Visiting us

Monday Restrictions

The Museum is normally open Tuesday-Saturday – Mondays being set aside for essential maintenance and for some larger pre-booked school visits.


Group visit restrictions

Group visits should also be arranged in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts, especially during term time. Call 01273 749494 to check for available times.


Groups and schools during normal opening days

Access to some areas of the Museum may be restricted during school visits, which typically happen between 10am-~2pm, on weekdays. You may, of course, still visit the Museum, it might just take longer to see some of the exhibits.


Tickets

The admission fee allows visitors to come and go as many times as they like during the same day, which is ideal for the visitor who wants to take a refreshment break at one of the areas’s many cafes.

The ticket price also includes a voluntary donation which helps raise funds for maintenance and renewal of exhibits, and allows us to collect a Gift Aid reimbursement from the government if you are a UK taxpayer and provide us with some basic details when buying your tickets.


Dogs

Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the lobby, but dogs are not allowed in the ticketed museum area.


Membership

We also have a range of membership options for regular visitors.


Photography

Visitors are welcome to take photographs (without flash) for personal non-commercial use, as long as they respect the privacy of the other visitors.

For other photography, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs.


Wheelchair Access

Though situated in a Victorian building, adaptations have been made to enable wheelchair access to almost every public area. If you need any help, ask any member of staff, who will be pleased to assist you.

One of our toilets has been adapted to facilitate visitors with extra needs (it also has a baby-changing table). Please advise us upon arrival if anyone in your party has mobility issues.

PLEASE NOTE: While our access ramp is designed for standard-sized wheelchairs, the museum has some tight corners, so some of the larger mobility scooters will be unable to access the museum gallery. There is also a slight angled step from the pavement to the ramp top, which is fine for standard wheelchairs but may cause issues for mobility scooters with shallow clearance.