Photo: Chris Talbot · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Andover Museum

Free local museum in a Georgian townhouse telling Andover's story from the Neolithic to the 20th century, next to the Museum of the Iron Age.

Opening hoursFree admission Partially accessible Café

Website Directions

About the museum

Andover Museum is based in a Grade II listed townhouse that was built in the middle of the 18th century. Its fine staircase, wooden panelling and decorative fireplaces survive from that time. In the 1840s local philanthropist Martha Gale bought the house and gave it to Andover Grammar School, and a brick extension was added at the back in the 1880s.

The museum opened in 1981 and was joined in 1986 by the Museum of the Iron Age, which occupies the extension and tells the story of the nearby Danebury hillfort. Both are run by Hampshire Cultural Trust and share one site, although only Andover Museum is free to enter.

The ground-floor galleries explain the geology, natural history and chalk streams around Andover and the flint used for early tools. The first floor follows the town from the Neolithic to the 20th century, covering its royal links, medieval growth and Industrial Revolution reputation as a riot town. Special displays deal with the 1846 workhouse scandal, the great Weyhill Fair and the Tasker firm of agricultural engineers.

Highlights

Georgian townhouse with original staircase, panelling and fireplaces
Diorama of the 1846 Andover workhouse scandal
Displays on Weyhill Fair, once a huge livestock market
Taskers of Andover: steam tractors and trailers
Local geology and flint tools
Ground-floor gallery for local artists and groups

Permanent exhibitions

The story of Andover – Galleries from the ground-floor geology and flint tools to the first-floor history of the town from the Neolithic to the 20th century.
Andover Workhouse scandal – A diorama showing the conditions behind the 1846 scandal that changed how workhouses were supervised across the country.
Weyhill Fair and Taskers – Covers the former livestock fair near Andover and the local firm that built agricultural machinery and steam tractors.

Founded: 1981
Operated by: Hampshire Cultural Trust

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to Andover Museum is free and does not need to be booked. The Museum of the Iron Age on the same site charges an admission fee.

Accessibility

Partially wheelchair accessible
Elevator: not available
Accessible restroom: no information
Accessible parking
Service dogs welcome
Tactile models & exhibits: no information
Sign language tours: no information
Easy-to-read materials: no information
Audio description: no information

The ground floor, including the shop and the temporary exhibition gallery, is wheelchair accessible. The front entrance has steps with handrails and there is an accessible rear entrance. A stairlift serves the first and second floors. Some areas are restricted, so the museum advises phoning ahead before a special trip. Assistance dogs are welcome if clearly identifiable. The free car park has a disabled bay.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family tours & workshops
Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Hands-on stations
Baby changing facilities

Children can dress up in historic costumes, follow activity sheets to spot objects and join regular family craft days with drop-in make-and-take activities and bookable workshops.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

The museum is a short walk from Andover railway station, via Charlton Road, Marlborough Street and Newbury Street into Church Close. Andover bus station is about a 10-minute walk through the Chantry shopping centre, following the blue signs on the High Street.