Bourne Hall Museum

About the museum

Bourne Hall Museum is the local museum of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell and is run by the borough council. It occupies the first floor of Bourne Hall, a listed 1960s building that stands in a Victorian park in the centre of Ewell village. The museum describes itself as having spent about fifty years gathering objects, photographs and memories that tell the story of the area.

The displays run from prehistoric times to the present day and cover many parts of local life. Themes include the Tudor palace of Nonsuch, the well on Epsom Common that gave England its first spa, and two centuries of the Derby horse race on Epsom Downs. The collections are made up of document and picture archives, fine art, costume, archaeology and social history, and they include a nineteenth-century fire engine, a hansom cab owned by Lord Rosebery, extensive Derby memorabilia and important Roman finds from local sites.

The museum also works with schools and community groups. It offers talks, loan boxes and guided walks, a monthly history club for children, and a shop selling local history books and souvenirs.

Highlights

• Lord Rosebery's hansom cab and a nineteenth-century fire engine
• Derby memorabilia from two centuries of racing on Epsom Downs
• Roman archaeology from local sites
• Costume, fine art and social history collections
• Monthly Museum Club for children aged 8 to 12 and older

Permanent exhibition

• Permanent displays on Epsom and Ewell – Displays from prehistory to the modern day on archaeology, costume, fine art and everyday life in the borough, including a Roman section, Derby memorabilia and a nineteenth-century fire engine.

Operated by

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the museum is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is on the first floor of Bourne Hall; the council states that full disabled access is available. Accessible toilets and accessible parking are listed by Surrey Museums.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

The open-plan museum has hands-on displays, models and brass rubbing. The Museum Club for children aged 8 to 12 and older meets on the second Saturday of each month from 1pm to 2.30pm and costs £5 per child. Baby changing is listed among the facilities.

Getting there & parking

Car parking is available at Bourne Hall, and the museum says the site is easy to reach by bus or train. The museum is inside Bourne Hall in Spring Street, Ewell.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Bourne Hall has a café on the main entrance floor, and the museum shop sells local history books, pamphlets and souvenirs for younger visitors.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit