Tullie House has an important collection of twentieth-century British art acquired through its Purchase Scheme and two bequests: Gordon Bottomley (1949) and Carel Weight (1999). In 1933 the City of Carlisle decided to set up a contemporary art collection and established a Purchase Scheme. Sir William Rothenstein, artist and Principal of the Royal College of Art acted as the first Honorary Advisor from 1933 to 1942. Younger artists succeeded him in his role: Edward Le Bas (1948–1951), Carel Weight (1953–1962) and Roger de Grey (1963–1975). Each Advisor was given an annual acquisition budget to buy works of their choice. Their initial budget was just £100 per annum but this was raised to £200 in 1936. The Advisors’ good judgement and contacts proved invaluable. They were able to purchase works for modest sums usually from artists early in their careers. They acquired two hundred works for the collection in total. The City also benefitted from becoming a member of the Contemporary Art Society in 1936 and received seven works.