Growing Form

Growing Form is a contemporary art gallery tucked away in Leicestershire, just a short drive from Burton-on-Trent. It's the kind of place that rewards a proper visit - not somewhere you'd stumble through in twenty minutes. The gallery focuses on sculpture and installation work, with pieces that actually make you stop and think rather than just walk past.

This is genuinely worth the detour if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks like Peake's Retreats or Broadleaves Glamping. The work tends toward ambitious, large-scale pieces that engage with landscape and space in interesting ways. You'll need a couple of hours to do it justice, longer if you're the type who wants to sit with something for a bit.

It's ideal for adults who care about contemporary art - families with younger kids might find it a bit slow-paced, though teenagers who've got past the eye-rolling stage could appreciate it. The gallery has that quiet intensity you don't always find in the Midlands, and it's refreshingly unpretentious about what it does.

Check opening hours before you head over, as it's closed certain days. Free admission is common for independent galleries like this, but worth confirming. On a decent day, the surrounding countryside is worth exploring too - it's proper East Midlands terrain, rolling and green. Not spectacular, but solid.