Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

About the museum

The museum traces its origins to the Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science and Art, founded in 1823 at the bottom of Park Street. A combined museum and library opened at the top of Park Street in 1872, and in 1894 the collections passed to Bristol's city corporation. The tobacco businessman Sir William Henry Wills paid for a new City Art Gallery, which opened in 1905 in a building designed by Frederick Wills, and an extension funded by Sir George Alfred Wills was completed in 1930.

During the Bristol Blitz of 1940 a bomb gutted the older museum building and destroyed about 17,000 natural history specimens. The museum and the art gallery were formally separated as two institutions in 1945 but remained in the same building, and plans to move to a new site in Castle Park were abandoned in 1971 in favour of refurbishing the existing building. In 2009 the museum staged a large exhibition of works by the street artist Banksy that was prepared in secrecy and drew very large crowds. In 2012 it received the collection of the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum.

Today the museum is run by Bristol City Council as part of Bristol Museums and charges no entrance fee. Its collections cover natural history, archaeology, Egyptology, Assyrian reliefs, Eastern art, Bristol delftware and blue glass, and Old Master and modern paintings. It has designated museum status.

Highlights

• Ancient Egypt gallery with mummies
• Natural history galleries, including the Sea Dragons gallery
• Archaeology and world cultures galleries
• Art galleries with Old Master and modern paintings
• Bristol delftware and blue glass
• Curiosity play space for under-7s

Permanent exhibitions

• Natural wonders and Sea Dragons – Natural history galleries on the ground floor, including the Sea Dragons gallery.
• Ancient Egypt – A gallery of Egyptian objects, including mummies.
• Archaeology and World Cultures – Galleries on archaeology and on cultures of the world, drawing on collections such as the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum.

Founded

1823

Operated by

Bristol City Council (Bristol Museums)

Visitors per year

approx. 450,954

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free and donations are welcome. Visitors can simply turn up; booking is needed only for groups of ten or more.

Accessibility

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

There is level entry through electronic doors to the left of the main entrance, and a platform lift from the main entrance. A passenger lift serves all public areas except the Sea Dragons gallery and has spoken floor announcements and tactile buttons. Two adult-sized wheelchairs can be borrowed, staff are on every floor and there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet. Assistance dogs are welcome. The museum recommends the AccessAble website for a full access guide.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The Curiosity play space is for children under 7. The museum also offers family activity areas, trails and holiday activity days. There is a baby change and feeding room, a buggy park and a picnic room at weekends and in school holidays.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about a ten-minute walk from the city centre, just off Park Street.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

There is a café and a shop. Lockers for small and medium bags cost £1 per use. A picnic room is available at weekends and in school holidays, and there are toilets, a baby change and feeding room and a buggy park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit