storey gallery space, upgraded facilities include the Watering Place café overlooking a charming 18th-century garden.

The museum’s downstairs rooms dive into Gainsborough’s incredible achievements during his time living and working in various areas of Suffolk. In the Entrance Hall, you can spy his portrait The Pitminster Boy (1768-69) and his very own studio cabinet, while in the Parlour you’ll find a range of gorgeous paintings and period furniture. Portraits of the Gainsborough family and works by the artist’s nephew, Gainsborough Dupont lead you through the hall and up the stairs, where the upstairs rooms focus on two themes – portraits of Thomas Gainsborough and his natural landscapes. And the third floor is dedicated to a stunning collection of works by fellow landscape artist, John Constable, also born in the area.