The Arentshuis Museum is housed in a genteel, eighteenth century mansion overlooking the Dijver Canal. The interior is divided into two sections, with the ground floor devoted to a delightful selection of antique lace. Bruges was a centre of Belgian lace making and, although there were a few local factories, most of the work was done by women toiling in their own homes.

The beautifully presented collection focuses on needlepoint and bobbin lace, with several fine examples of Bruges floral or Duchesse lace as well. Upstairs is the work of Frank Brangwyn, a painter and sculptor who was born in Bruges of Welsh parents. Most of Brangwyn’s life was spent in Britain, but he bequeathed this collection to Bruges, as well as his drawings, furniture and carpets. Among his work, the dark and powerful canvases depicting industrial scenes are perhaps the most diverting.