Biography
The Stalybridge Public Library was built as a gift to the town by the Victorian local cotton mill owner John Frederick Cheetham (1834-1916) and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. Above was a space, originally used as a lecture theatre, that was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham art collection which was bequeathed to the town of Stalybridge, after the death of Cheetham's sister in 1932. This includes Italian Renaissance paintings, notably the rare altarpiece by the Master of the Straus Madonna. portraits from the 16th century and 19th-century paintings and drawings, by artists such as David Cox and Edward Burne-Jones.
The collection, now comprising of over 500 artworks and managed by Tameside Museums and Galleries Service, has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century, 28 of which from the Contemporary Art Society, and is one of the most interesting small regional collections. Alongside collection exhibitions, the gallery hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions by regional artists. It also holds works that were gifted to Stalybridge Art Gallery. Works can be also seen at The Rutherford Gallery, Dukinfield Town Hall and Ashton Town Hall.
