Museum in the Park

About the museum

The museum traces its origins to a bequest from William Cowle, who left £4,000 in his will of 1897. The Cowle Museum Trust was set up after his death in 1899, and the museum opened to the public on 15 March 1930 in the Stroud School of Science and Art at Lansdown. Its collection began with natural history and geology, and archaeology and social history were added during the 1930s. The collection grew rapidly from the 1950s and eventually outgrew the building.

In 1983 a partnership with the District Council created the Stroud District (Cowle) Museum, and a collections management centre was later set up at Stonehouse. The museum moved to the mansion in Stratford Park, which was bought and fitted out largely with Heritage Lottery Fund support, and the Museum in the Park opened there in 2001.

The mansion was owned in the mid-19th century by the Watts family, first the Stroud brewer Joseph Watts and then his grandson Joseph Watts Hallewell. The surrounding park covers about 56 acres, has an arboretum dating from the same period and is managed by Stroud District Council. Today the museum shows more than 4,000 objects that tell the story of the people and landscape of the district, alongside an art gallery, a walled garden, a gift shop and a mini café.

Highlights

• More than 4,000 objects on the people and landscape of the Stroud District
• Art gallery with changing exhibitions and paintings from the collection
• Walled garden and learning pavilion
• Free entry in a mansion set in 56-acre Stratford Park
• Family explorer trails, workshops and a free sensory trail

Permanent exhibition

• The Collection of the Stroud District – More than 4,000 objects, paintings and fossils tell the story of the people and landscape of the Stroud District.

Founded

1930

Operated by

Stroud District Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free and no ticket is needed; donations are welcome. Some talks, courses and day workshops must be booked and may carry a charge.

Accessibility

• 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

The grounds are step-free, the entrance has automatic sliding doors, and a ramp with handrails leads to the exhibition gallery and meeting room. A lift serves the first floor of the mansion. One manual wheelchair can be borrowed free if booked in advance. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor, and hearing loops at reception, in the gallery, in the meeting room and in the Learning Pavilion. Trained assistance dogs are welcome in the museum and walled garden. Accessible parking bays are directly outside the museum, reached through an intercom at the barrier. Large-print guides, magnifiers, coloured overlays and a free sensory trail are available at reception. The museum is usually quieter on weekdays between 15:00 and 16:30 in term time.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

The museum offers workshops, talks, family explorer trails and hands-on resources, with extra activities in school holidays. Stratford Park next door has two children’s play areas, a miniature railway and a lake.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies north of National Cycle Route 45, and bicycles can be locked to racks in the front courtyard. From the M5 (junction 13), take the A419 towards Stroud and follow the brown signs to Stratford Park.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Gift shop with work by local makers, and a mini café serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice cream, with seating indoors and in the courtyard. Picnics are not allowed in the walled garden or indoors but are welcome in Stratford Park.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

A meeting room and the Walled Garden Learning Pavilion can be hired. The meeting room is not available on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesday mornings, and the pavilion only at weekends, in school holidays and in the evenings.

Plan your visit