Broadway Museum & Art Gallery

About the museum

Broadway Museum & Art Gallery is housed in Tudor House on the High Street of Broadway, a 17th-century Grade II* listed building that has been extended and altered over the centuries. From the 1930s the house was the headquarters of H. W. Keil Ltd, a respected international dealer in antique furniture. The museum was established in 2013 with the support of H. W. Keil and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, whose staff still advise on and curate some of its exhibitions.

The displays cover the story of Broadway from locally found fossils to the prosperity of the wool trade and its decline in the 16th century. Visitors learn about the coaching era, which boomed from the mid 17th century, and the arrival of the railway, which changed the village. The museum also tells of the colony of American artists and writers who were drawn to Broadway in the late 19th century, and shows fine pieces from the Keil collection. A cabinet of curiosities presents objects linked to the world's earliest museums, and the collection recently gained an 1892 portrait of Lady Lewis by John Singer Sargent.

The museum is run by a small team of local trustees, staff and volunteers. It has a shop, a sensory room and a family play space, and it holds talks, workshops and family events throughout the year.

Highlights

• Portrait of Lady Lewis by John Singer Sargent, 1892
• Cabinet of Curiosities linked to the earliest museums
• Story of Wool and the rise of Broadway
• Broadway artist colony of the late 19th century
• Fine antique furniture from the H. W. Keil collection

Permanent exhibitions

• Story of Wool – How the wool trade made Broadway prosperous and why it declined in the 16th century.
• Cabinet of Curiosities – Broadway’s link to some of the pieces that formed part of the world’s earliest museum.
• The Broadway artist colony – The American artists and writers who lived and worked in Broadway in the late 19th century.

Founded

2013

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Locals Friday: free entry for visitors with a WR12 7 postcode

Art Fund members, museum members and patrons enter free. All exhibitions and collections are included in standard entry. Tickets can be bought online.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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 Grade II* listed building has several steps and stairways across its floors and is not currently accessible to wheelchair users; the museum is raising funds for a step-free route. There is one disabled parking space opposite the museum. Volunteers will help make a visit comfortable if visitors let the museum know their needs in advance. An access guide and floor plan can be downloaded from the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

There is a sensory room and a family play space with craft and role-play activities, plus a wombat trail for younger visitors. The museum runs family events through the year, including a Santa’s Grotto in the weeks before Christmas.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at Tudor House, 65 High Street.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum has a shop. There are shops, cafés and restaurants nearby in Broadway village, and three sets of public toilets.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit