National Holocaust Centre and Museum

About the museum

The centre opened in September 1995 as Beth Shalom, meaning house of peace, and was the first place in Britain dedicated to the Holocaust as its main purpose. It was founded by the brothers James and Stephen Smith with their mother Marina, in the family's farmhouse at Laxton, after the brothers had visited Yad Vashem in Israel. The museum describes the Smith family's vision as being that the Holocaust must be taught, discussed and understood by everyone. It is an educational charity and receives no central government funding.

The site is based around the old Victorian farmhouse, with a purpose-built exhibition building and lecture theatre and an acre of landscaped memorial gardens, where a black stone is inscribed with the names of the Nazi death camps. In 2019 a lift was installed so that the main Holocaust exhibition in the basement could be reached by all visitors. The centre now calls itself the National Holocaust Museum.

The museum has two permanent exhibitions. The Journey follows Leo Stein, a ten-year-old German Jewish boy who escapes Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport train, and is based on the lives of 36 refugees. It does not show the Holocaust itself and is meant for children aged 9 and over as well as adults. After a renovation costing about 2 million pounds it reopened with new interactive features. The Holocaust exhibition is a more traditional gallery for visitors aged 14 and over, with artefacts, survivor testimony and film.

Highlights

• The Journey, an immersive walk-through exhibition about a child refugee, for ages 9 and over
• The Holocaust exhibition on the history of persecution and genocide, for ages 14 and over
• Memorial gardens with a white rose garden for reflection
• Over 100 clips of survivor and refugee testimony
• Founded in 1995 as the first Holocaust centre in Britain

Permanent exhibitions

• The Journey – An immersive walk-through exhibition following Leo Stein, a ten-year-old German Jewish boy, from Berlin in 1938 to a Kindertransport train to England, with over 300 objects and 100 clips of refugee testimony.
• The Holocaust – A traditional gallery for visitors aged 14 and over covering pre-war Jewish life, the rise of Hitler, persecution and genocide, with artefacts, survivor testimony and film.
• Memorial Gardens – An acre of landscaped gardens that offers space for reflection and for individuals to remember their families, including a rose garden.

Founded

1995

Operated by

National Holocaust Centre and Museum (registered charity 509022)

Admission & discounts

Entry to The Journey and the Holocaust exhibition is included in the admission ticket. Carers and children under 8 are free, and visitors who already hold a return ticket are admitted free. The museum is an English Heritage Associated Attraction, so English Heritage members get 2-for-1 admission (not for events).

Accessibility

• Partially 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

Lifts serve The Journey exhibition, the classrooms for younger children and the main Holocaust exhibition on the basement level, which has been reachable by lift since 2019. The museum is in a Victorian farmhouse, so physical access is limited in places. Disabled parking is opposite the main entrance and a small disabled car park is 100 metres further along Acre Edge Road. Audio description is available in The Journey, some films are subtitled, and an in-house T-loop hearing system is installed. The Journey is largely text-free and tactile, with handling objects. Accessible toilets are available. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. Visitors are asked to make their needs known on arrival.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 9+

• Hands-on stations

The Journey is designed to be family-friendly for children aged 9 and over, and the museum describes it as the UK's only Holocaust exhibition suitable for primary school age children; it has tactile and interactive features. The Holocaust exhibition is a traditional gallery recommended for visitors aged 14 and over. Separate toilets for younger children are available.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the right as you travel from Ollerton towards Laxton village. Visitors can approach from the A1 or the M1; from London the recommended route is the A1, leaving at the Tuxford junction and following signs to Ollerton on the A6075. On Sundays there is no direct bus from Newark Northgate or Retford, and a taxi costs about 20 to 25 pounds one way. Coaches need about half an hour extra.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

The tea room in the memorial gardens serves a small selection of snacks, cakes and sweets, soup and sandwiches and hot drinks, with gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian options; there is no kosher restaurant. The shop sells books on the Holocaust and other genocides and small gifts, and orders can be made online or by phone. Dogs are not allowed in the museum or coffee shop but can be walked on a short lead in the memorial gardens.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit