Reviews of Firstsite. (Museum) in Colchester (Essex).

Firstsite

990 Reviews

364 Comments

Museum

Art gallery

Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester CO1 1JH, United Kingdom

Description

Information of Firstsite, Museum in Colchester (Essex)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

Map

Open hours of Firstsite

Popular times

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Reviews of Firstsite

K. W.

Amazing place! Great for little ones. Lots of interaction and activities. Fantastic collection of art work on view and currently your art can be displayed along side some famous names! Good little cafe inside, bit pricey but tasty food and good coffee. Friendly staff, happy to chat and very welcoming. I could buy everything from the gift shop, fab array of arty gifts. It was only our first visit but will certainly make an effort to return when back in the area! A little gem of place. Lucky Colchester!

E. L.

Firstsite Colchester is a fantastic art space. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Lots to see and an amazing building to wander. There is also a film/cinema. We didn't try the cafe, will next time, but seating looks great, lots of views out of building to green space.

M. P.

Contemporary art feast in Essex. And it’s free. Amazing building and the curator has always something interesting to showcase. Go!

B. K.

Really amazing . We stay about 2 hours but not enough, lots of activities for kids. My son painted and visitor hanged on the wall. Design and atmosphere is really effectively

J. O.

This is a great place if you're visiting Colchester and like exhibitions or like me, have a child or two and need to keep them busy in summer when the weather is rubbish. There are free children's activities every day from 10am to 2.30 pm and interesting exhibitions for people of all ages. At the back of the venue, you'll find a café. Entry is free but you can make a donation (suggested £5) at donation points using your debit or credit card. Very nice and helpful staff and volunteers around. Pop in, you won't be disappointed.

S. H.

Free art gallery. Very interesting large exhibits. A little bit introspective as it was all about Essex. One installation was about excess landfill and the throwaway society. A little at odds with this was an installation by Michael Landy about systematically destroying all his possessions and sending the waste to the local landfill! If he'd put them on eBay I probably would have bought some of them!

a.

What an amazing place! A large free art gallery with a cinema and a cafe. We attended to see the Singh sisters exhibition which was a collection of beautiful and thought-provoking displays. On entry we were greeted by other exhibits such as "Essex Man" and a huge wall frieze of Colchester-based displays. Staff were friendly and the cake in the cafe was delicious. Thoroughly recommended.

D. K.

Amazing building with exellent, and continually changing, range of modern and historic art. Often have additional activities for all ages, really well worth a visit if you are visiting Colchester.

T. B.

Great exhibitions and individual prices of art. Cafe is lovely with a nice balcony area. Entry is free with a suggested donation. Staff were all very friendly. It’s a great place to spend a few hours and enjoy a coffee. Highly recommend visiting this place.

N. B.

A good place to visit if you are considering giving your kids a different experience. We visited here with our three children who all left asking different questions about the different galleries. Free entry, lovely staff and some great things for the kids to do. Spent an hour here.

D. Y.

What a wonderful creative space and such friendly staff. Lovely looking building. Vibrant space and we went for the Singh Twins exhibition - brilliantly curated and the gentleman with dark nails we spoke to was SO informative and enthusiastic. The Essex Way by Michael Landy too was SO interesting and informative and who knew the beauty queen from Africa who made a splash in Essex! Friendly cafe staff and inexpensive items

M. F. A.

Gorgeous community exhibition and arts centre, the architecture is fabulous round and straight angles combined to make such a nice walk around the corridors, entrance is free!

E. B.

Really nice place. We went for craft session during this summer holiday. Activity was free of charge. There is station where you can make donation if you choose to. It's both cash and card. Downfall is that if you want to use card only option is to donate £10 as far as I'm concern. Both kids loved it.

R. R.

Very interesting. Museum. Unusual exhibit. Well worth a visit.

W. W.

A wonderful place of culture and fun. Open plan and airy design makes the place feel accepting and welcoming. Disabled and child friendly. The only criticism is that the cafe is over priced.

H. P.

Great place to visit, really interesting exhibitions, great cafe, friendly and helpful staff. As a wheelchair user, the whole site is very accessible. Well worth visiting.

S. V.

Excellent exhibition venue - love the Singh Twins exhibition especially. Lots of activities for children going on too. Great little cafe deep inside.

S. Q.

Great space. Recommended a visit but they could change exhibitions more often than 6 months. Staff are friendly.

W. R.

Great place for adults and children. Very helpful staff.

N. S.

Very Creative gallery. The autor of their piece of art is makind you think about what they wanted to express. Each person visitimg the place will unterstad everything differently. One of the rooms called the dark room is based in paying with colors and mind it Will also Tell you a beautiful story Using powerful words making you think even more. Definitively will come back to this place.

I. T.

If you're looking for free things to do in Colchester then Firstsite is the place to go! The exhibits change frequently throughout the year so there's always something new to see. They often hold other events, especially for kids and also have a small coffee and gift shop. A small donation is asked which is well worth it for the effort that goes into the gallery, highly recommended 🎨

L. D.

Amazingly friendly and engaging staff, in quiet possibly the best cinema viewing experience around. (Not being blown away by deafening Dolby and airplane air conditioning system) Watched Dune in a clean and fresh auditorium in 4k. Reminded me of find childhood memories when we went to the Barbican small cinema, now on my doorstep. Look forward to next film viewing.

J. P.

Nice exhibition to explore in the heart of the Colchester city. Missing 1 star only due to lack of interactive activities/information for children. Great small cafe available.

W. B.

Wasn't really sure what to expect, so was a little disappointed. I suspect, if you live in the area, you'd nip in to see what the current exhibitions were, and could have very different experiences depending on what the exhibitions were.

N. S.

A north Essex gem! Interesting and interactive, perfect for children as well. They also have an amazing cinema. Totally recommend it!

T. P. S. D.

Great place. Went to see an art exhibition with children.

C. D.

Great cinema , last saw Top Gun. I've got lots of other films on my planner to watch. Toilets always clean, which is a bonus.

S. W.

A brilliant place to visit, with a wide range of artists showing there talents.good for all ages You can even grab a cuppa while your visiting. Also a good selection of films showing weekly.

M. B.

People so friendly and happy to help. Lovely spacious place. Great gift shop wheelchair/pram usable.

M. C.

Art exhibition open until late October. Lots of pictures and exhibits of the stour valley and constable country.

K. L.

I attended the exhibition Super Black - an exhibition that asks, 'What does it mean to be black in England today?' The video was very interesting although the sound could have been clearer. Great work by all artists, taking me back to my childhood with ornaments, pictures and photos! This venue has great space, colour and lighting. Also, very good coffee and a nice selection of cakes and pastries.

B. D.

It was great, especially for a great painting of Paula Rego that I found very interesting even though it was a early painting

H. S.

A brilliant community museum, viewed all exhibitions, diverse and inspiring, enjoyed coffee and cake. Found the staff and volunteers enthused and welcoming. Looking forward to a return visit to view the evolving Essex exhibition.

J. T.

I couldn't recommend Firstsite more - we absolutely love visiting, with or without our three small children. Lots of interesting historical and modern art; activities for kids of all ages; making art accessible for everyone and every body. Love being able to have a wander and an excellent cup of coffee at the cafe, browsing the exhibitions and putting all the books in the gift shop on our wishlists!

N. R.

Visited for a conference, lovely setting for an event with the art displayed. No general parking at the site but priory road car was near by. ♿ Parking is available.

c. w.

Great cinema, much cheaper than other local cinema's and interesting film choices....highly recommended

A.

Its a Modern Art Gallery installation with Free Admision. Pleasant and quite walk around exhibits. Lovely coffee shop at the end of museum with terrace to sit and enjoy hot drink

a.

Love the new cafe location, especially the balcony! The staff are very welcoming and the selection of beverages is good. My only issue is with gaining access to the disabled parking bays. For some reason there are bollards blocking these so can't access when using the main parking entrance.

D. F.

Love this place. The cinema is great to watch a film in. The art exhibits need to be more inclusive and less peripheral Watched 2 films today. Loved them both. Staff so friendly

S. P.

Went to their cinema to see The Last Bus. A breath of fresh air. Comfortable seats. Not loads of adverts. Quiet food and drinks available from the cafe. A delight. Will go there again. Polite friendly staff throughout the museum. Sheila and Ken

L. C.

Today we visited on the first day of the Benton End art exhibition. The gallery is laid out very well. Exhibit explained by one of the friebdly staff. The cafe looks beautiful and the ice rink even has snails skating. Thank you First Site for being such a Colchester gem.

P. E.

Excellent award-winning public space. Has a great community feel. Britain's first capital beats Essex's current capital all ends up. Again.

A. K.

Went to See the background Bob exhibition that is in its 2nd year now and especially wanted to check out sould_art artists work as well as a few other street artists that I follow. Some excellent work along with the various other exhibitions which were very good. the cafe serves a great vegan Cake We were watching the ice skating And the staff were very friendly and accommodating. definitely love this place

E. D.

Brilliant free museum and host to the terrific Singh Twins exhibition

C. M.

Brilliant venue for art and culture.

D. F.

Beautiful building, rotating free art gallery. Cafe inside with all the normal. Free coat check.

c. b.

Great Cinema in the evening, sounded really good in the auditorium and very friendly staff.

M. P.

The building itself is fascinating. Quite unique. I didn't visit the exhibitions as was only meeting a friend for a quick coffee, which was very good. Seemed to be a lot going on so well worth another visit.

Z. K.

Interesting new building in the middle of historic Colchester. Exhibitions sort of in set up mode this morning but some excellent stuff in there. The gift shop is a work of art in itself and the staff should be proud of their work putting it together, as much as the actual exhibition curators. Definitely worth a visit.

D. M.

I love Firstsite, fantastic art amazing building must have been an architect nightmare

a.

toilets are pretty snazzy. Firstsite changes its art pieces frequently, so there's always an opportunity for an interesting wonder inside. Can't go around Colchester without the odd one incredibly drunk guy, very entertaining. Overall, nice. place. My name chef.

A. G.

Beautiful building, no doubt a great space for community activities but was somehow expecting to see more art in such a large building

D. J.

It is a beautifully contemporary building, very light and peaceful inside. Helpful friendly staff. Delicious food in the cafe. The exhibitions are superb 😊 THANK YOU!!

R. P.

Great place to visit with the girlie's... They love going around the galleries and enjoy drawing when we go in....

C. W.

Interesting place with exhibitions, cinema, café, shop selling unusual items

A. C.

Great exhibition of 20th century British artists until the spring..

l.

Great place to visit,interaction for kids and its free

R. A.

The atmosphere of the building alone is great. The art makes it amazing, with regularly cycling exhibits it really is a great place to walk around and also to take the kids. I still can't believe colchester has something like this on its doorstep FREE! We are so lucky. The cinema is a treat too, and a nice change from the sticky floors of the commercial giants.

A.

Lovely big building, colourful and interesting art exhibition, over-priced cafe, building needs better advertising - you wouldn't know it was there if you were walking down the main street - could be much better signposted and made more welcoming.

H. A.

Loved the exhibition of Benton End all very well explained by the lovely Sarah who works there

A. G.

The money spent on this building is unreal. Worst mistake Colchester has made as it's honestly not the best place sorry guys!

R. B.

Amazing art Gallery. There's always something great going on.

a. h.

Good space under used. Wonderful Singh Twins exhibition.

G. A.

Random visit. Spacious area to view art exhibition, free of charge which is great. No pressure on time and staff very helpful and friendly. Quirky facility for attracting people to the area.

J. L.

Went to the record fair there on Saturday 15th Jan. Found some vinyl I wanted and hope to find more again in the future (2 months time!) nice cafe there as well.

N. Z.

Great cafe. Art exhibitions vary on quality depending on what where and when. From focus on international artists to local projects. A varied film schedule throughout the year and well stocked gift shop. There is often something to drop by to see.

M. D.

My wife was really interested in the bookshop, we never made it into the actual exhibition

v. d.

Interesting community art space. Nice cafe.

P. B.

Always interesting displays and events, plus the hidden secret of a decent coffee shop at the far end. Well worth a wander into the Museum of the year if you are in the town.

Z. F.

Just seems such a lost opportunity such lovely space and very few exhibits. Cafe very nice ..coffee/teas..light lunches very nice sunlit seating onto 'lawn' food good ..cakes excellent! Nice staff ..open most days ..l think ...excellent loos and hand washing facilities Very nice visit...but just feel it needs more use ..think they did have language courses...and other academic conferences in the past ..but don't know about any present Cov-d type circumstances maybe halting everything....

B. B. T. S. t.

An interesting place for all ages that love art.

D. M. C.

A gem in Colchester. Free and great exhibits for the whole family.

E. J.

So calm and peaceful plus the art was amaaazziiinnnggg

R. N.

A building that is a credit to the City of Colchester. Well run and well staffed.

D. B.

Unique building and a good café. Sitting on the balcony in the sunshine ☀ is a really nice treat. Terrific cinema venue too. Some of the art work is really good too, but other bits are well not quite to my taste!

E. D.

A varied range of art - loved the structure of the building. The location is great. The giftshop- wonderful range of books and beautiful things

M. W.

Love the Grayson Perry Exhibition at Firstsite. Don't miss it.

D. B.

The art gallery is much better than it was before. Much more interactive artworks and the chance for kids pictures to be put up next to

T. a.

Extraordinary building architecturally, with unexpected spaces and some interesting modern exhibitions. Go, if only to experience the glass doored and colourful toilets.

h. c.

Still wear mask, sanitizer hands and use test and trace app or sign in. Not too many exhibitions on at the moment but a couple showing. Very good shop especially if looking for a present for someone, from young to old. Books, games, jewellery etc. Not run of the mill items. The cinema is also open with social distancing, and the cafe is back in its old home hurrah. This means it is next to the kitchen 👍 there are tables inside and out on the decking, also nearby loos. Flat floor all the way through with slight incline up to the cafe. So much better to have it there.

a. h.

Took our grandson in the half term break to do some street dancing.Very impressed by how child centric everything was and how friendly the staff were

S. M.

Always a pleasure to visit - love the cinema, cafe and shop.

P. C. R.

It's a great place to visit and attend classes

B. B.

There wasn't any special exhibition inside today as LGBT celebration was outsite

L. T.

always loved firstsite. massive venue with interesting (experimental?) exhibitions, which some folks may not be into, but i love having a local art gallery like this, right near the centre of town. the film screenings are really good, comfortable seats and a big screen. pre-corona, i saw Baby Driver, 2001 Space Odyssey and The Room (VERY good interactive screening!) better than the "real" cinema (odeon) to be honest!

D. M.

I love this place, I really do. There is no entry fee, and they do host some very intriguing artwork. Firstsite supports a lot locally, and it does get rather busy, meaning a lot of positive exposure for local artists in particular. There's a little screen room that acts as a cinema on event days, and they host small groups for the younger generations to explore their own artistic streaks. I do feel that maybe they could fill up all that area a little better, as they have an awful lot of empty space.

J. C.

Good language and linguistics survey - very thought provoking.

N. E.

Nice modern building. The cinema looked good, but numbers restricted due to Covid. Exhibits vary between laughable, hateful, boring, and good, but excellent to have the variety on show. Cafe drinks very good and a happy little atmosphere.

M. M.

The review by HC is totally wrong. It was great to experience the buzz and the great variety of art on offer, as explained by First Site in their reply to HC's review. HC must have gone to a different place 😂

I.

Nice art in the whole site. Once you get to the end, there is a small cafe with food and drink. You do have the option of either sitting in inside or outside (I recommend sitting outside) I think there is a lot of unused space where art could be placed. What I like about this as well is the general admission is free however you should give a donation to help them (i did :)

J. D.

Love this space, it always has great exhibitions, especially at the moment (Dec 19). Excellent gift/book shop and a nice cafe. What more could you want from an exhibition space. Keep up the good work, always try to visit when we're in town.

A. W.

We went for a home ed group, never realised how much was on offer here, we enjoy viewing all the art and opportunities to do own pieces of work

A.

Nice place to visit, great film about The Beatles performance on Abbey Road rooftop.

L. W.

Its an acquired taste, I personally like visiting this space. I love the architecture, and theres always something interesting to see. It has a cafe area and a gift shop and this time we visited I was able to buy some handmade vegetarian soap as there were some environmentally friendly stalls in place at reception. There is also large containers full of detergent and other house hold liquids which you can take your own container along to and buy, which is a great idea to cut down on plastic waste and packaging.

M. G.

innovative local gallery with a regularly changing series of exhibitions, always something of interest

j. h.

Always support your local Art gallery, this one's great, small but perfectly formed.

C. T.

Incredible place and space. What a fantastic history they have already! Can't wait to visit again!!

M. C.

Went to go see a movie here and I was very surprised. It's a big building but I never thought the theater there was so big. Not to mention the seats, very comfortable. Its also got a nice cafe so if you want to meet up with some friends before the film you can do so as well. I'm hoping to go see a film there again soon it was so nice!

T. N.

Great exhibition 👌

m. g.

I only used/saw the cinema and cafe and thought it was really lovely! They were not short on staff members, everything was clean, airy and friendly. The cinema was a breath of fresh air.. it was super child friendly, we watched Mary Poppins. There was about 60 people in there but you wouldn't of known it, there was so much space, plus the seats were more comfy than usual cinemas. There was a member of staff from start to finish, you could eat and drink your own stuff there was no high priced food bill, there was lots of children and even babies but it did not distract myself or my older children. And amazingly only cost £1 each. We would 100% go again!! If I HAD to fault it I would have to be extremely picky and all I could say I there was a funny smell in the cinema but I put it down to the amount of wooden fixtures. All in all a GREAT morning!

P. M.

A surprisingly good find while exploring Colchester town centre

E. B.

Went to see a film. Great auditorium except it was so uncomfortably hot. It has put me off going again which is a shame as I love the variety of this place. Staff are always very friendly and helpful. Great cafe and gift shop. Toilets are great. Free to get in but films are at a price although we did get a free poster of the film this time which was great. If they could sort out air conditioning in the auditorium it would be 5 stars.

N. W.

Attended the child activities had a fantastic time and the kids enjoyed themselves too.

S. E.

Our must have day out during the school holidays. We love visiting for the cinema, always so clean. We tried out the canteen this week and felt very welcome. Great place for a wonder around the art and so many learning opportunities for the children.

R. S.

A pleasant lunch in lovely surroundings and a wonderful collection of Art

A. H.

A great art centre / gallery. Free access and fantastic exhibitions.

D. C.

Popped in as it was cold in Colchester and fancied a look around. It was pretty quiet as you would expect. The people who work there were mostly sat around looking on their phones and didnt really interact with anyone. The place itself has plenty of exhibits, obviously it wont appeal to everyone for everything but it is interesting and entertaining enough. They ask for a 3 pound donation for entry, which seems fair enough, it's not really big enough to ask or justify more than that.

K. H.

Trying to find this from Google Maps, we nearly walked past because it is a bit tucked away but glad we found it. The exhibits are varied and staff are on hand and helpful. We both found material in the shop to assist further study. Being the summer holiday, there was a children's activity nearby which engaged them well - very inspiring. I'm not conveniently local to Colchester but would pop in again.

A. B.

I had a fantastic time yesterday at Firstsite, taking part in the Wednesdays workshops, highly recommend 👌🏻

I. H.

Beautiful building and interesting collection. More important though its the centre of a number of valuable community programs that support local families.

P. C.

Dedicated disabled parking at the entrance. Level entrance. A light modern pleasant building. Cafe and helpful reception staff. Easy access to the display rooms/galleries. Plenty going on all information on the website. Close to the town centre so easy access. What a great Arts venue Colchester and Essex now have.

E. M.

Fab place to visit, always something new to experience. Cafe for a quick coffee or lunch. The shop stocks art work and cards by The Quirky Artist, a Colchester artist, her original lino prints of Colchester Castle! Beautiful. And pointillism art as well. Worth a look!

A. C.

Have been here a few times over the last few years, first couple of times I didn't think much of it but they seem to be doing a lot more community type events now which makes much more sense with all the space they have... most recent visit was much more positive and I stayed longer than my standard 15 mins from previous visits. Facilities are very good and staff seem friendly. Not somewhere that I think people should go out of their way to visit but if you are in town then its worth stopping by while you are there.

C. K.

What a wonderful gallery hidden away in a side street near Colchester Castle. They have a first-rate Grayson Perry exhibition there with some of his huge tapestries. Excellent coffee shop too. It's free, so don't miss out!

D. H.

The more I visit the more I love this place. The building is amazing, plenty to do for the kids, lovely cafe, thought provoking art (some hit and miss for sure, but that's art) and they are starting to show more local art too. Can't believe that some people would prefer a bus station or a completely ordinary shopping mall. No, give me the extraordinary art gallery any day. My one gripe is the surrounding area which has not been developed and is in many places still boarded up.

A. W.

Nice place, spacious, leisure

k. r.

Its got no Picasso, no Vincent, and no Mona Lisa. Consequently you don't have crowds milling around looking for that Instagramable shot of a weary work of art that familiarity has rendered redundant. Instead you have exhibitions and works by local artists. If you hold in your mind that almost every artist has had a Van Gogh like struggle to self expression, then almost every piece on display here is worthy of contemplation. Even if the art auction houses of London and Edinburgh would be dismissive of their monetary worth. The value in art we must remember, is not in money, but in the intelligent conveyance of a vision. Each piece is a skirmish in humanities battle against the fleetness of time. Colchester is a friendly, working class town. The staff, unusually for a public gallery, have managed to bring a little of that friendliness into the gallery. The café is very good, there are also seats outside, but unfortunately there is no shade from the sun. All in all a great, hardworking local gallery that even encourages the local youths to use the outside space for skate boarding and socialising. I shall definitely be back!

J. D.

Facilities are good, great opportunities to watch live televised plays, staff are nice etc... but a lack of communication. For example they don't tell you what time doors actually open, or that there was two places to wait. They let the computer choose your tickets but don't show which ones are disabled seats- the computer booked our tickets but in a disabled space. The staff automatically gave a disabled woman our seats - which we didn't mind- but they didn't tell us or even say "Sorry can we swap your seats to these because of..." They told us nothing! They don't tell people when the intervals end and getting refreshments is hard.

M. B.

The gallery was fine but service in the cafe was poor. New staff should be taught how to welcome and look after customers.

J. W.

This place is a hidden treasure in Colchester. Always something interesting going on. Whether cinema or art exhibition, or music or, well, loads and loads of other stuff, it's never dull. Keep an eye out as things happen fast. It is becoming a major hub in the town. I don't think this was the original intention of the building but it has diversified to great effect.

B. M.

They put on some really good free events here, well worth looking out for their events.

T. T.

They are friendly to the kids and dedicate their time for free to keep the kids all busy and happy aand their free meals for summer fun holiday is delicious.

A. B.

Firstsite is an inspirational place with a quality exhibition and events programme. It also provides fantastic opportunities for the community to engage with art and artists. The staff are friendly and approachable, and are keen to answer questions about the displays. The terrace is an ideal place to enjoy the sunshine and the cafe menu. Strongly recommended!

A. C.

We find there is usually something of interest but it could be so much more. Good gift and book selection, nice on site cafe, lovely building great space, needs additional exhibits.

N.

Expensive lunch, although tasty. Some of the exhibitions were a trial for the mind. Still worth a visit though

G. M.

A rather large art gallery. The building from the outside looks like a gold cladded version of the operations deck of star trekk's space ship enterprise. The coffee bar sells a decent cup .There use to be WiFi but it's no longer in operation Well worth a visit entry is free.

A. S.

We're really lucky to have a high quality arts space like this in Colchester. I've been numerous times to enjoy live music, film and exhibitions/installations - and have always found the staff friendly and helpful.

S. M.

Large open space allows for the displaying of lots of different artwork installations. Interesting current one is called Britishness, showcasing young people's views of what it means to be British today. Also a moving display by inmates, telling their experiences of prison life.

D. B.

Great environment for exhibitions, attended a couple. Huge space. Cinema there. Lots of community events.

c. b.

Went for livestream performance. First visit here, good impressions. We had a quick look around the shop which had a good selection at a reasonable price. The bar was minimalist but was 'good enough' for what we needed.

C. L.

The building, a stunning mixture of Essex bling and Italian fine lines, it's regular films, exhibitions and coffee bar, provide a quiet enclave, behind busy Queen Street.

S.

Honoured Ai Weiwei by rejecting his work Postcard for a Political Prisoner, inspired by him writing personal messages to Julian Assange. Also forced Ai to consider questions such as “What is art and what is its purpose” and make him conclude that Firstsite’s “rejection made Postcard for a Political Prisoner a truly worthwhile project.''. Great outcome for Ai Weiwei, shame on Firstsite.

P. C.

Excellent curating in an amazing space.

M. W.

It's free! Yes one of the few places you can go for nothing and get a bucket load of creative inspiration! Antony Gormley's exhibition is stunning.

N. S.

Visited this new venue when vegan festival was in progress. Facilities are very good but gallery was sparsely populated. Vegan festival was ok but not as much food as I expected.. mainly cosmetics and clothing

C. H.

Staff very helpful and friendly.

M. D.

Really enjoyed my visit here, it's the one photograph or exhibit that makes it worthwhile. That's the memory I take away. Check out the cafe too, and the local hipster bars nearby. Really glad I stopped, ok had a meeting there too :) /thanks

G. S.

Good free gallery for a wander. Cafe. Worth a visit.

G. B.

Watched last duel at first site .wonderful cinema. That I didnt know about . Very enjoyable night

I. J.

Firstsite gallery is an amazing place, I visited from Nottingham and felt really inspired by such an imaginative building. It's a massive draw to Colchester. I met an amazing group of young people creating sound art and experimental music, inclusive, sensitive and talking about mindfulness. In my mind we have something to learn from this all over the UK. Thank you for your courage, the people of Colchester in creating this place to inspire us.

J. A.

Took my daughter to see the background bob exhibition. Staff could not have been friendlier and the exhibition is great. Lucky to have somewhere like this in colchester

L. M.

It's a great venue, with excellent facilities and access. The Antony Gormley Exhibition was wonderful! Lovely gift shop too.

S. H.

Interesting architectural building. I like how a few of their exhibitions had topics/themes that are current. Would be good to see some more child friendly exhibits.

J. A.

A big airy place with free exhibitions, not too large, but well curated. I was very interested and saw lots of children. Something for everyone.

G. M.

A great Art gallery that took a while to come of age, but has become a frequent visit for me, and a beacon for what is good and positive about modern Colchester. Keep up the good work!!

R. A.

This place is such an inspiration for my children, we always love going to see inspirational art. The building is so grand as well, one of the best parts of colchester.

L. J.

Amazing calm space in the midst of this busy town. Lovely book shop and interesting displays. Felt a bit of an intruder as staff bustled about.

F. F.

Great venue and cafe.

F. P.

How sad the negativity first site receives. Anything is always going to be better than what is had, the grass is always greener on the other side. Art is of course a personal realm so judgement on what Art is irrelevant to the review. And what tax payers spend their money on is again a biased affair, I'm sure there are worse adventures that our money has gone on that we don't even know about. Firstsite is beautifully architecturally, defeating gravity at points! The cafe was fun and cool and everyone seemed nice. I was there for performance workshops and thought that working in the mosaic space with the sun streaming in was a piece of ingenuity.

D. H.

A first class artistic venue, which shows a wide range of exhibitions, by both renowned artists, and others local to Colchester. It also plays host to events such as today's Pride.

c. g.

Attended an art-fair and food event, the venue and public spaces are excellent. Some standing exhibition material was well curated and presented.

C.

Essex exhibition is accessible and fun. Great building, shop and cafe.

G. M.

Aside from some of the shtick this place gets (a fair portion of it desereved) Firstsite has seemingly endless potential with the community. From free events, workshops for families and all ages, an excellent young artist programe and some of the most down to earth, creative Duty Managers, Gallery Assistants, techs and young people around. This doesn't mean it's without it's problems but a community willing to engage and communicate with one another is the step forward to it's potential being realised.

S.

Nice, interesting, pleasant cafe. Would like to see more of the available space used

M. K.

Needs another visit as the first short visit was to brief.

A. O.

Kids really enjoyed it ☺️

D. N.

Large Arts building. auditorium, cinema, exhibition space, meeting rooms, cafe, shop and all other facilities. Very nicely done, and quite large. Well done Essex & Colchester for funding this.

S. C.

firstsite is an amazing building - very elegant. The present exhibition of Bruce McLean's work is a real winner. He is such an amusing artist and it is well worth listening to his videos. He is a real character. He says he doesn't like being classified as an artist. He is a sculptor - and painter as well. He also makes beautiful pots and his exhibition fills the building and uses it in a really clever way. Don't miss the collages in the cafe. I am honorary President of firstsite so have an interest, but hope I can write this as it is a fascinating exhibition.

S. R.

I'm so glad Colchester now has this space. Full of interesting art it's always worth a visit. The staff are friendly and frequently run events open to all. A step in the right direction.

B. S.

Clean excellent service and food. Big question why this hidden gem is not frequented more often by Colchester folk

S. O.

Some very good photos by Ed Gold In his Other World's showcase at the moment well worth a look. Next door in the minories gallery there is some exceptional Papier maché work, nearly swopped my fleece for the leather jacket hanging on the wall, it was that good.

F. F. f.

Free and fun, roman mosaic always on show. Local artist exhibition currently on show very good.

R. M.

I'm a big advocate of firstsite. It sits in an awkward spot physically and in its utopian vision of itself which the building exudes and which possibly the general non art loving lumpenproletariat refuse to acknowledge. The issue isn't either of the polar opposites, yet the distance between them. I would recommend visiting, even if you are quite a distance away; it is awe inspiring and somewhere to add to the 'check back again' list.

m. g.

Great free kids events

C. E.

What a hidden gem of Colchester fantastic modern building entrance is free great cafe and restaurant. Only downside is that there is no parking, but priory street is only a short walk away.

F. H.

Attended a conference here. First visit, and quite impressed. Nice coffee shop, interesting art gallery, and a superb auditorium space.

J. B.

Thought this was a great space, and was especially impressed by the activities and food offered ( free to those 9n free school meals). Gallery space was interesting and vibrant.

K. S.

Lovely architecture, bring the best out of this lovely town

C. M.

Exhibitions being changed around so there was very little to see. Coffee shop pleasant but not cheap.

A. M.

Amazing staff, great events overall a lovely day out!

i. g.

The staff are friendly helpful and pleasant when you greet them with friendly smile. And saying hello and good bye in a friendly way or good night goes a long way...

S. P.

It's a nice place for modern art and culture. But I feel that they could do a lot more things inside and make it more interesting.

L. J.

Rather unusual modern design, but suitable for exebitions.

N. D.

Good venue space. Parking is difficult and unclear for disabled parking. Staff seem friendly and the place us interesting. Close to town and shops

J. B.

Very interesting place to visit. They had Japanese things to do origami,writing and colouring. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth a visit.

K. S.

First time I've been to a gallery in years but really enjoyed it. Good range of exhibits!

M. H.

LOOKS LIKE A BANANA BUT TASTES LIKE AN APPLE

G. E.

The calm atmosphere, the social enterprise cafe and the great exhibitions that they have there make this a jewel in the Crown of Colchester culture.

A.

I like the big map of Essex but no Southend?

A. s.

first time been today, great place.

C. W.

Very interesting building but we felt internally it was a little bit lacking in utilisation of space, admission is free a big plus

E. N.

Wonderful gallery with a great variety of art and activities

R. W.

A lovely experience, everytime you revisit, you will always see something new

N. A.

A great gallery with an amazing 'Background Bob' exhibition currently on. Good day out.

D. B.

Great addition to the public space available to people of Colchester. Modern architecture, great views and of course great collections of art

A. B.

Great building and auditorium. Has some interesting exhibitions and events going on most of the time. And open every day.

A. B.

Enjoyed this space a lot. Very interesting Essex exhibition.

j. c.

Great exhibitions in a fascinating space. The story of the Millicent Garrett Fawcett statue was worth a trip on its own.

J. S.

Great chance to introduce my grandson to art. He really enjoyed himself especially singing through the microphone!

I. B.

Brilliant exhibition space & helpful staff. A nice cafe & friendly service at the back.

C. R.

Underrated gallery and Cafe. A breath of fresh air in Colchester.

N. X. Q.

It's. Good to take a cafe and see the art

J. H.

Possibly the best thing about Colchester. Always interesting. Great for kids. Good films. Best coffee in Colchester by a country mile.

R. C.

Really enjoyable visit to Benton End Exhibition

T. G.

Good auditorium to watch a movie. Don't get why the walls are slanted as it's an art gallery first and foremost

C. Z.

A really nice place. The building is amazing and the facilities are good. The only downside is the parking.

