Discover Bucks Museum
County museum in Aylesbury telling the story of Buckinghamshire from 200 million years ago, with a Tudor wall painting and a Roald Dahl children's gallery.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum began in 1907, when the Bucks Archaeological Society acquired the former Aylesbury Grammar School building, which had been vacated when the school moved, and opened a museum there. Buckinghamshire County Council took over its management in 1957.
The site includes the Grade II* listed old grammar school, which opened in 1720, and the neighbouring Ceely House, dating from 1473. In 1996 the museum won the National Heritage Museum of the Year award, and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery opened in the former coach house that year.
In 2021 the museum, known until then as Buckinghamshire County Museum, was renamed Discover Bucks Museum. It is run by an independent charity, the Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust, which looks after about 130,000 objects covering the people and landscapes of the county from 200 million years ago to today.
Highlights
- Discover Bucks Galleries on the story of Bucks from 200 million years ago
- Tudor house with wall painting on the first floor
- Roald Dahl Children's Gallery with hands-on science
- Georgian room and temporary exhibitions
- Victorian walled garden with outdoor seating
Permanent exhibitions
- Discover Bucks Galleries – The ground-floor galleries tell the story of the people and landscapes of Buckinghamshire from 200 million years ago to the present day.
- Tudor house and wall painting – A first-floor Tudor space with an original wall painting.
- Roald Dahl Children's Gallery – Hands-on galleries in the former coach house, with a Discover Gallery on the ground floor and an Imagination Gallery with optical illusions and a library upstairs.
- Founded
- 1907
- Operated by
- Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £8 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | £3free up to age 2 · Ages 3 to 15; under 3s are free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · An essential carer or companion enters free. |
| Families | £20Family of four; a family of five pays 22.50 pounds. |
| Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, adult | £9.50 |
| Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, child (3 to 15) | £5.50 |
| Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, family of four | £27A family of five pays 32 pounds. |
| Annual pass, museum, adult | £15 |
| Annual pass, museum and Children's Gallery, adult | £19.50 |
Entry tickets should be booked online for each visit. Day tickets include all temporary exhibitions and displays, although some events and exhibitions carry a separate charge. Annual passes give 10 per cent off in the gift shop and cafe.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The main entrance from Church Street is step-free, and staff help with the manual glass doors. A lift on the ground floor serves the main gallery upstairs, a stair lift covers four steps to the smaller part of the gallery, and another lift reaches the Tudor Gallery. The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery has its own lift. Entry from Pebble Lane to the garden is on a cobbled slope and may not suit wheelchair users, and the cafe is reached from the garden by a step. A portable hearing loop, walking and sitting aids and seated strollers can be borrowed. Touch tours are offered for blind and partially sighted visitors, with some large print and audio guides in the Georgian room. Visitors with autism can ask for a quieter space, and a digital social story is available.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 2 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £20 · Family of four; a family of five pays 22.50 pounds. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery has hands-on science and play inspired by his stories, over two floors linked by the Great Glass Elevator. Stay and Play Cafe sessions for under-5s run on Wednesdays in term time, with themed holiday events and birthday parties. Buggies can be left in the buggy park or taken in the lifts.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Aylesbury railway station
Aylesbury railway station is a short walk away, and the bus station is close to Market Square; the museum site gives walking directions from Market Square via Market Street and Temple Street.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No parking outside the museum. Friarscroft car park (HP20 2TE) next to Morrisons has many spaces, and Exchange Street car park (HP20 1QY) is a short signposted walk away.
Aylesbury is about 25 minutes from the M25 via the A41, and from the M40 junction 8a via the A418. Free Shopmobility mobility aids are available in the town centre.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
Museum cafe with hot and cold drinks, cakes and sandwiches, limited indoor seating, and tables in the Victorian walled garden. Gift shop with books, games, gifts and local crafts. Buggy park downstairs.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | School workshops and group bookings are offered. |
