Kettle's Yard

The house tour is 'a must see'. I've been multiple times over the last 10 years and always come away discovering something new or new found appreciation for the visit. Booking is essential however you might have some luck if attending if on a quiet day. The setting of the venue is in absolute contrast to historic academia of Cambridge city which in part makes a visit so necessary, as to experience something different, like 19th century/arts and crafts movement. The house can be overwhelming as the home there so much to see and through each visit and looking there it no end to understanding how it is so well curated and considered that despite its modest size each foot step and differently positioned chair offers a completely different viewpoint to the design of the former Tate Gallery curators home. It's proves that by living within a space really does give a unique understanding. The design of the space if it's your aesthetic is an 'interior designers dream' and probably been an inspiration to many designers, artists and creatives within their respective industries. An absolute gem, never disappoints.

An absolute gem for art lovers- the house is old and creaky (I think there was an elevator to one floor). It has art that the owner collected during his lifetime and downstairs there are modern art pieces on display. There is a cafe and a small gift shop. Maybe a little ‘add on’ to your Fitzwilliam visit the other side of town. I recommend longer than an hour if you’re interested in art. Get a ticket before you come. Tickets can last for beyond your visit! Staff helpful.

Well worth a visit. The exhibitions can be a bit hit and miss but the tour of the house is excellent, filled with workshop of art in an amazing setting (book in advance for the house tour)

Very nice cafe just slightly off the main tourist area in Cambridge. Attached to a gallery and the museum of Cambridge. We had tea and sat in the courtyard area.

This is one of the hidden gems of Cambridge - if you are coming here,don’t miss out on Kettles Yard. A new building houses exhibitions but the real gem for us was the tour of the house itself: Kettles Yard was the home of Tate gallery curator and art collector Jim and his wife Helen Ede who left it to Cambridge University in 1966. Everything has been left in the house as it was.It is such a beautiful serene place to visit and inspiring from a design point of view with it’s own art collection of 20th century art - the highlight to me was the French young sculptor/artist Gaudier Brzeska who died aged 23 in WWI. We were really lucky to have Kate a fantastic guide who has a background in art, explain each room as we went round. Wonderful!

Beautifully curated home filled with art, sculpture and found objects to create a unique environment. Not an art gallery, not an exhibition but it's own space for creative reflection. A wonderful place to experience a fresh perspective on home and creativity. Would recommend booking a ticket. Make sure to ask the guides in the rooms questions, they are enthusiastic experts!

Visited both the gallery and the house. Well worth it! Especially the house. Can be a bit cramped with lots of visitors but as they work with 15 minutes slots to enter (and then you have unlimited time to visit the house), it still is a pretty serene experience. The museum café is a nice place to unwind after all impressions of Cambridge and it's museum. Great way to end a short citytrip to Cambridge!

It was a joy. Firstly the staff in every area are delightful, and so knowledgeable. I have wanted to see the house for years. This was a birthday treat to myself & a friend. The house is beautiful, the content a delight, the collection remarkable. A tranquil space, serene, a joy.

Kettle's Yard House is awesome! It is a free museum which displays the personal art collection of Jim and Helen Ede. Jim was a curator for the Tate in the 1920s, and made friends with lots of young artists...and acquired their work before they were famous. I guess he was the ultimate hipster - he knew all the best artists before they became well known...so he was hipster half a century before the word was invented. Anyway the "house" is actually four cottages that have been knocked together to create light, interesting spaces on several levels. It seems pretty small until you climb the stairs and find room after room of art, sculpture and prettily arranged pebbles and house plants. It doesn't feel like a museum - there are no plaques explaining the works, and visitors are encouraged to sit down, read books from their library and enjoy the space as if it was your own home. It seems to be run by volunteer enthusiasts...so I really liked chatting to the staff as we wandered around the space. It is also a venue for concerts. If I lived in Cambridge I'd definitely want to pop in to hear their grand pianos!! To be honest, I wasn't that keen on quite a large proportion of the pieces BUT I loved the architecture and enjoyed wandering around.