Mansfield Museum

About the museum

Mansfield Museum began with William Edward Baily, a wealthy local collector and naturalist. In 1903 he offered his collection to the town together with a corrugated-iron building, the Tin Tabernacle, to house it, and the museum opened the following year. Gifts from other local men soon followed, notably the bird collection of the naturalist Joseph Whitaker and the paintings of the artist Albert Sorby Buxton.

These collections outgrew the deteriorating Tabernacle, and the present building opened in 1938. A fourth gallery was added in the mid-1960s, and in 1989 an arcade extension brought the museum out to the street. A development in the 1990s provided modern storage and an education room. The hands-on environmental gallery XplorActive opened in 2004, and the Made in Mansfield gallery was refurbished in 2014.

Today the museum is run by Mansfield District Council and works with schools, community groups, artists and local societies. Together with Mansfield Palace Theatre it is funded as a National Portfolio Organisation by Arts Council England. It holds the Family Arts Standard and offers sensory resources for visitors with autism.

The permanent displays include A World of Birds, built around the Whitaker collection of about 3,000 specimens, Made in Mansfield on the town's industries, and the Buxton gallery of watercolours. Temporary exhibitions are shown in the Lecture Hall and the Baily Gallery.

Highlights

• A World of Birds gallery based on the Joseph Whitaker collection of about 3,000 specimens
• Made in Mansfield gallery on the town's industries and working lives
• More than 130 paintings and watercolours by Albert Sorby Buxton and others
• Changing Places toilet and borrowable sensory bags
• Free entry and a coffee shop inside the museum

Permanent exhibitions

• A World of Birds – A natural history gallery built around the Joseph Whitaker bird collection of about 3,000 specimens, including critically endangered species.
• Made in Mansfield – Objects, photographs and oral recordings about local firms such as Metal Box and Mansfield Brewery and the working lives behind them.
• Buxton Gallery – A display of more than 130 paintings including the watercolours of Albert Sorby Buxton.

Founded

1904

Operated by

Mansfield District Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the museum is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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 main entrance has level access and an automatic door 1780 mm wide, with step-free access throughout the galleries. There is an accessible toilet by the entrance and a Changing Places toilet with a hoist for which a radar key is needed. Five Blue Badge spaces are on the street and five more in nearby car parks, about 100 to 150 metres from the entrance. Four sensory bags with ear defenders, a sensory map and toys can be borrowed, and a social story and welcome video are online. Assistance dogs are welcome. Interpretation boards use large text.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

The museum holds the Family Arts Standard and describes itself as a place where children can be curious and active. It has creation stations, hands-on activities, a relaxed children's area with a sensory wall and four borrowable sensory bags. Prams and wheelchairs can move freely, as access is level.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at the top of Leeming Street. Coach parties can use a preferred coach supplier named on the website.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Perch and Brew coffee shop and the museum shop are inside the museum and open during museum hours. Visitors may eat packed lunches in the conservatory seating area.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 120 guests.

Seven spaces including the Lecture Hall, Buxton Gallery, Baily Gallery, Education Room and Arcade, for up to 120 guests.

Plan your visit