A walk in and around the Manor House Museum Gardens

His bust in the small garden between the Library and the Art Gallery commemorates this famous painter, born and brought up in Kettering. Brother of Charles East, the manufacturer who first introduced closing machines into the shoe trade, Alfred was at first destined for a commercial career with this firm but disliked the shoe trade and went instead to study art in Glasgow and Paris.

A landscape painter of considerable talent, he became an ARA in 1889 and President of the Royal Society for British Artists in 1906. His work was internationally known and he was honoured in many countries. He presented some fine pictures to the town and the Art Gallery was built specially to house them.

The Alfred East Art Gallery was built in 1913 to a design by J A Gotch using Weldon ashlar masonary to produce an imposing frontage, which with Piccadilly Buildings forms an imposing entrance to the town centre.

Pictures from the permanent collection are shown in the small gallery and there are full programmes of national and local short term exhibitions.