Towneley Hall

About the museum

Towneley Hall was the home of the Towneley family for more than 600 years, and parts of the building date from the 14th century. The family stayed loyal to Catholicism during the Reformation, a history that survives in the building through its priest hide and in the collection through the Whalley Abbey vestments. Burnley Corporation bought the hall and its grounds from the family in 1902, and the hall has been a public museum and art gallery since 1903.

The collection now holds around 30,000 objects. It includes Victorian oil paintings by artists such as John William Waterhouse and Edward Burne-Jones, watercolours, sculpture and ceramics, among them more than 200 pieces of Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian pottery. There are over 400 ancient Egyptian artefacts and the mummified remains of a young man from the Ptolemaic period, as well as natural history, costume, 17th-century regional furniture and social history material. Early donors from Burnley helped to build up the collections.

Behind the hall, the former brew house now holds the Museum of Local Crafts and Industries, which shows trades such as clogging, ironmongery and weaving, and includes a bar stocked with bottles from Massey's Brewery.

The hall stands within 445 acres of parkland, much of whose present landscape comes from work by Charles Towneley in the late 18th century. A £2 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2005 helped to pay for restoration. The park has woodland walks, formal gardens, a children's play area and sculpture trails, and the hall is owned and managed by Burnley Council.

Highlights

• Period rooms and 17th-century regional furniture
• Victorian paintings including Waterhouse and Burne-Jones
• Ancient Egyptian collection with a Ptolemaic mummy
• Priest hide and Whalley Abbey vestments
• Museum of Local Crafts and Industries in the former brew house
• 445 acres of parkland with trails and a children's play area

Permanent exhibitions

• Art Gallery – One of the best collections of Victorian oil paintings in the North West, with works by Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, Burne-Jones and Farquharson.
• Ancient Egypt – More than 400 ancient Egyptian objects, from everyday items to funerary goods, with the mummified remains of a young man from the Ptolemaic period.
• Museum of Local Crafts and Industries – Displays in the former brew house on Burnley's trades, including clogging, ironmongery and weaving, with a bar stocked with Massey's Brewery bottles.

Founded

1903

Operated by

Burnley Council

Admission & discounts

The adult ticket of £5.60 gives 12 months of entry. Entry is free for visitors aged 17 and under and for students.

Accessibility

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

Much of the hall is reachable by lift: two lifts serve the main hall and one serves the offices, including a platform lift to the Great Hall and Regency Rooms. There is no lift to the Long Gallery, Priest Hide or the Pilkington glassware gallery, and some areas have uneven surfaces. The historic front entrance has five steps with a handrail; the step-free entrance is at the rear or through the shop. Accessible toilets are in the hall foyer and the Park Life Cafe, and a Changing Places toilet is next to the Rotunda Cafe. Two wheelchairs can be borrowed, and two mobility scooters for the park can be hired free from the shop with a small returnable deposit (book ahead). Sensory bags can be borrowed from the Welcome Room, and there is a low-level reception counter. Blue Badge parking is by the entrance and near the Riverside car park. Assistance dogs are welcome in the hall and the park.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Playground / play area

The Towneley Mouse Trail is a trail through the hall for children. The park has a children's play area, woodland walks and a fairy sculpture trail, and hosts family events during the year.

Getting there & parking

From the M65, leave at junction 9 and follow signs for Halifax (A646) and then Towneley Hall; the hall is also signposted from junctions 10 and 11. The hall is about 1 mile from the park entrance at Hanbrig on Todmorden Road (A671).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Park Life Cafe and the Rotunda Cafe, plus a café at the Towneley Garden Centre in the park. The Shop at Towneley sells gifts, toys, books, prints and locally made food and drink.

Events & venue rental

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

Corporate events and family celebrations, including weddings in the Great Hall and Regency Rooms and a lecture theatre.

Plan your visit