Alfred East Gallery reopens in Kettering after six-year closure and roof replacement

North Northamptonshire Council reopened the Alfred East Gallery in Kettering to the public on 24 October, six years after its doors last opened, following a rear extension, a Collyweston slate roof replacement and a rebrand that dropped the Cornerstone name.

The council said the reopening marks the completion of a programme on the Grade II listed site that began under Kettering Borough Council before North Northamptonshire Council took over responsibility. Stakeholders attended a completion event on the evening of 23 October before the public was admitted at 10am the next morning.

Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of the Council, said: "The journey doesn't stop here and we're already looking to the next steps with the new event space and tender process for the café on site."

The council said it would explore food and beverage opportunities with third-party operators over the coming months.

The works

According to the council, a new flexible event, exhibition and hire space was built at the rear of the site during the closure, which it said would increase visitor impact and commercial opportunities. The roofs of both the gallery and the library were replaced.

GSSArchitecture announced in February 2021 that planning permission had been secured for Kettering Borough Council for the refurbishment, redevelopment and extension of the library, gallery and museum, following investment from the Government's Getting Building Fund. The practice was appointed through Lot 1 of the Pagabo Professional Services Framework, with Faithful + Gould on the team.

The rear extension was designed to give step-free access from the existing car park, GSSArchitecture said. The practice noted that the gallery was built more than 100 years ago to designs by John A. Gotch, its founder.

The council appointed Messenger, based in Collyweston, North Northamptonshire, as contractor for the roof replacement in February 2025. The roof was re-covered with a mix of new and, where possible, reclaimed Collyweston slates.

Paul Gibbons, Managing Director of Messenger, said: "The careful stripping and re-slating of Collyweston stone roofs is a delicate process".

During the roof works the library was temporarily relocated to the upper floor of the modern extension. The council said the Garden Room within the rear extension, shared by the gallery and Kettering Library, had housed the library during the renovation and that the Prelude... exhibition in September 2026 was the first time it was used for a gallery show.

Naming and reopening sequence

The site has carried several names. GSSArchitecture said in 2021 that it would be renamed Kettering GLaM to mark the gallery, library and museum becoming one site. The council later branded it Cornerstone, before deciding in June 2026 that each element would revert to its original historic name with its own logo.

Cllr Griffiths said at the time that the council had heard local objections to the Cornerstone name and committed to change. In the same announcement the council said the library would fully reopen in its original building from 6 July 2026.

In August 2026 the council said it aimed to open the gallery fully in time for Northamptonshire Day celebrations at the end of October. The council said those celebrations have since been postponed, but the gallery will open on Sunday from 10am to 4pm before moving to its normal hours of 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

The museum

The adjoining Manor House Museum remains temporarily closed because earlier surveys found significant structural issues throughout the building, the council said.

On 14 October 2026 the council announced a £196,896 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the museum. The money will pay for a comprehensive masterplan for the site and a full-time Collections Manager on a three-year fixed-term contract.

Background

The council describes the Alfred East Gallery as North Northamptonshire's only purpose-built public art gallery. In 1911 Sir Alfred East offered Kettering 70 of his works, and the gallery was built as a condition of the gift, with Kettering Urban District Council commissioning local architects Gotch and Saunders to design it. The collection today consists of just over 900 pieces, including 97 works by East.

While the site was closed, the museum and gallery outreach team continued working in the community. The council said the programme won the Community Wellbeing Award at the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum Awards in July 2025.

The opening exhibition, Faces and Places, runs in the East Gallery until 9 January 2027 and in the West Gallery until 27 February 2027.