Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery The museum building The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol , England . The museum includes sections on natural history , local , national and international archaeology and local industries . The art gallery contains works from all periods , including many by internationally famous artists , as well a collection of modern paintings of Bristol . The museum and gallery is run by the city council with no entrance fee . It holds designated museum status , granted by the national government to protect outstanding museums . The museum is housed in a building purpose built by William Henry Wills , of the Bristol tobacco trading family , as a gift to the city . The building is of Edwardian Baroque architecture and is situated in Clifton , about half a mile from the city centre . The museum also holds many of the prehistoric and Roman artifacts recovered before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake . Reference ↑   Ross , Lesley ( Ed. ) ( 2004 ) . Before the Lake : Memories of the Chew Valley , The Harptree Historic Society . ISBN 094883209 . External links Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery Information from the 24 Hour Museum  This article related to a museum in the United Kingdom is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . This article related to an art display , art museum or gallery in the United Kingdom is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Culture in Bristol | Visitor attractions in Bristol | Buildings and structures in Bristol | Museums in England | Art museums and galleries in England | Archaeology museums | Natural history museums | City museums | United Kingdom museum stubs | Art museums and galleries in the United Kingdom stubs ross ross 