The building is very eye catching. There was not a huge amount on display but it was presented well with interesting interpretive text. Enjoyed particularly the Ravillious exhibition.

Quite small gallery so doesn't take too long to go around, has nice cafe and always has something interesting on and it's FREE

Great use of space and great craft room so that you could make your own art. Everyone feels welcome is this gallery.

Today I visited for the second time the Richard Billingham: Panoramic exhibition at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne.

The exhibition consists of beautiful photographs of varying sizes featuring mainly the South Downs, Norfolk Fens, Constable Country, and the Gower.

The photographs show that Richard Billingham has a wonderful sensitivity to nature, and an eye which sees beauty in things we too often overlook, like ivy, lichen, brambles, horsetails, twisted branches of trees in a winter woodland.

At one moment we are taken on a tour of the South Downs, with the expansive landscape curving up and down, with one curve merging into two, and two merging into one, or into nothing. Then we are invited into a woodland near the end or beginning of a winter's day ... the slender trunks of the trees rising upwards, with branches tangled with ivy, and covered with lichen, some illuminated by the winter light, and others in deep shadow. Next we are brought into a fen, with copper-coloured bulrushes in the foreground, and a flock of disturbed birds (starlings?) circling like tea-leaves over a spinney in the background. We also witness the still beauty of an estuary with the tide out, with the odd bird (turnstone?) patrolling pools of sea-water in the freground, and gentle, hazy golden clouds over the horizon.

Each photograph is shaped as an elongated rectangle, allowing the eye to sweep across the panorama of nature.

There is also a 14 minute video showing tree-tops in the late afternoon winter light being swayed to and fro by the breeze. For some reason the motion of the film is jerky - corresponding to each frame? - whereas I would have preferred a smooth, continuous movement, allowing the silent and movement of the trees to speak for themselves.

All in all this is an exhibiton of deep beauty and peace ... it is always comforting to me when artists are in tune with nature, and find a quiet and simple way of drawing us into it. When contemplating these photographs I found myself wondering how any of us could possibly do anything to harm or destroy this beauty.

If you are anywhere near Eastbourne in the coming week, do look in at this free exhibition. The Towner Gallery is next to the Congress Theatre, and overlooks Devonshire Park, where the annual AEGON International Tennis Championships are currently taking place.

But be quick - the last day of the exhibition is on Sunday 28 June!

Great art, changes quite alot to keep it fresh. Well worth a look around. Also it's free what more could you want!

Thought-provoking woodblocks, watercolours and a good shop. Looks like a nice café but we didn't have time to stop, too many goodies to see.

A fantastic gallery in the arts area of eastbourne, right next to the two main theatres. We often pop in here while in town as there is always something interesting in display and there is a great coffee shop with excellent cake! The art tends to be modern so always leads to a conversation with your other half or even a complete stranger!! Definitely worth a visit.

The permanent display of Eric Ravilious and the additional temporary exhibitions are of the highest quality and interest. Every visitor should make time to enjoy this outstanding gallery with views over the famous tennis courts. The cafe is unique with a most interesting range of delicacies at reasonable prices.

I visited the Towner this afternoon to see the first of two exhibitions being held this year to celebrate its inspirational curator from 1958-64 Scotsman William Gear. Gear was the only British member of the Cobra group of artists the majority of whose members were based in the Low Countries and Scandinavia. He was also a pioneer of abstract art. This first exhibition spotlights his role as curator, causing a controversy the year he joined by purchasing an extraordinary work by a 26-year old local artist called Harold Mockford of Eastbourne as an almost abstract townscape within a hill resembling more of a giant yellow cocoon-like fist. The exhibition then shows paintings purchased by Gear by other young artists who later became some of the greats of twentieth century British art, Roger Hilton, Patrick Heron, Sandra Blow and Alan Davie, to name but four. This first floor exhibition also includes two rooms of extremely impressive prints, Julian Trevelyan's Red Oxen bring one of my favourites. It surrounds the room which serves as a permanent memorial to Eric Ravillious with chests of drawers as well as walls used to display his works. This little room also has the cosiest chair I think I've ever come across in a museum. Upstairs is a gallery mainly Sheng contemporary photographs but also a selection of other high,if hits from the Towner collection. Add a cafe with a splendid view over Eastbourne's rooftops and a bookshop downstairs and one's pleasure is complete. I very much look forward to seeing the second Gear exhibition later this year spot mingling his career as an artist,

We were delighted to find this contemporary space and exhibition on a bleak, blustery and wet day visiting Eastbourne. It was a gem of a discovery. The architecture itself is uplifting and on entering the building, even on such an inhospitable day, we were immediately greeted by the wonderful atrium and the charming member of staff on the reception desk....and it's all completely free which is remarkable. We enquired about a café and immediately went up to Urban Ground which was a great experience, a truly lovely space and with refreshments to match the style and quality of the architecture and decor. A contemporary menu with delicious flat bread, toastie, excellent espresso (with flavour), a "to die for" lemon drizzle and beautiful friands.We simply loved this place. It really is a haven in an otherwise somewhat outmoded seaside town. The staff in the café were welcoming, attentive and enthusiastic and the food and wine delicious.

We were very impressed with the contemporary collection of art on view and we spent a great three hours in the Towner and would have stayed longer had we arrived earlier! In fact it was their first day of opening until 6 pm, which is a bonus anyway since, outside of London, so much closes at 5!

Thank you to all the staff on Tuesday 2 June, both gallery and café, who helped to make our visit so enjoyable and a great and unexpected memory of Eastbourne. Highly recommend a visit...uplifting and refreshing...beautiful spaces, light and atmosphere, Amazing this is all free of charge. Superb asset for the town.

What an excellent gallery! The quality of the work displayed makes every visit worthwhile, even if you don't check beforehand what's on! The school summer exhibition is currently showing, fantastic pieces around the theme of "our place" and better than many professional installations I've seen. New Ravillious room worth a look too. The cafe has also had a new infusion of energy with fabulous coffee and cakes. Good view over the tennis club from the stairs or cafe! Highly recommended.

Free entry to everything was a pleasant surprise and this place is certainly worth a visit. The building is fairly new and modern and very easy to find your way around. I particularly enjoyed the Schools Exhibition as it was extremely innovative - art wasn't like that during my school days! Billingham's landscapes were on display in another room. Some of them were very haunting and atmospheric - the more you looked at some of them the more you felt you were looking at the actual landscape rather than viewing a painting.

The cafeteria is on the top floor. The coffee was superb and the large portion of cake was scrumptious. It was a bit too chilly to sit outside on the balcony but on a nice day it would be a pleasant place to sit and relax. I was happy to leave a donation on the way out.

This is a lovely gallery most of the exhibitions are free. The Ravilious room , a permanent space,holds one of the largest public collections of his work, with its views of Sussex, the South Downs, and surrounding areas. It also contains an archive and library of books on the artist. The Gallery also has a small cafe with a balcony overlooking Devonshire Park Tennis Courts - handy when the tournaments are being held.

Specialising in contemporary art, the Towner is funded by Eastbourne Borough Council and Arts Council England. This means it is free to visit, and has strong community links including a lively education programme for all ages. There is a permanent display of work and archive material by Eric Ravilious, and a variety of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. A particular highlight at the moment is the Annual Schools Exhibition - a wonderful display of creative and witty work by over 40 Sussex schools responding to the theme of "Our Place" in the South Downs. The staff were very friendly, and my only disappointment is the lack of natural light in the galleries, though the public spaces do feature huge windows with interesting views of the townscape around - including a free view of the Eastbourne tennis club!

Always a surprise even though the visiting show had just finished, we enjoyed a well thought out schools feature.
Free entry to everything else, so it is a must, please leave a donation on the way out.

If you enjoy exhibitions, participating in workshops with the kids or just a great cup of coffee with a lovely slice of cake The Towner is welcoming friendly environment for any age group.

This Eastbourne art gallery is well worth a visit. Currently it has three exhibitions, two of which have featured in the Guardian as Pick of the Week. The third one is from local schools and is a very high standard. In the upstairs cafe the coffee is supplied by Urban Ground, which is the best in Eastbourne. All the exhibitions are free entry.

very good shopping area shops i do not have at home and wonder round it was very clean with very helpful staff in shops

amazing peices of many mediums of art including photography, and had a whole range of art from schools and colleges around the local area a wonderfully sweet idea to get children and young people interested in art

A very well set out, if small collection of pictures featuring mainly local views and artists. There is also, for another few weeks, an excellent exhibition of works by local school children. That Gallery Cafe also looks very good and although only had drinks today I will return for, what looked inviting and reasonably priced snacks.

This is a true gem of Eastbourne. Probably not one of the biggest collections you could imagine but still wonderful. Staff is amazingly friendly, helpful and passionate about their work. Also worth a visit for architecture enthusiasts.

My wife and I were disappointed by the permanent Ravilious exhibition in the designated gallery - we were expecting rather more paintings than there were displayed. This might be due to loans to the current Dulwich Gallery exhibition. Whilst we were settling into the exhibition we were disturbed by very, very loud noises reverberating through the gallery which had us wondering momentarily whether the building was collapsing. The only other person in the room likened one noise to a tube station platform. As it turned out the noises emanated from an adjoining exhibition involving tree felling and a railway train and occurred on a cyclical basis. I found this all very distracting and quite out of keeping with the exhibits we were there to see. With respect, I would suggest that this juxtaposition of a tribute to one of England's great artists and art installations with such loud accompanying noise is remarkably insensitive, and unexpected, in an art gallery.

Popped in to this gallery for coffee and cake which was excellent and a quick look at some of the exhibitions. Great to find a free gallery. Modern architecture is impressive (though could have made more of the views). The permanent collection was not much on view (due perhaps to the Ravillious Exhibition in Dulwich). Definitely worth a visit nevertheless.

Had a guided tour and the guide was most enthusiastic. However, I found the current exhibition a bit depressing. Lovely coffee shop though.

Excellent contemporary gallery. Went to see the exhibition of stunning seascapes by John Virtue. Spectacular!
The Towner is relatively small, but exhibitions are hung with good use of the space available - no overcrowding. Well lit and airy galleries.
On the practical side, the lifts are very spacious and there's a pleasant café and a small gift shop.