Norton Collection Museum

About the museum

The Norton Collection began in 1949, when Dennis Norton started collecting soon after he began work at the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge in Birmingham. Most of the items date from between then and 1992, when the collection was transferred to Bromsgrove District Council, although he has continued to add to it since. Before 1992 he showed the collection to the public in three places: Upton Warren, Davenal House and the Coach House.

The collection is very varied. His background in the motor industry is reflected in many objects linked to cars and especially motorcycles, including a Banshee motorcycle, a make built in Bromsgrove in the 1920s. He also collected gramophones and other music players, cameras and cine projectors and old advertising signs, and he was interested in domestic interiors of the past: at Upton Warren he fitted out a complete kitchen as it would have looked a hundred years ago.

In recent years the collection has grown to include many objects connected with the Bromsgrove Guild, the arts and crafts firm founded in 1898 by the sculptor Walter Gilbert, whose work ranged from lamps to the gates of Buckingham Palace. These include more than 2,500 glass negatives of the Guild's work. The museum is now at 26 Birmingham Road, where updates in 2022 added a wheelchair-accessible front entrance and a lift to the first floor. The trustees plan a new frontage and extra space at the rear for the Guild collection.

Highlights

• Banshee motorcycle, a make built in Bromsgrove in the 1920s
• Primus Matagraph, a rare combined magic lantern and film projector
• Gramophones, music players, cameras and cine projectors
• A kitchen fitted out as it would have been 100 years ago
• Bromsgrove Guild items, including over 2,500 glass negatives

Permanent exhibitions

• The Norton Collection – Dennis Norton's collection of motorcycles, gramophones, cameras, cine projectors, advertising signs and domestic items from the last century and earlier.
• The Bromsgrove Guild – Objects and more than 2,500 glass negatives from the Bromsgrove Guild, the arts and crafts firm founded in 1898 that made metalwork, sculpture and glass.

Founded

1972

Operated by

Norton Collection Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

Adult admission is £5; accompanied children under 16 are free.

Accessibility

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

Following updates in 2022, the museum has a wheelchair-accessible front entrance and a lift to the first floor, where most of the exhibits are displayed. Assistance dogs are welcome, as are other well-behaved dogs.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Please use the nearby pedestrian crossing to reach the museum safely. The what3words address is then.truly.trap.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit