The Lightbox gallery and museum

What The Lightbox gallery and museum does

The Lightbox Gallery and Museum is an independent charitable trust (Registered Charity No. 1073543) operating a contemporary art gallery, accredited museum, and community creative space from a purpose-built venue in Woking, Surrey, opened in 2007 and designed by Marks Barfield Architects. The organisation is the only Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation for visual arts in Surrey, and houses three permanent collections: The Ingram Collection (one of the largest publicly accessible collections of modern British art in the UK), the Joan Hurst sculpture collection (including works by Jacob Epstein and Elisabeth Frink), and Woking's Story heritage museum. It rotates contemporary exhibitions across three gallery floors, with free ground-floor access and paid admission to Floors 1 and 2.

The Lightbox generates revenue through a diversified mix of paid day admissions (£14.50 adult), tiered memberships (£14.50–£3,000 annually, spanning Young through Director's Circle tiers), education sessions for schools and home educators (£50–£280), corporate venue hire and corporate memberships (from £1,500 per annum), donations and Gift Aid, an on-site café operated by JG Kitchen Co., and a retail shop. Major institutional funders include Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, and the Garfield Weston Foundation, supplemented by corporate sponsors such as Bonhams. Cumulative impact since opening includes 1.5 million+ visitors and 500,000+ school children engaged, with a University of Surrey study (2020) reporting £13.28 of local economic return per £10 spent at the venue.

The organisation is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Cherry-Anne Russell (since 2017) and led operationally by Director Sarah Brown (appointed December 2021). It employs approximately 27 staff supplemented by freelancers, and pursues an event-driven, community-led go-to-market focused on exhibitions, education programmes, venue hire, and corporate partnerships. Notable sector recognition includes the 2008 Art Fund Prize for museum excellence.

Name

The Lightbox gallery and museum

Legal name

Woking Museum & Arts and Crafts Centre (working name, Lightbox Gallery & Museum)

Website

https://thelightbox.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lightbox Gallery and Museum is a registered charity and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation operating a contemporary art gallery, heritage museum, and community creative space in Woking, Surrey. It serves families, schools, corporate clients, and art patrons through exhibitions, education programmes, venue hire, and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Woking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Day passes for gallery and museum access to Floors 1 & 2. Ground floor is free. Revenue from individual and group visitors.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership tiers providing unlimited exhibition access, discounts, and exclusive benefits. Includes Individual, Joint, Young, Supporters' Club, and Director's Circle levels.
3. Venue and Studio Hire: Hire of meeting rooms (Ambassador Room, Hurst Room), studio space, ground floor gallery, and full venue for corporate events, workshops, celebrations, and filming/photoshoots.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate memberships, exhibition sponsorships, and partnership packages offering employee benefits, venue discounts, and marketing exposure.
5. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organisations to support the gallery's mission of making art accessible. Includes Gift Aid eligibility.
6. Education Services: School visits, workshops, and educational sessions for various age groups. Revenue from session fees and loan boxes.
7. Café and Retail: Café operated by JG Kitchen Co. serving food and beverages. Shop selling books, gifts, and locally-made artworks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Lightbox is a contemporary art gallery and accredited museum that presents rotating exhibitions drawn from The Ingram Collection, the Joan Hurst sculpture collection, and Woking's Story heritage museum. It sells admission day passes, tiered memberships, education workshops and school visits, and hires out its meeting rooms, studio, gallery, and full venue for corporate and private events. As a registered charity it also raises funds through donations and corporate partnerships to support public access to art.

Product overview

The Lightbox Gallery & Museum is a contemporary art gallery and museum offering a unified portfolio of exhibitions, educational programs, and venue hire services. The organization operates three gallery floors showcasing contemporary art, heritage collections (Woking's Story), and sculpture collections (Ingram and Joan Hurst). Educational offerings include school visits, workshops, and community engagement projects. Additional services encompass venue hire (meeting rooms, studio, café, courtyard), a membership program with multiple tiers, and an on-site café operated by JG Kitchen Co. The gallery serves as Surrey's only Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibition Spaces (Contemporary Art Galleries) Three floors of gallery spaces hosting contemporary art exhibitions, including the Ground Floor Gallery (free entry), Floor 1 galleries, and Floor 2 gallery, showcasing works from The Ingram Collection, Joan Hurst Collection, and rotating exhibitions. Open to the general public during Wednesday-Sunday opening hours.
• Woking's Story Heritage Museum Interactive accredited museum exploring Woking's history from Tudor roots through to the present day, including local stories, artifacts, and social history displays. Included within admission to Floors 1 & 2.
• Learning and Education Programmes Award-winning educational programmes including school visits, workshops, and creative sessions for early years, primary, secondary, higher education, and home education groups. Delivered on-site and through loan boxes.
• Venue Hire (Meeting Rooms, Gallery, Studio) Hireable spaces including the Ambassador Room (large meeting room up to 80 capacity), Hurst Room (small meeting room for 8), Ground Floor Gallery, Studio, Café, and Courtyard for corporate events, conferences, team away days, private celebrations, and filming/photoshoots.
• Membership Programme Tiered annual membership subscriptions treated as Gift Aid-eligible donations, providing unlimited exhibition access and exclusive benefits. Tiers include Young (£14.50, 18-25), Individual (£50), Individual Plus (£75), Joint (£85), Joint Plus (£95), Supporters' Club (£300 Individual/£500 Joint), and Director's Circle (£1,500 Individual/£3,000 Joint).
• Lightbox Café (Operated by JG Kitchen Co.) Ground floor café operated by partner JG Kitchen Co., serving seasonal menus, homemade cakes, and refreshments with views of the Basingstoke Canal courtyard. Open Wednesday-Sunday.
• Studio Hire Bright, versatile education studio available for creative workshops and activities, accommodating up to 30 participants with natural light and full equipment. Available as Space Only (£100+VAT half-day) or with booking support (£190+VAT half-day).
• The Joan Hurst Sculpture Collection Seventeen modern British sculptures including works by Jacob Epstein and Elisabeth Frink, gifted to the gallery through the Art Fund and regularly exhibited on display.
• School Visits Programme Curriculum-aligned school visits offering guided tours, hands-on workshops, and loan boxes for early years, primary, secondary, higher education, and home education groups. Pricing varies from £120 (early years) to £280+VAT (higher education) with state vs. private school differentiation.
• Ground Floor Gallery Exhibition Hire Short-term exhibition space hire for solo artists, collaborative groups, and charity exhibitions, available from £400+VAT per week (minimum 2 consecutive weeks).
• Creative Workshops (Printmaking, Children's Workshops) Creative workshops including children's programmes (Animal Masks £16, Paintbox £25), printmaking full day with Jo Boddy (£85), half day printmaking (£65), and printmaking Christmas cards (£38).
• Community Engagement Projects Outreach programmes including Art in Mind, Youth Collective, and artist collaboration initiatives designed to make art accessible to diverse community groups and those facing barriers to arts engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.5 million visitors and 500,000 school children engaged since 2007 opening
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of SurreymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with School of Hospitality and Tourism Management for Social & Economic Impact study. Research conducted March-July 2020 by Professor Gang Li, Professor Caroline Scarles, Dr Jason Chen, and Dr Anyu Liu.
• The Ingram Collection / Ingram Art FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouses and regularly exhibits The Ingram Collection, one of the largest publicly accessible collections of modern British art. Majority donated in 2016. Collection managed by Alison Price, Collections Manager.
• Woking Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner supporting gallery operations. Building management partnership. Listed as partner and funder.
• JG Kitchen Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCafé operator providing catering services on-site. Operates ground floor café with seasonal menu and homemade cakes.
• Gallery Climate CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Non-Profit/Institution member committed to reducing environmental impact of arts sector.
• Association of Independent Museums (AIM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of AIM network providing case studies, best practices, and professional development resources.
• Yvonne Arnaud TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuildford theatre partner in University of Surrey impact study partnership.
• Watts Gallery - Artists' VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompton-based arts partner in University of Surrey impact study partnership.
• BonhamsminorOthersCorporate partner supporting gallery operations and exhibitions.
• Arts Society WeybridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts society supporting family programmes including Summer Family Days.
• Arts AwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Arts Award centre enabling young people to work towards arts accolades through gallery programmes.
• Marks Barfield ArchitectscoreOthersArchitects who designed The Lightbox building in 2007. Same firm designed the London Eye and Brighton i360.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Turner Contemporary: Margate-based contemporary art gallery funded by Arts Council England. Directly comparable as a regional contemporary art gallery with rotating exhibitions, learning programmes, and a similar mission of widening access to visual arts outside London.
• MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art): Middlesbrough-based gallery combining modern and contemporary art exhibitions with a permanent collection, plus learning and event hire. Comparable regional scale and mission, including curated permanent display alongside temporary exhibitions.
• Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: Gateshead-based contemporary art venue operating from a converted flour mill with no permanent collection. Comparable as a major UK regional contemporary art venue with rotating exhibitions, learning programmes, and venue hire.
• The Hepworth Wakefield: Wakefield-based contemporary art gallery with comparable regional positioning and free-admission model. Highly comparable as a UK regional visual-arts venue combining permanent collection, rotating exhibitions, learning programmes, and venue hire for corporate and private events.
• Pallant House Gallery: Chichester-based gallery combining historic building with modern extension, housing a significant permanent collection alongside temporary exhibitions. Comparable as a regional gallery mixing permanent collection display, temporary exhibitions, and education programmes.
• Ikon Gallery: Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery with no permanent collection and a programme of temporary exhibitions. Comparable as an Arts Council NPO delivering a rotating contemporary art programme with strong education and community engagement.
• Firstsite: Colchester-based contemporary art gallery designed by Rafael Viñoly with a distinctive curved building. Comparable as an Arts Council NPO operating a purpose-built contemporary art venue with learning programmes and a focus on accessibility and community engagement.
• The New Art Gallery Walsall: Walsall-based gallery housing the Garman Ryan permanent collection alongside temporary contemporary exhibitions. Comparable as a free-admission regional gallery combining permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and learning programmes.

Broad incumbents

• Tate (Tate Modern / Tate Britain): UK's flagship publicly funded art institution operating four major venues with major permanent collections and international touring exhibitions. Comparable as a publicly funded art institution but operates at a vastly larger scale with free general admission that intensifies competitive pressure on regional venues.

Regional players

• Compton Verney: Warwickshire-based independent art gallery housed in a Grade I listed mansion with six permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Comparable as a purpose-built/adapted regional art venue with permanent collections, learning programmes, café, and venue hire, though more rurally located.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheLightbox
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLightboxWoking
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelightboxwoking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lightbox-gallery-and-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Lightbox gallery and museum