Cowper and Newton Museum

About the museum

Orchard Side in Olney was the home of the poet William Cowper from 1768 to 1786. Here he wrote much of his best-known work and, together with his neighbour John Newton, the curate of Olney, produced the Olney Hymns. Newton had been a slave trader and later became an abolitionist; the museum website has a page on slavery and abolition.

In 1900, the centenary of Cowper's death, the London publisher William Collingridge gave the house to the town after a campaign by the local schoolmaster and historian Thomas Wright. It opened as the Cowper Memorial Museum. The Summer House in the garden was bought in 1919, and the collections have grown through gifts, bequests and grants, including the Cowper Johnson Archive, which was secured in 2006.

The museum is a registered charity and is run largely by volunteers. Visitors see rooms presented as in Cowper's time, personal belongings and first editions, local history displays including a lace collection, and gardens with a summer house and the converted Viper Barn.

Highlights

• Home of the poet William Cowper from 1768 to 1786
• Links to John Newton, the Olney Hymns and the abolition of slavery
• First editions, personal effects and a lace collection
• Gardens with Cowper's summer house
• Free family trails and a dressing-up room

Permanent exhibition

• Cowper's house – Rooms of the Georgian house presented as when Cowper lived there, with his personal effects, first editions and local history displays.

Founded

1900

Operated by

Cowper and Newton Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

The £12 ticket for the museum and gardens includes an annual pass for unlimited return visits within a year (not valid on the National Garden Scheme weekend in June). Members of the National Art Pass, Gardeners' World and the Museums Association receive 50% off; Historic House members, Friends and repeat annual pass holders get free or reduced entry. Show the membership card on arrival.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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

The shop, courtyard and Viper Barn are accessible by wheelchair and mobility scooter, with an alternative entrance via the alleyway to the right of the main entrance. The historic house has limited access: three ground-floor rooms are reached by two or three steps, and the upper floors involve six flights of stairs; a photo portfolio and videos show the upper rooms. Some garden paths are narrow or uneven. One accessible toilet is on the ground floor behind the shop. Guide dogs, hearing dogs and medical detection dogs are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities: not available

Free trails for children include the Time-travellers Trail, the Runaway Hare Trail and the Poetry Treasure Trail, and there is a garden trail sheet for £1 that includes a small prize. A dressing-up room is on the top floor and several rooms have boxes for children to explore. The accessible toilet has no baby changing facilities.

Getting there & parking

Olney is on the A509, about 7 miles from junction 14 of the M1.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

There is no café on site, but eateries are a short walk away; groups can request light refreshments in advance. The shop sells gifts, hare-themed items and postcards, and there is an online shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit