Isle of Wight Glass Museum
Museum at Arreton Barns with two galleries of glass, from Isle of Wight studio glass to Art Deco and Victorian pieces.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Isle of Wight Glass Museum opened in March 2016. Its first gallery, on the ground floor, showed the collection of studio glass made on the Isle of Wight, and a small shop sold glass and gifts. As the collection grew the museum ran out of space, and in January 2018 everything moved to the first floor of the building at Arreton Barns.
A second gallery for Art Deco and Victorian glass opened in April 2018, together with a redesigned layout, storyboards, touch-screen information points and a library. In September 2019 the museum opened a larger shop selling glass, jewellery and books.
More than 1,200 pieces are on show. The larger studio glass gallery concentrates on Isle of Wight makers, above all Isle of Wight Studio Glass, and also shows work by other British makers. It includes Mdina glass made while the Harris family worked in Malta between 1968 and 1972. The Art Deco gallery brings together French, German and British glass of the period.
Highlights
- The largest collection of glass handmade on the Isle of Wight
- More than 1,200 pieces in two galleries
- Mdina glass made by Michael Harris in Malta, 1968 to 1972
- Art Deco and Victorian glass gallery
- Museum shop and a library for visitors
Permanent exhibitions
- Isle of Wight studio glass gallery – The largest collection of glass made on the Isle of Wight, including Isle of Wight Studio Glass, SculptGlass and Mdina glass, plus work by other British makers.
- Art Deco and Victorian glass gallery – French, German and British Art Deco glass alongside a collection of Victorian glass.
- Founded
- 2016
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of 10 or more should book. A customised programme costs £2 per person with a minimum group size of 15, and the museum can take up to 35 people at a time. |
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There is no charge at the door, but visitors are asked to leave a donation in the box. The museum states an official entrance fee of £1 per person.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Arreton Barns (bus 8)
Bus 8 stops outside the entrance to Arreton Barns.
By car
Parking available
Parking is available at the entrance to Arreton Barns.
The museum is in the Arreton Barns arts and crafts centre, just outside Newport.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
Free fast Wi-Fi is available in the museum; ask staff for the password. The museum has a shop for glass, jewellery and books and a library. Toilets are in the Dairyman’s Daughter or at the rear of the Shipwreck Centre.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
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| Good to know | Schools can book a two-hour programme for up to 35 pupils, which includes a talk on the history of glass, a glass appreciation exercise and a glass-making demonstration next door or at SculptGlass. The programme costs £2 per pupil, and the demonstration may cost about £1 extra. Risk assessments are provided. |
