House of Marbles

About the museum

House of Marbles occupies the Old Pottery in Bovey Tracey, a site where pottery has been made for centuries. Coal pits opened in the mid-1700s made it possible to exploit the local clay on a commercial scale, and Josiah Wedgwood visited the pottery in 1775. The Bovey Pottery Company also made Wemyss Ware here for a time. Three bottle kilns, now listed and protected as ancient monuments, still dominate the site.

The company has traded since 1973, when its founder started making board games for local craft fairs. It makes and sells marbles, toys, games and glassware, and the old pottery buildings on the visitor site now hold a shop called The Emporium, a restaurant, a Games Garden and the Teign Valley Glass studio, which began in Teignmouth in 1981 to make specialist marbles.

Visitors can follow a historic trail around the site and enter four small museums. The Marble Museum shows marbles from early clay and stone examples to some of the oldest known glass ones, the Games Museum covers games and toys from the Victorian era onwards, the Pottery Museum explains the site's history, and the Glass Museum introduces glassmaking beside the working glassworks. A giant marble run called Snooki 2000, built in 2000 and running on snooker balls, is among the best-known exhibits.

Highlights

• Marble Museum with some of the oldest known glass marbles
• Giant marble run Snooki 2000, which uses snooker balls
• Games Museum with Victorian games, pinball and bagatelle tables
• Pottery Museum and three listed bottle kilns
• Glass Museum next to the working Teign Valley Glass studio

Permanent exhibitions

• Marble Museum – Marbles from early clay and stone examples to some of the oldest known glass marbles, plus bespoke marble runs and giant stone marbles.
• Games Museum – Classic games and toys from the Victorian era onwards, including skittles, dominoes, pinball and bagatelle games.
• Pottery Museum and Glass Museum – Displays on the history of the Bovey pottery site and an introduction to glassmaking, next to the working glassworks.

Founded

1991

Operated by

House of Marbles (independent family business)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the site and the museums is free, and parking is 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

The restaurant, glassworks, toilets, shop and museums are accessible to wheelchair users, and one wheelchair can be borrowed. A lift to the upstairs shop was installed in August 2026. Reserved disabled parking is next to the main entrance, with more by the second entrance. The accessible and baby-change facilities were refurbished in May 2024. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere; other dogs are not allowed in the main restaurant or the main shop.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Visitors can start the marble runs themselves, play in the Games Garden with a climbing frame, slide and giant games, and follow the Brass Rubbing Trail. Seasonal activities include Santa's Grotto, Easter events and summer craft workshops, and a children's afternoon tea is offered.

Getting there & parking

From the A38 at Drumbridges roundabout, take the A382 towards Bovey Tracey; House of Marbles is on the left as you approach the town, about 5 minutes' drive from the roundabout.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The Old Pottery Restaurant is licensed and serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea; there is also an ice cream horse box and QR code ordering in the Games Garden. The shop, The Emporium, has an upstairs section. Toilets, including an accessible one, are opposite the restaurant.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

The restaurant can be hired for private events; enquiries go to the team by phone or email.

Plan your visit