Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse

About the museum

Gressenhall began as the Mitford and Launditch House of Industry, a large workhouse that opened in July 1777 to house the poor of the surrounding parishes. It held around 450 people on average and reached a peak of 670 in 1801. After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 it was converted into a union workhouse, and a chapel was added in 1868.

The workhouse was renamed Gressenhall Institution in 1930. After the Second World War it was used to house elderly people and, in emergencies, homeless families. In 1976 the site opened as a museum of rural life run by what is now the Norfolk Museums Service.

Today the museum combines the restored workhouse buildings, where recorded and projected voices tell the stories of people who lived and worked there, with a traditional working farm and rare breed animals. Other displays cover the Land Girls and Lumber Jills of the Second World War, old village shops, a cottage garden and an orchard. The estate also includes a wildlife river walk and a ceremony room in the old chapel.

Highlights

• Restored workhouse with first-hand stories of inmates and staff
• Traditional working farm with rare breed animals
• Gallery on the Land Girls and Lumber Jills
• Old village shops, cottage garden and orchard
• Adventure playground and trails for children
• Mardlers’ Rest Café with home-cooked food

Permanent exhibitions

• The Workhouse – The restored workhouse buildings use recorded stories and projections to show how inmates and staff lived and worked.
• The Farm – A traditional working farm with rare breed animals, an orchard and a cottage garden.
• Land Girls and Lumber Jills – A gallery about the women who worked on the land and in forestry during the Second World War.

Founded

1976

Operated by

Norfolk Museums Service

Admission & discounts

Booking online at least a day ahead saves 10%, which brings the adult price to £15.30 and the child price to £13.05. Admission is free for people receiving means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit and for the children in those households, for Norfolk Museums Pass holders and for Friends of Gressenhall. National Art Pass holders also enter free.

Accessibility

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

Nearly all buildings and displays have level access; the school room has a ramp. There is a lift in a ground-floor gallery of the workhouse, and the café has a ramped entrance. Accessible toilets are in the welcome area, the café, the workhouse building and on the farm. Six manual wheelchairs and an all-terrain mobility scooter can be borrowed free of charge and should be booked in advance. The track down to the farm is rough and sloped; visitors who need help can ask staff, who may be able to arrange for them to drive down and park at the farm, although this is not always possible on busy days. Assistance dogs are welcome, but other dogs are not allowed on site.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

The site offers an adventure playground, trails, hands-on activities, seasonal events and school holiday activities.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Mardlers’ Rest Café serves hot and cold drinks, home-cooked meals and sweet and savoury treats, and has a courtyard garden. There is a gift shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 100 guests.

Indoor meeting and function rooms and a large outdoor area can be hired for weddings, conferences, filming and similar events. The site is licensed for civil ceremonies, and the Old Chapel seats up to 100 guests.

Plan your visit