Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Charity museum in Victorian cellars beneath Brighton station, showing more than 12,000 toys and models, including a 1930s model railway layout.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Brighton Toy and Model Museum occupies a set of Victorian brick arches under Brighton railway station. The arches were built in the early 1840s, soon after the London to Brighton line and the station building by David Mocatta were completed. The upper arches were first used to store barrels of beer for the Bass brewery, and the smaller spaces beside them were stables for the brewer's horses.
When the toy restorer Chris Littledale and his friends found the site around 1990 it was derelict. They stripped it back to the original brickwork, levelled the floors, added steps, electrics and plumbing and installed display cabinets. The museum opened in 1991, based on several private collections and originally called the Sussex Toy and Model Museum. It became a registered charity in the same period and is now an Arts Council accredited museum, run largely by volunteers.
The heart of the museum is a central gauge 0 model railway from the 1930s, built by Littledale and moved here in 1991 from the Hove Engineerium. Almost everything on it, from signals and lights to the tinplate road vehicles, dates from the 1930s. Around it are displays of model trains, tinplate toys, aircraft, penny arcade machines and other toys from Britain and Europe, drawing on a collection of more than twelve thousand items. The museum also carries out restoration work and runs an online encyclopaedia of toys and models.
Highlights
- Central 1930s gauge 0 model railway layout with working trains
- More than 12,000 vintage toys and models in four Victorian cellars
- Tinplate toys, model aircraft and seaside slot machines adapted for modern coins
- Museum entrance directly beneath Brighton station
- Minifigure trail for children
Permanent exhibitions
- The Central Layout – A 1930s gauge 0 model railway built by Chris Littledale, with period signals, buildings, tinplate trains and clockwork road vehicles.
- Aircraft and slot machines – Displays of toy and model aircraft and of seaside arcade machines adapted to take modern coins.
- Founded
- 1991
- Operated by
- Brighton Toy and Model Museum (registered charity)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £8Visitors aged 65 and over and Brighton residents (BN1 to BN3) |
| Children & teens | £6free up to age 4 · Children aged 5 to 18; under-5s enter free and must be accompanied by an adult. |
| Seniors | £8Visitors aged 65 and over. |
| Visitors with disabilities | £7Ticket for a disabled visitor and a carer. |
| Students & apprentices | £7Students with ID and young people aged 19 to 25. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Schools and groups of 10 or more: price on application; contact the museum before booking. |
| Families | £20Up to two adults and up to two children. |
| Brighton resident (postcodes BN1 to BN3) | £8 |
Prices apply from 1 March and exclude special events. The ticket price includes a voluntary donation that allows the museum to claim Gift Aid. One-year memberships give free daytime entry except for special events.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- 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
Adaptations give wheelchair access to almost every public area, and staff will help. The access ramp suits standard wheelchairs, but the museum has tight corners and some larger mobility scooters cannot enter the gallery; there is also a slight angled step from the pavement to the top of the ramp. One toilet is adapted for visitors with extra needs and has a baby-changing table. Visitors with mobility needs are asked to tell staff on arrival.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £20 · Up to two adults and up to two children. |
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Baby changing facilities
A minifigure trail, quizzes and colouring sheets are available, with pencils provided; children who finish the trail receive a sticker. Visitors can press buttons to restart the model trains, turn handles on Meccano mechanisms and use slot machines adapted for modern 10p coins. A family ticket is available.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Brighton station
The museum is directly under Brighton railway station, about 90 seconds' walk from the ticket barriers; London Victoria to Brighton takes around an hour. Bus stops are at the front of the station, a minute or two away. National Express coaches stop at Brighton York Place near the bottom of Trafalgar Street, as well as at the coach station south of Old Steine.
By car
The museum has no car park of its own. The station car park and the car park on Blackman Street, further down Trafalgar Street, are reasonably close.
Leave the station by the exit next to Marks and Spencer; the entrance, with red signage and double doors, is the first business on the left at the top of Trafalgar Street. Some sat navs place 52-55 Trafalgar Street in the wrong spot, and searching for 48 Trafalgar Street may work better.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
A souvenir guidebook can be bought in the foyer. The museum does not mention a café, but many cafés are nearby, and visitors may leave and return on the same day with their ticket.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
The museum can host corporate hospitality and product launches. The top arch can be converted into a performance space with a small stage, amplification and lighting.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Photography | Photography without flash is welcome for personal, non-commercial use, respecting other visitors' privacy. Other photography should be agreed with the museum. |
| Good to know | Group visits should be arranged in advance by phone, especially during term time. Well-behaved dogs are allowed in the lobby but not in the ticketed museum area. The museum offers a school session called Toys Through Time and an afternoon storytelling workshop for early years and key stages 1 and 2. |
