At the end of 1875, the Ruskin Collection first went on public view in Sheffield, in the St George's Museum in Walkley. It is a testament to Ruskin's vision that more than 150 years later, displays from the Collection are still on view, for free, in the heart of the city.

The images below show the exterior and interiors of the St George's Museum, with a wide variety of objects and images in close juxtaposition as Ruskin intended. The Museum, under the guidance of its resident custodians, Henry and Emily Swan, was open from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. As their biographer Stuart Eagles has written, 'local metalworkers and visitors from across the world were greeted with courtesy, enthusiasm and deep knowledge.'

Find out more:

The website Ruskin at Walkley is a digital reconstruction of the St George's Museum, created by Guild Companion Marcus Waithe. There are two books that provide a great deal of context and information about the original home for the Ruskin Collection. Stuart Eagles's book, Ruskin's Faithful Stewards - Henry and Emily Swan, is available via our online bookshop, as is Marcus Waithe's book, Ruskin at Walkley - find them HERE.