Museum & Art Swindon

About the museum

Museum & Art Swindon is the town's museum and art gallery, run by Swindon Borough Council. For many years it was housed in Apsley House on Bath Road in Old Town as Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. That building closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and did not reopen because it needed major repairs and was hard to make accessible.

The collection moved to the first floor of the council's 1930s Art Deco Civic Offices on Euclid Street, and the museum reopened there in July 2024 with free entry and a new name. The new home gave about 40 per cent more exhibition space than before, areas for staff, volunteers and researchers, and a classroom for school groups. The council describes the site as a semi-permanent home until a new building can be provided in a proposed cultural quarter.

The collections were gathered from the early 1900s onwards. They cover the archaeology of the area, including a large Roman storage jar from Highworth, the social and industrial history of Swindon, natural history and geology, photography, and modern and contemporary British art by artists such as Lucian Freud, Howard Hodgkin, Gwen John and L. S. Lowry. The museum also holds a collection of British studio ceramics.

Highlights

• Roman storage jar from Highworth
• Modern and contemporary British art, including works by Freud, Hodgkin, Gwen John and Lowry
• Social and industrial history of Swindon
• Collection of British studio ceramics
• Free entry and free family trails

Permanent exhibitions

• History collections – Archaeology from prehistoric hillforts to a buried Roman town, and the everyday history of Swindon from Victorian times to today.
• Art collections – Modern and contemporary British paintings, works on paper and sculpture from the 1890s, and local art showing how Swindon has changed.

Founded

1944

Operated by

Swindon Borough Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free and donations are welcome. Booking is not needed, except for groups of 10 or more and for learning visits.

Accessibility

• Partially 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

Steps and a ramp lead to the entrance, and the museum is on the first floor, reached by stairs or lift. Most areas, including some toilets, are wheelchair accessible. There is no parking at the museum; Princes Street car park, the nearest, has a limited number of Blue Badge spaces. Only assistance dogs are allowed. A full access guide can be downloaded from the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Free trail sheets and activity packs are available for families. Free creative workshops for children aged 4 and over run in the school holidays, and most need booking online.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The shop sells gifts and souvenirs inspired by the collections. A first aider is always on site when the museum is open.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit