THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM was Bath’s first art museum. It opened to the public in 1893 and moved to its current Grade 1 listed building in 1916. It was once described as the most charming building in the UK. It holds a special place in my affections, as I have been a volunteer steward there for ten years.

Like many museums, the Holburne has an individual’s collection at its heart. Sir William Holburne was destined for a career in the navy; however, when his older brother died, the family inheritance passed to him. He left the navy and toured Europe. As he did so, he assembled an assortment of collectables from paintings and silver to minerals and maiolica in the middle years of the nineteenth century. He never married and kept his collection in a modest-sized apartment in Bath, where he lived with his three unmarried sisters. With no heirs, they commissioned a trust to open up a museum for the people of Bath on the death of the last one of the four of them, which was the youngest sister. The trustees have added to the collection and many ‘visiting exhibitions’ also grace the galleries each year.

As I have the privilege of volunteering in this ‘jewel’ of a museum, I never cease to be amazed at how many treasures William Holburne amassed during his travels and wonder how he would feel if he could see them displayed as they are now. He never lived, of course, to see the enjoyment experienced by thousands of visitors!

As I look at this wonderful collection, in this beautiful city, I often remember the words that Paul wrote to a young man, Timothy:

‘Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out’, 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 6-7.