Tableau

The gallery sits in Christchurch, a town that doesn't shout about its cultural offerings but quietly gets on with things. Tableau is exactly that sort of place - unpretentious, focused on contemporary work, and worth a detour if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Meadowbank or Sandhills.

It's a contemporary art space, the kind where you'll find rotating exhibitions rather than the same permanent collection you've seen a dozen times before. The work tends toward painting and sculpture, though what's on depends entirely on the season. You're looking at a proper gallery experience without the stuffiness - staff aren't precious about it, and you can actually stand close enough to see brushwork.

For art enthusiasts and anyone who gets restless in a caravan after lunch, it's genuinely worth an hour or two. Families with older kids (teens who tolerate galleries rather than actively fight them) will find it more digestible than a major museum because you're not battling crowds. Younger children will probably lose interest fairly quickly, if we're honest.

Being barely more than two miles from Meadowbank Holidays, it's an easy afternoon outing. The Christchurch area itself is quiet - not a major draw, but that's rather the point. You get a proper look at contemporary British art without the London gallery-going circus.

I'd suggest checking ahead about opening hours and admission, as independent galleries do shift things about seasonally.