Thame Museum

About the museum

Thame Museum tells the story of the Oxfordshire market town of Thame, whose history reaches back more than 6,000 years. It opened in 2007 and is run as a registered charity. The museum is housed in the former Magistrates Court, a building dating from 1861 on the High Street, and it describes itself as a family-friendly museum.

The Main Gallery follows the town through prehistoric, Roman and Saxon times, the Elizabethan age and the Civil War up to the twentieth century, using wall panels, local objects and recorded memories of residents. A separate gallery shows Elizabethan wall paintings found in the 1960s at 34 Upper High Street. They were installed when the museum opened and the room was redesigned after a National Lottery grant in 2015, with a touch screen telling the story of the merchant who once lived in the house.

In August 2023 the museum opened the Robin Gibb Gallery, a permanent display of items from the personal archive of the singer’s widow, Dwina Gibb, who is the museum’s patron. Further parts of the museum include an object of the month, an oral history collection and a handling collection that can be used by groups and schools.

Highlights

• Main Gallery on 6,000 years of Thame’s history
• Elizabethan wall paintings in a reconstructed merchant’s room
• Robin Gibb Gallery with items from the Bee Gees singer’s archive
• Recorded memories of local residents and an object of the month
• Handling collection, dressing-up corner and family trails

Permanent exhibitions

• Main Gallery – The story of Thame from prehistoric times to the twentieth century, told through wall panels, local artefacts and recorded memories of residents.
• Elizabethan Wall Paintings Gallery – Well-preserved wall paintings from the reign of Elizabeth I, shown in a room set up as the home of a merchant with a touch-screen story.
• Robin Gibb Gallery – A display about the Bee Gees with artefacts, photographs and memorabilia from the personal archive of Robin Gibb’s widow.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Thame Museum (registered charity no. 1174795)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. Membership costs £12.50 a year (£25 for a family).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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 whole museum is accessible to wheelchair users who do not use motorised chairs, and there is an adapted toilet.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

The museum describes itself as family friendly, with family trails, a dressing-up corner for Edwardian school clothes, pre-school story time and half-term and holiday activities.

Getting there & parking

The museum is a 3-minute walk from the Town Hall along the High Street, near the double roundabout. From Oxford take the A418 into Thame; the museum is on the left after the sharp bend.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with local arts and crafts, books, toys, jewellery and Robin Gibb merchandise; items can also be bought online.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit