The Box

About the museum

The Box opened in 2020 as Plymouth's combined museum, art gallery and archive. It grew out of the former Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, an Edwardian Baroque building of 1910 that closed in 2016 for a large redevelopment. The project joined that building with the old Central Library and the former St Luke's church on Tavistock Place and added a new extension, so that the city's collections could be shown and cared for on one site.

The collections hold around two million objects. They range from art, including the Cottonian Collection, to natural history specimens, archaeology from Dartmoor and Mount Batten, Egyptian objects, historic ship figureheads and the regional film and television archives. The records of the city and the surrounding area are kept alongside them.

The Box is led by Plymouth City Council and supported by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Its galleries tell the story of Plymouth's links with the sea and the voyages that left from the port, and a changing programme of exhibitions and events runs alongside them. The museum was named Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2026.

Highlights

• Port of Plymouth gallery on the city and its connection to the sea
• 100 Journeys, a gallery of famous voyages that set off from Plymouth
• Mammoth gallery on the natural world
• Fourteen restored ship figureheads hung in the atrium
• Cottonian Collection and Cottonian Research Room
• Archives and screen heritage collections

Permanent exhibitions

• Port of Plymouth – Collections that tell the story of Plymouth and its long connection to the sea.
• 100 Journeys – A gallery of famous and infamous voyages that set out from Plymouth.
• Mammoth – A gallery about the natural world and its variety.

Founded

1910

Operated by

Plymouth City Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free and does not need to be booked, apart from a place in the Cottonian Research Room and free tickets for some exhibitions. A donation is suggested to help keep the museum free.

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 main entrance on Tavistock Place is step-free and lifts serve all public areas. Wheelchairs and a mobility scooter can be borrowed free of charge from the Welcome Desk or reserved in advance. Accessible toilets are available and the Changing Places toilet on the ground floor needs a radar key. Hearing loops are installed at the Welcome Desk, in the Cottonian Research Room and in the learning room, and film displays have subtitles. Large print label booklets are provided for temporary exhibitions and handling collections can be requested by visitors with sensory impairments. Foldable stools can be borrowed. There is a quiet space, and pre-visit guides and a social story are available for neurodivergent visitors. The Port of Plymouth and Media Lab galleries have low light and large projections. Disabled parking is at the end of Tavistock Place; assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Free family trails are offered, with new ones each year and seasonal editions, and some galleries have hands-on interactives. Explore More tables above the Welcome Desk offer books, games and monthly crafts. There are holiday activities and term-time sessions for under-5s, including 'I Wonder' sessions for ages six months to four years, and workshops for home-educated children. Baby changing is on the ground floor of the main building and in St Luke's church. Pushchairs can be left near the baby changing room or taken around the galleries by lift. Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are welcome anywhere in the building, and the Kitchen & Bar has highchairs and a children's menu.

Getting there & parking

The museum is a five-minute walk from Drake Circus shopping centre and the city centre. Ten public cycle stands are on Tavistock Place and North Hill (bring your own lock), and an e-bike bay for Beryl hire bikes is on Tavistock Place.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Free wifi throughout the site. The Kitchen & Bar serves food and drinks including vegetarian and vegan choices, and there is a shop. Lockers cost £1 and are in the main building and at St Luke's church. Picnics are allowed outside on Tavistock Place, but food and drink are not allowed in the galleries.

Events & venue rental

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

Galleries, a central venue and meeting spaces can be hired for civil ceremonies, receptions, conferences and private events. Commercial filming and photography are also offered.

Plan your visit