Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery

About the museum

Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery traces its roots to 1835, when a local natural history and antiquarian society opened a museum in the town. Over the following decades the collections moved several times, to Vaughan's Mansion in 1853 and to the old Shrewsbury School building in 1885. In 1877 the museum took in a major group of finds from the Roman city of Viroconium at nearby Wroxeter, which laid the basis for its Roman collections.

Today the museum occupies the former Music Hall and Assembly Rooms on The Square, designed by Edward Haycock Senior and built in 1835, together with the neighbouring Vaughan's Mansion, a rare surviving medieval hall house. After a major redevelopment the museum returned to these buildings, and the whole collection was presented anew for modern visitors.

The galleries cover millions of years of Shropshire's past, from geology and fossils through archaeology and medieval life to decorative art, ceramics and social and industrial history. A strand of the displays is devoted to Charles Darwin, who was born and educated in Shrewsbury, and contemporary art is shown in this context. The museum describes itself as the county's flagship museum and art gallery and is run by Shropshire Museums.

Admission is free, supported by donations, and the museum also has a café, a shop, a visitor information point, a courtyard and rooms for hire.

Highlights

• Roman finds from Wroxeter
• Geology and fossils gallery
• Decorative art and ceramics
• Darwin-themed displays and contemporary art
• Medieval Vaughan's Mansion in the museum buildings

Permanent exhibitions

• Archaeology – Finds from Shropshire's past including Roman material from Wroxeter.
• Geology and Fossils – Fossils and rocks that show millions of years of Shropshire's natural history, linked to Charles Darwin.
• Decorative Art and Ceramics – Decorative objects and local ceramics from the museum's collections.

Founded

1835

Operated by

Shropshire Council (Shropshire Museums)

Visitors per year

approx. 350,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free. The museum relies on donations, which can be made at contactless donation stations and cash boxes; a typical donation is £10.

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

Level ground floor and lifts to all floors, with accessible toilets on every floor. The nearest Changing Places toilet is in the Darwin Shopping Centre public toilets. A hearing induction loop may be available, so contact the museum before visiting. Seating throughout, large print texts on request, an Easy Read access guide online, and a quiet room on request. Blue Badge holders can use designated on-street bays on Princess Street, Shoplatch, Roushill and Claremont Street.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Weekly baby and toddler groups, holiday activities, handling trolleys and a children's menu in the café.

Getting there & parking

Electric vehicle charging is at Frankwell Quay and Abbey Foregate car parks.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

The Museum Café serves coffee, brunch, light lunches and cakes and has a courtyard; a children's menu and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are offered. Free Wi-Fi is available.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 120 guests.

Rooms for weddings, civil partnerships, meetings and workshops include the Balcony, Vaughan's Mansion, the Walker Suite and the Special Exhibition Gallery (up to 120 seated). Hire of the Square is also possible.

Plan your visit