Hinckley and District Museum

About the museum

Hinckley and District Museum is housed in a group of cottages on Lower Bond Street that are among the most complete half-timbered buildings left in the town. They date from the 1600s, when the building was a farmhouse with a box frame and tie-beam roof. In the late 1700s brick panels replaced the original wattle-and-daub walls, and by the 1800s the house had been divided into three cottages.

Colonel Clive Atkins bought the cottages in 1919 and restored and altered them to their present appearance between 1927 and 1928. They were once home to framework knitters, who made stockings and other hosiery on hand-operated frames, and the museum has been based in the cottages since 1996.

The museum is run by volunteers as a registered charity. A reconstructed framework knitter's room and a hand-operated knitting frame show how the craft was carried out at home. Further displays and online resources cover Hinckley during the First World War, a research archive on the names on the town war memorial and the local textile heritage. The museum holds full Accredited Museum status from Arts Council England.

Highlights

• Reconstructed framework knitter's room with a hand-operated knitting frame
• Half-timbered 17th-century cottages
• Displays on Hinckley in the First World War
• Cottage garden and volunteer-run tearoom
• Changing local history displays each season

Permanent exhibitions

• Framework Knitting – A reconstructed framework knitter's room and a hand-operated knitting frame show how hosiery was made at home in Hinckley from the 17th to the 19th century.
• Nobody Told Us – Research archive about the people named on the Hinckley war memorial from the First World War, with family accounts and photographs.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Hinckley and District Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Free for holders of a 2026 Friends of the Museum membership card. Payment by cash or card at the reception desk. Prices may be higher on event days.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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 main entrance has four steps with handrails. A side entrance suitable for wheelchairs leads through a garage and garden to the rear of the building; please ask in advance so that help is available. The ground-floor gallery has level access, but there are two internal steps to an extra display area and wooden stairs to the first floor. For visitors who cannot manage the stairs, information folders about the upstairs displays are available. The one unisex toilet is small and not wheelchair accessible. Seating is provided in all display areas. Ear defenders and magnifying sheets can be borrowed, and guide and assistance dogs are welcome in the museum and garden.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum advertises summer events for children in 2026. Children aged 5 and over pay a reduced entry price.

Getting there & parking

The road outside has double yellow lines and is busy; drop-off at the entrance is possible but off-road parking is recommended.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Volunteer-run tearoom with Fairtrade tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes and snacks, and a cottage garden with seating in summer. Small shop selling postcards, souvenirs and local history publications.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit