The Higgins

The Early Ploughman, Samuel Palmer

We hadn’t been to The Higgins since the now united galleries and museum in Bedford re-opened last year after a really major refurbishment. The building is beautifully renovated    (or mostly so — the café is not particularly attractively laid out), and the museum displays look terrific. In particular, there is currently a very enjoyable small exhibition A National Art: Watercolour & the British Landscape Tradition. This is drawn entirely from the gallery’s own collection, and includes works by Samuel Palmer (including the etching above), Turner, and Cotman, alongside twentieth-century watercolours. Some very fine pieces. All very well worth a visit, and indeed a re-visit.