Abbot Hall has a significant collection of watercolours mainly from the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries. There is a large group of topographical views of the Lake District including works by such artists as J R Cozens, Dayes, Hearne, Cristall, Varley, Copley Fielding, Constable, Frederick Nash, Hills and Severn. In addition there are fine examples which do not relate to the local landscape such as the David Cox of Hastings, and an early J M W Turner of Dover. Other important works by J M W Turner include his large watercolour of Devil's Bridge in the St. Gothard Pass of 1804 and the recently acquired 1821 watercolour of Windermere.

The other exceptional group is the collection of 40 drawings and watercolours by John Ruskin. Only one drawing and one watercolour relate to the Lake District, with the remainder covering a wide range of subjects including natural history, mountains and topography in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France as well as Britain.

The gallery also holds a watercolour and an oil painting by the Cumbrian artist William James Blacklock (1816-1858).