Gunnersbury Park Museum

About the museum

Gunnersbury Park Museum is housed in the Large Mansion of the Gunnersbury estate in west London. The mansion was built in the early nineteenth century for the builder Alexander Copland. In 1835 it was bought by Nathan Mayer Rothschild, and it stayed in the Rothschild family, who later also reunited the estate by acquiring the neighbouring Small Mansion, until the 1920s.

In 1925 the Rothschild family sold the estate to the councils of Ealing and Acton. The park opened to the public in 1926 and the Large Mansion became a local history museum in 1929. In later decades the park and museum were run jointly by the councils of Ealing and Hounslow. A major restoration of the mansion, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the two councils, was completed in 2018.

Today the museum looks after a collection of about 50,000 objects and archive items. Its galleries cover the history of the estate since the thirteenth century, the story of Ealing and Hounslow from prehistory to the present, fashion and textiles, toys and games, local industry and the working life of a large country house, including the Victorian kitchens. The museum stands in 72 hectares of Grade II* listed parkland that is open to everyone.

Highlights

• Skylight gallery on the estate’s history, with an 1880s doll’s house
• People and Place gallery on local life from prehistory to today
• Victorian Historic Kitchens and Butler’s Pantry
• Fashion gallery with an eighteenth-century court dress
• Toys and Games and Industry galleries

Permanent exhibitions

• Skylight – Tells the story of the Gunnersbury estate since the thirteenth century, with objects such as an 1880s doll’s house.
• People and Place – Local history of Ealing and Hounslow from the Palaeolithic period to the present day.
• Historic Kitchens – Victorian-era kitchens with their appliances, showing how a large house was run.

Founded

1929

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Museum and park are free to enter; donations are welcome. Car parking in the park is charged (see Getting here).

Accessibility

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

The museum is reached by a short ramp and a self-operated lift serves all galleries, including for small motorised wheelchairs; the museum reported the lift as out of order at the time of research. A manual wheelchair can be borrowed, and each gallery has seating. There is an accessible toilet in the museum and one in the park toilet block nearby. A hearing loop is available at reception, films with speech are subtitled, and some objects can be handled. Assistance dogs are welcome. Park paths are tarmac but can be uneven.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Some museum objects can be handled. The Toys and Games gallery and the Victorian kitchens are of particular interest to children; early years groups can book visits.

Getting there & parking

Park entrances are on Lionel Road, Popes Lane and the A406 North Circular; bicycle racks are near the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café open Monday to Friday 07:00 to 17:00 and at weekends 07:00 to 18:00. The museum shop is open with the museum and takes card payments only.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The estate offers weddings and celebrations, corporate and private events, filming and photography, and outdoor events; details are on request.

Plan your visit