Museum of Antiquities

About the museum

The Museum of Antiquities is one of the museums of Eton College Collections, the group that looks after the school’s historic collections. It displays more than 6,000 objects from the ancient world and is open to the public free of charge.

Its strengths are Egyptian: a major collection of faience, death masks and portraits from the second millennium BCE to the 2nd century CE, and a small group of mummified remains. Cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia and flint hand-axes, some older than Homo sapiens, show the range of the holdings, and some items were collected by Sir William Hamilton in the 18th century.

The museum is housed in the Jafar buildings in South Meadow Lane, next to the college’s Natural History Museum. Part of the Egyptological collection has toured abroad, and objects currently on loan to the University of Birmingham and Johns Hopkins University will return to the purpose-built Jafar Gallery.

Highlights

• Major collection of Egyptian faience
• Egyptian death masks and portraits
• Small group of mummified remains
• Cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia
• Flint hand-axes older than Homo sapiens
• Free entry and activities for children on Sundays

Permanent exhibitions

• Ancient Egypt – Egyptian faience, death masks and portraits, and a small group of mummified remains.
• Mesopotamia and the Stone Age – Cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia and flint hand-axes that are older than modern humans.

Founded

2016

Operated by

Eton College

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free and no booking is required.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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 on one floor, reached by stairs with a handrail or by a lift operated by staff. Accessible toilets are in Jafar Hall. Drinking water is available, and a visual story for the Sunday openings describes quiet spaces and what to expect.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

The Sunday openings offer trails, activities and crafts for children, and special family events take place on selected half-term days. Pushchairs can be stored on site.

Getting there & parking

For satnav use the postcode SL4 6DW (school office). Vehicles cannot cross the Thames from Windsor to Eton, but pedestrians can walk over Windsor Bridge (about half a mile). Coaches are not permitted on Eton High Street.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available

There is no café or shop listed; cafés and restaurants are on Eton High Street.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit