The Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge was built as a gift to the town by John Frederick Cheetham and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. The Gallery originally opened as a lecture theatre and then the space was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham Art Collection, bequeathed in 1932. This collection has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century and is one of the most interesting small regional collections. Alongside collection exhibitions, the gallery hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions by regional artists. Of particular interest is the collection of Early European paintings, especially worth noting is the rare altar piece by the Master of the Straus Madonna.