Graves Gallery forced to vacate building due to heating system failure

Sheffield’s Graves Gallery is to close at the end of October and move to an interim city-centre location next year after the heating system in its existing building failed.

The gallery will close on 31 October 2026 following investigations into its heating infrastructure, which found that the system cannot be repaired.

Sheffield Museums and Sheffield City Council are now working to establish a new temporary home for the gallery’s art collection.

The move to an interim space in 2027 is intended to ensure the collection remains accessible while longer-term plans for the Graves Gallery and Central Library building are developed. The collection is expected to remain at the interim location until the redevelopment is complete and the gallery can return to its Surrey Street home.

The gallery had already been forced to close most of its display spaces in spring following a significant failure in the building’s heating system. Although the collection was unharmed, several artworks were removed while investigations were carried out.

Kim Streets, chief executive at Sheffield Museums, said the organisation had “no option” but to move the collection because the gallery could no longer provide suitable conditions for visitors, staff or artworks.

“The failure of the gallery’s heating system means we can no longer provide a welcoming space in the building going forward for staff and visitors, or secure the necessary environmental conditions required to keep the collection safe in the long term,” she said.

Streets said that the museum’s priority remained securing the gallery’s long-term future in its existing location.

“Our foremost priority is securing the long-term future of the gallery in its rightful home, on Surrey Street,” she said. “Our ambition is to work with the city council to fully realise the huge potential of the city’s art collection and support the transformation of the building into a leading destination for the city, the region and beyond.”

The gallery’s collection comprises around 8,000 works spanning more than 150 years of collecting, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, installations and digital artworks.

It includes works by JMW Turner, Edward Burne-Jones, John Singer Sargent, Paul Cezanne, Gwen John, Stanley Spencer, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Claudette Johnson, Grayson Perry, Hew Locke and Helen Chadwick.

Kirstie Hamilton, the director of programmes at Sheffield Museums, said the collection was “wide-ranging, surprising and much-loved”.

“The new interim gallery will ensure that the people of Sheffield, and visitors to the city alike, can continue to find meaningful connections as we work towards returning the collection to its original home,” Hamilton said.

The move will also require changes to the planned presentation of British Art Show 10, which is due to take place across multiple Sheffield venues in autumn 2027. Works originally intended for display at the Graves Gallery will instead be shown in additional temporary exhibition space at the Millennium Gallery.

Plans for landmark building

The move comes as Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Museums Trust approach the end of an 18-month feasibility programme examining the future of the Grade II* listed Central Library, City Archives and Graves Gallery building.

The council says the project represents an opportunity to restore and revitalise one of Sheffield’s major civic buildings while creating more accessible spaces for learning, culture and community participation.

A report setting out the findings of the feasibility programme and recommending the next stage of development is expected to be considered by the council’s Strategy and Resources Committee in the coming months.

Fran Belbin, the leader of Sheffield City Council, described the project as “one of the most significant cultural opportunities Sheffield has seen for many years”.

“Central Library, Graves Gallery and the City Archives are among the city's most important public assets,” she said. “They tell Sheffield’s story, provide opportunities to learn and discover, and connect people with our heritage.”

Belbin added that the ambition was to create a more accessible and welcoming destination while securing the building’s future. “Our ambition is not simply to restore an iconic building, but to unlock its full potential and secure its future for generations to come,” she said.

The art deco building opened in 1934 and the gallery has provided a home for Sheffield’s visual art collection for more than 90 years. A major refurbishment and redisplay programme began in 2021, supported by the Ampersand Foundation, including conservation work and the redisplay of around half of the gallery each year.

Under the emerging plans, the Graves Gallery and Central Library would need to vacate the building while major redevelopment work takes place.

The council says the long-term project is intended to improve access, enhance the visitor experience and create new opportunities for learning, culture and community participation. No final decision on the future of the building has yet been made.