J. P.

Went to see Anthony Gormley exhibition, just a donation instead of an entrance fee, nice coffee shop and gift shop

L. H.

Loved the Essex exhibition. Well worth a visit.

J. A.

First Site is a great idea, but it could be better. Worth a visit if in Colchester as entry is free and they have a nice café.

M. M.

Fantastic place. Lots to see and do. Would recommend the lunch during school holidays.

R. H.

Fantastic looking building but a rather confused layout inside. The dilapidated old bus park isn't a particularly attractive setting either!

T. B.

Excellent BP portrait award exhibition. Café has a conscience, which is reflected in the price.

U. S.

Helpful staff, amazing exhibitions and big open spaces

T. M.

Good historical information 😊

M. D.

Totally transformed! Firstsite is now both a buzzing community hub and contemporary art gallery with just the right balance of challenge, intrigue and interpration.

D. G.

Always something new and interesting to see! I like to visit every time I stop over in Colchester.

I. C.

Really special place for people in the centre, lovely facilities and staff, what ideas or feelings will you find there when you go?

E. J.

An interesting museum in an attractive building close to the centre of Colchester.

L. V.

Nice place... A must if you are visiting Colchester, they have always free exhibitions

G. C.

Only popped in to use the loos but a lovely place.

S. Y.

This building seems very under utilised, it could be so much more. The events are not well marketed at all which is a shame because it has so much potential.

C. H.

I'm sure there was one missing.

J. D.

We enjoyed all the display especially the suffragette it was very interesting

P. C.

Needed more signage. Seemed to be very little in a great big building. Interesting architecture.

P. B.

A strange place that do interesting things to get kids involved with art or play. Definitely worth a visit

S. B.

Been twice recently both to use the cinema..nice clean seating area and a friendly atmosphere

V. C.

Good art exhibitions. Cafe reorganised for social distancing with outside area.

C. B.

Always thought First site was rubbish but was surprised how much I enjoyed the exhibitions. Well done. Keep it up.

M. B.

Under rated gem. Worth a visit every few months as they update their art/installations quite often.

R. M.

Clean friendly place, would like more exhibits and events here though

P. H.

Went to see IT in the Auditorium. Have been to a number of shows here in the past and always enjoyed it although sometimes the sound is a bit muffled.

G. T.

Free entry , worth a visit if into art

P. C.

Great building. Knowledgeable friendly staff. Always something worth going to see.

P. H.

Not bad,if you like that sort of thing.

M. H.

Seats in main auditorium are a bit uncomfortable, but a great venue otherwise putting up a variety of arts and entertainment.

D. W.

Artsy architecture and huge function rooms inside. Went there for Friday prayer as the usual mosque was being repaired.

A. L.

Nice place. Will explore more outside my meeting room later

R. M.

The space is pretty large and not used at its fully potential. The galleries are interesting tho'.

K. M.

I often visit as an art student. They change the exhibitions quite often so you can visit again and again without art repeated

M. C.

Lovely gallery, it's been a very good afternoon.

C. P.

Great gallery space and mix of exhibitions, especially enjoyed the Grayson Perry exhibition

H. B.

Not particularly user friendly, quite bleak on the ground floor and not encouraging of further exploration.

R. S.

How can it be worse than the old bus station I have never seen drunks at firstsite urinating in any hidden corner or used needles laying around people of the town need to improve their memory

H. A.

Great to see different art shows and markets that they have run too

P. S.

Beautiful building and pleasant staff.

R. W.

Awesome cinema with a lovely auditorium and comfortable seats, much better value than other cinemas!

A. M.

Fantastic venue, we were in the cinema, would like to visit again soon

C. L.

Free, informative, good morning spent here. Excellent gift shop with lovely,helpful staff.

J. B.

Modern and contemporary art is frequently displayed here, nice cafe and interesting architecture.

B. B.

Great show, art by prisoners and detainees. And Bronze Age, not to be missed.

T. R.

Brilliant exhibition on Grayson Perry's work on Essex House homage to Our Lady of Essex

E. B.

Very friendly and helpful at information desk and diverse hot chocolate choice at indoor café

s. m.

Really nice to have this on my doorstep ...really nice exhibitions ...great atmosphere

L. V.

Nice and interesting place. Always have free entrance and activities

L. S. (.

Top venue for anything and everything. Really enjoy Firstsite although I recognise it could do a lot more.

C. H.

Good place to see independent films. Saw the burning today, a Korean film with subtitles.

Z. B.

It's a good place to go to see art exertions and have a coffee and cake.

A. G.

Most beautiful building I'm sure it's great for community events

P. J.

Attended for a work Christmas party. Loads of space in the rooms. Very modern.

S. K.

Firstsite is a great, free museum that regularly hosts free activities and events for the community.

M. Y.

Nice place Many free events You can also hire this venue

G. K.

Had a gr8 Tapas night out food a plenty ..nice wine ..good waiter

a. b.

Fabulous

T. D.

Yesterday there was a Record/CD fair, good bargains. Not much art to see.

D. H.

Very nice, stumbled upon this whilst out on a Saturday worth a visit and some time spent.

E. B.

What a find in Colchester! A modern, exciting and vibrant art gallery. Fantastic :)

J. H.

beautiful space and therapeutically calming

M. L. d. v.

Fantastic venue need to advertise this more and use space outside to its full potential

G. A.

It's not just about the incredible space and art. Firstsite is welcoming and free, a home to everyone.

J. R.

Great place with great facilities. The only downer is the lack of parking.

B. O.

nice looking building, not the best gallery space though

k. w.

Lovely children friendly place and staff, weekend classes for children xxx 5 🌟

S. T.

Always something interesting here, but Grayson Perry work is a real treat at the moment...

A. L.

First rate exhibition centre, with ever changing exhibits, well worth a visit

B. D.

Always something new going on, family friendly and educational place.

L.

Went there for pride, staff are so friendly, all round nice place

L.

Great creative space with events happening almost constantly!

f.

Outside is nice but I been in 3 times and now it's just boring

L. e.

Love this place!!

M. R.

Great place! Still exploring ☺️..fun to be continued.

L. F.

Good 👍

C. R.

Great gallery to visit always something inspiring for the whole family

Y. R.

It's clean. Some of the exhibitions are quite good.

M. C.

Great space and a real asset to Colchester Town.

s. h.

Really interesting gallery - needs more cafe options

J. C.

The space does seem largely empty. The events are usually nice.

A. F.

Amazing space with truly talented artists from the area

K. T.

Not as good as when it opened. It's a shame as it could be a wonderful space.

H. R.

Took our kids here sometimes good place to view

E. “. R.

The staff are very friendly, and the atmosphere is open and welcoming.

K. C.

Excellent informative Grayson Perry exhibition and great venue

N. X.

Really nice gallery, relaxing space that triggers emotions and creativity!

G. T.

Big building, not much to look at. Conference room is pretty good

B. H.

Hands on for kids. Good exhibitions. Live beamed opera etc

E. N.

Went into a free exhibition, thought it was really good!

j. r.

Very peaceful, great for sensible children.

M. O.

Great bright fun arts venue offering creative installations

L. C.

Free space and family friendly

M. G.

Fantastic building and interesting exhibition, friendly staff

D. N.

Great exhibition space. Good coffee too

C. F.

Great experience

E. A.

A free place. Went a couple times with college. Feels a bit alienating outside however

M. B.

Amazing hidden gem. Highly recommend a visit.

D. P.

Fantastic to have a contemporary gallery of this quality in Colchester.

M. S.

Inviting place, plenty of space for small gatherings

P. L. (.

It's meeting time, wonderfull place, wonderfull people.

i. n. a. t.

Great place to visit with kids and lots to see

c. g.

Great idea but could be and do so much more. Feels deserted most of the time

M. S.

Really great and inviting and exiting

m. s.

Excellent location and a real pleasure to visit.

H. A.

Great space and very interesting exhibitions

C. I.

I love visiting Firstsite, great building and wonderful staff.

T. C.

Still feels under utilised. Was good for watching a documentary though

L.

Art not really my thing but it's a sick building

C. S.

It was really good event with Stock and Bailey

J. B.

Very good gallery with very fun exhibitions

J. P.

Nice building, but never that much to do there...

k. f.

Always pleasantly surprised by the quality and eclectic mix .

N. F.

Some great stuff and some terribly pretentious tripe - varies with time.

K. W.

First time I'd been here. Quite good

S. C.

Free and has very interesting artwork inside

P. T.

Nice venue with nice art

B. Q.

Well themed exhibitions interesting gift shop

S. B.

Good display space poor cafe though

A. G.

Tasty coffee and pastry. Shop full of goodies

d. l.

A nice enough Art gallery.... Go see.

a. p.

Like marmite you'll either like it or hate it .interactive art for children every Saturday

E. B.

Great exhibition of Grayson Perry's story

T. T.

Art gallery that hosts functions and also has a little cinema too

K. K.

Great coffee, amazing place!

D. W.

Interesting venue - should be more popular.

P. B.

Good interesting events, Overpriced food and drink

K. T.

Very good

W. S.

Amazing variations

s. w.

Nice clean store. Not much choice

P. R.

A nice space with interesting exhibitions.

J. A.

Fantastic to see the Grayson Perry exhibition, just wished there was more of his work on display. Still lots of blank space. I love the building and it is excellent to see a prominent locally born artist displayed here.

p. s.

Brilliant Gee Vaucher exhibition in excellent settings .

U. D.

Quiet,friendly atmosphere

C. B.

Nice, easy layout, friendly staff, interesting works

o. E.

Very nice place .. nice workers as well

J. C.

Grayson Perry, wonderful. The environment, not so sure.

M. M. S.

Everything is beautiful and all the staff are wonderful

S. M.

Great location and facilities for events

C. H.

Good conference rooms

C. N.

Great Grayson Perry exhibition today

A. F.

Pretty empty. Alot of space with nothing in it

N. B.

Great place with new exhibitions

S. D. L.

Nice afternoon listening to local musicians.

P. K.

Always happy to help

R. B.

Great Grayson Perry exhibition on at the mo

s. s.

Interesting place

A. H.

Needs better marketing and closer parking.

R. H. H.

Absolutely amazing exhibits

S. A.

I love this place it is really nice

M. I.

Lovely space, good coffee

J. A.

OK. staff very nice and helpful

A. S.

Cafe was amazing

R. C.

Some modern art and bronze age artefacts.

Z. “. W.

It is a nice and modern place

G. T.

Good for art, better for morrisey

S. H.

Great venue. Great night

P. G.

Very limited unless exhibitions on

A. A.

Really good interesting thought provoking.

k. c.

There's always something interesting to find

A.

good skating place :)

N. F.

Great space with interesting exhbitions

A. w.

Kids loved it

J. C.

Improving but still needs work

M. B.

Great community activities going on

s. b.

Ok

H.

Record Fair. Large selection of vinyl.

J. G.

Excellent Perry exhibition.

R. H.

great free place to go in Colchester

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