Mr Straw's House

About the museum

Mr Straw's House is an ordinary red-brick semi-detached house at 7 Blyth Grove in Worksop, and it was the first small domestic property acquired by the National Trust, in 1990. William Straw moved to Worksop in 1886 to work for his brother in a grocer's shop and later ran a successful business of his own. In 1923 the family moved from a flat above the shop to the new house on the edge of town, and also bought the plot opposite for an orchard.

William Straw senior died suddenly in 1932. His family kept his coats, hats, pipes and tobacco in place and never took down the 1932 calendar. After the death of their mother in 1939, his sons William and Walter lived on together in the house for four decades. They threw little away and did without many modern comforts. Walter died in 1976, and William, left alone, died in 1990, leaving the contents of the house to the National Trust, which then bought the building to display them.

The house now holds a collection of about 30,000 possessions, many still where their owners left them. Number 7 is shown as the family lived, while number 5 next door holds the reception, a small tea-room and rooms with objects normally kept in drawers and cupboards. The garden has a greenhouse with Walter's cactus collection and an orchard of fruit trees once used for preserves.

Visits are by pre-booked timed tour in small groups to protect the fragile interiors. The display theme for 2026 is bringing the outside in, which looks at how the natural world shaped the family's everyday life.

Highlights

• Preserved 1920s home of a grocer's family, almost unchanged since 1923
• About 30,000 possessions displayed where the owners left them
• Rooms at number 5 showing objects normally hidden in drawers and cupboards
• Garden, orchard and greenhouse with Walter Straw's cacti
• Monthly guided Worksop Walk in the footsteps of the Straw family

Permanent exhibitions

• The Straw family home – The preserved interiors of number 7 Blyth Grove, with the family's everyday possessions displayed as they were left, and rooms at number 5 showing items normally stored away.
• Garden, orchard and greenhouse – A tended back garden with a greenhouse holding Walter Straw's cactus collection and an orchard of fruit trees.

Founded

1990

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are shown without the optional Gift Aid donation; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £9.90, the child £5.00, the family £24.80 and the one-adult family ticket £14.90. National Trust members enter free. The Worksop Walk on the last Friday of the month from March to October is a separate booked event.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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

Both houses have several flights of steep stairs and narrow corridors, and there are steps to the back garden and greenhouse. The only toilet is outside in the original privy, with a step up and no accessible toilet. Parking is in the orchard opposite the house, and a drop-off point is possible on the street in front. An induction loop is available during the visitor welcome and the monthly walk. Braille and large print guides are available, and seating is provided in reception and the garden. Only assistance dogs are allowed. A full accessibility guide is published on AccessAble.

Kids & families

Children aged 5 to 17 pay a reduced price and under 5s are free. The interior has steep stairs and narrow corridors, and a picnic area is in the orchard.

Getting there & parking

Blyth Grove is a small private road off the B6045 Blyth Road, just south of the Bassetlaw Hospital entrance. On foot it is about 20 to 30 minutes from the town centre. The cycle route NCN6 passes three-quarters of a mile away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

A small tea-room serves hot and cold drinks and pre-packaged snacks. There is a bookshop and a plant shop selling cacti grown in the greenhouse. Picnic benches are in the orchard. Bags cannot be carried round the house and are left securely in reception.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit