Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre

About the museum

Creswell Crags is a narrow limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Its caves contain some of the richest Ice Age evidence in Britain, including traces of Neanderthals who used the caves roughly 60,000 to 40,000 years ago and of later groups of modern humans. Tools, butchered animal bones and an engraved horse's head on a rib bone were found in Robin Hood Cave, and the engraving is now displayed in the museum.

The site became widely known in 2003, when engravings and carvings were found on the walls and ceilings of Church Hole Cave. They are considered the oldest verified cave art in Britain. More recently, protective symbols known as witch marks were recorded in the upper chamber of Robin Hood Cave in 2018, adding an early modern chapter to the story of the gorge.

Today the site is run by the Creswell Heritage Trust. The visitor centre houses the museum, a cafe, a gift shop and the ticket desk for the cave tours. The permanent display, Home of our Ice Age Ancestors, shows finds from the caves alongside objects borrowed from major British collections. The collection also includes a large series of mammal teeth, almost 38,000 objects, found at Pin Hole and Robin Hood Cave. Outside, visitors can walk through the gorge and around the lake and meadow.

Highlights

• Home of our Ice Age Ancestors, a permanent display of finds from the caves
• Guided tours of Robin Hood Cave and of the engravings in Church Hole
• Ice Age cave art, the oldest verified in Britain
• Witch marks tour in the upper chamber of Robin Hood Cave
• Free walks through the gorge, around the lake and across the meadow

Permanent exhibition

• Home of our Ice Age Ancestors – Finds from the caves, such as stone and bone tools and the remains of animals not usually associated with Britain, shown with objects lent by major British collections.

Founded

1984

Operated by

Creswell Heritage Trust

Admission & discounts

Walking in the gorge and the meadow, the visitor centre, the cafe and the gift shop are free to enter. The museum costs £5 for adults. Cave tours are ticketed separately and booked online or by phone; their prices are not shown on the official pages. A voucher gives 10% off a second tour, and the Derbyshire Days Out scheme gives 10% off one cave tour for up to two people with a ticket or receipt from a listed attraction.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Most of the site, including the visitor centre, exhibition, meadow and gorge, can be used by wheelchair and mobility scooter users, and a step-free route map is available at reception. The two floors of the visitor centre are linked by a lift, and accessible toilets are on both floors. The cave entrances are high in the rock face and reached by steps, so the caves are not wheelchair accessible. There is no wheelchair loan, but a Tramper mobility scooter can be hired through Derbyshire County Council (booking by phone, ID required). Induction loops are fitted in all public areas, and some interactive exhibits are subtitled. Several Blue Badge bays are in front of the visitor centre. The nearest Changing Places toilet is at Go! Active @ The Arc in Clowne. Service and support dogs can join cave tours if arranged by phone.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

The Life in the Ice Age cave tour is aimed at families, with a look at Ice Age people and animals; children must be 5 or older to enter the caves. Baby changing facilities are on the upper floor of the visitor centre. Under-18s enter the museum free.

Getting there & parking

The site is about 5 miles from junction 30 of the M1. Follow the brown tourist signs from the A60 (Mansfield to Worksop) or the A616 (Sheffield to Newark).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Creswell Crags Cafe in the visitor centre, with outdoor seating; a gift shop; in summer a horsebox outlet on the meadow sells drinks and snacks. Picnics are welcome outdoors but not inside the building or on the cafe seating.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Conference and event hire is arranged through the enquiry form; the venues are step-free with a hearing loop. Team-building days and cave tours can be added, and local community groups and charities receive discounts.

Plan your visit