Museum of Gloucester

About the museum

The Museum of Gloucester stands in a Victorian building on Brunswick Road in the city centre. It tells the story of Gloucester from its beginnings as a Roman settlement through the early medieval period and the Middle Ages, and a stretch of the original Roman city wall can be seen inside the building.

The collections hold more than 750,000 objects, many of them of national or international importance. Among the best known are the Birdlip Mirror, Roman tombstones and the Gloucester Tables Set, described by the museum as the oldest complete backgammon set in the world. There is also an art collection, and the ground-floor displays are the more hands-on ones, with a Roman kitchen playhouse and a medieval street for families.

The museum is run by Gloucester City Council. Alongside its permanent displays it stages changing exhibitions through the year, including a large summer show, as well as workshops, talks and family events. It also looks after two underground sites in the city centre, Eastgate Chamber and King's Bastion, which show Roman and medieval remains below the modern streets.

Highlights

• Birdlip Mirror, one of the museum's best-known objects
• Roman tombstones
• Gloucester Tables Set, an ancient backgammon set
• Roman wall visible inside the museum
• Roman kitchen playhouse and medieval street
• Archaeology Discovery Centre where finds are unpacked and catalogued

Permanent exhibition

• Roman and medieval Gloucester – Displays on the city's Roman origins and its medieval development, with objects such as the Birdlip Mirror and Roman tombstones.

Operated by

Gloucester City Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free and donations are welcome. Some exhibitions and workshops may charge a small fee, and free carer tickets are available for paid events and exhibitions.

Accessibility

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

The entrance has sloped level access from the pavement with automatic doors, and level access leads from reception to the ground floor, café, shop and toilets. A platform lift serves the ground and first floors; the alternative is a flight of 33 steps. Accessible toilets, including a Changing Places toilet and a baby change, are on the ground floor and need no key. Hearing loops are at the ground floor reception desk and the first floor gallery desk. The museum does not lend wheelchairs, but Gloucester Shopmobility is about 120 m away and staff can help with charging scooters. Limited disabled bays are at the front of the museum on Brunswick Road, and two public car parks are within 200 m. Touch-and-feel objects are available on request, and a sensory map shows where sound effects play. Only service dogs are allowed inside.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The ground-floor displays are interactive, with a Roman kitchen playhouse and a medieval street. Regular family events include story sessions, nature journal and craft workshops, and weekly Quiet Mornings for calmer visits. A baby change is in the accessible toilets on the ground floor.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Brunswick Road in the centre of Gloucester.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café serving coffee and cake, and a gift shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Wheatstone Hall, a large meeting space at the back of the museum, can be hired for meetings, training and workshops.

Plan your visit