Marlow Museum

About the museum

Marlow Museum was founded in 2009 by local people who wanted the heritage of the town and its surrounding villages, including Little Marlow and Bisham, to be recorded and shown to everyone. It is a registered charity, staffed entirely by volunteers and funded by grants, members, book sales and visitor donations.

The museum occupies a single room, known as the Peacock Room, in front of Court Garden House in Higginson Park. The Georgian manor house was built in 1758 for the physician Dr William Battie. In the 1920s local residents saved the riverside estate from private development by buying it for the town, linking their appeal to the hundredth birthday of General Sir George Higginson. The house now serves as a leisure centre.

The collection ranges from prehistoric finds to objects of the twentieth century. It includes river finds, General Higginson's drum, a model kitchen of 1796 and a large lace collection. Lace making was an important local trade from the sixteenth century, and the museum's holdings grew after Marlow-born Pamela Nottingham, who devoted her life to preserving the local lace tradition, left her collection and a bequest on her death in 2023. A timeline of Marlow's history is almost always on show, while the main exhibition changes once or twice a year.

Highlights

• Timeline of Marlow's history, almost always on display
• Lace collection, including the Pamela Nottingham Lace Collection
• General Higginson's drum, the Marlow Donkey and other local objects
• Costumes to try on and colouring for children
• Higginson Park Centenary Heritage Trail with noticeboards and QR codes

Permanent exhibitions

• The Story of Marlow – A permanent timeline and displays on the history of Marlow and the surrounding villages, from prehistoric times to the twentieth century.
• Marlow lace making – Permanent display on the cottage lace industry of Marlow, including the Pamela Nottingham Lace Collection with bobbins, patterns and lace pillows.

Founded

2009

Operated by

Marlow Museum (registered charity no. 1187853)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free. Donations are welcome and help to cover the running costs of the volunteer-run museum.

Accessibility

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

The museum is one room on a single level. There is a slight step at the entrance, with ramps inside and outside the door (door width 805 mm). The counter and a shop display are lowered. There is no induction loop, and seating is on folding chairs. Accessible toilets are in the adjacent leisure centre (the door code is available from reception). The Pound Lane car park has 6 Blue Badge spaces, four of them close to the museum; the pay machines do not have level access.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children can try on costumes from 800 years ago and do some colouring. Higginson Park next door has a children's play area, and the café in the leisure centre has a play area for children.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in front of Court Garden Leisure Centre, next to the car park, off Pound Lane.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small museum shop with local history books, cards, toys and Marlow souvenirs. The nearest café and toilets are in the adjacent Court Garden Leisure Centre; the café is on the first floor, reached by lift.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit