The Next Page

The Next Page is a small independent gallery tucked away in Durham, the sort of place you stumble upon rather than plan to visit. It's a working studio and exhibition space devoted to contemporary art and craft - think painting, sculpture, printmaking, the lot. The gallery feels genuinely lived-in, which is refreshing. You're looking at real artists' work, not corporate art-by-committee.

It works best for anyone with a genuine interest in current British art rather than tourists looking for a quick cultural tick-box. If you're into galleries, this beats trudging round somewhere massive and pretentious. Plan for an hour, maybe ninety minutes if there's something that grabs you. The space itself isn't huge, so you won't need a full afternoon.

The appeal here is the intimacy and the chance to actually talk to makers about their work. No crowds, no ropes around everything. Admission details aren't widely publicised online, so ringing ahead makes sense before you go - opening hours vary depending on what's on.

If you're basing yourself at one of the caravan parks nearby - Durham Grange is just over two miles away, or Finchale Abbey three miles out - The Next Page works perfectly as a rainy afternoon diversion. Durham itself has proper museums if you want something more substantial, but this gallery captures something the bigger institutions don't: actual artistic practice, happening now. Worth the detour if you care about that sort of thing.