Bantock House Museum

Over het museum

Bantock House began as a farmhouse built in the 1730s and was later extended and renamed Merridale House. Around 1864 it was bought by Thomas Bantock, a canal and railway agent, and after his death in 1896 his son Albert Baldwin Bantock, who was twice Mayor of Wolverhampton, improved the house and laid out the gardens. When Baldwin died childless in 1938 he left the house and park to Wolverhampton Corporation, and the house was renamed in the family's honour in 1940.

The house is a Grade II* listed building. It was restored to its Edwardian appearance, and the gardens were restored to Baldwin Bantock's original designs in 1998. It is now run by the City of Wolverhampton Council's arts and museums service as a museum of Edwardian life and local history.

On the ground floor, carved oak-panelled rooms with Arts and Crafts furnishings show how the Bantock family lived. Upstairs, displays tell the story of the people and industries that shaped Wolverhampton, with locally made enamels, japanned ware, steel jewellery, toys and dolls. The museum is unusual in letting visitors sit on much of the furniture. Outside are formal gardens, including a Dutch garden and a rose garden, and a large public park with a play area and a pitch-and-putt course.

Hoogtepunten

• Edwardian period rooms with carved oak panelling and Arts and Crafts furnishings
• Locally made enamels, japanned ware and steel jewellery
• Collection of historic toys and dolls
• Formal gardens including a Dutch garden and rose garden
• 43 acres of parkland with play area and pitch and putt
• Courtyard Cafe and a hidden trail of needle-felt mice for children

Vaste collectie

• The Bantock family and the Edwardian house – Period rooms with oak panelling, decorative glass, tiles and Arts and Crafts furnishings showing how the Bantock family lived.
• Made in Wolverhampton – Locally made enamels, japanned ware and jewellery that tell the story of the town's industries and people.
• Toys, dolls and the nursery – Historic toys and dolls, and a nursery room where children can dress up and play.

Opgericht

1938

Beheerder

City of Wolverhampton Council (Wolverhampton Arts and Culture)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

It is free to visit Bantock House. Pitch and putt tickets are sold at reception, and a deposit is taken for the equipment.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There is step-free access via a ramp at the most accessible entrance, level access throughout the ground floor and a lift to the first floor. Surfaces may be uneven and walkways narrow in places. Free on-site parking includes Blue Badge spaces. A detailed access guide is available on the AccessAble website.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

The nursery room has dressing-up, colouring and play activities, and children can follow a hidden trail of needle-felt mice around the house. The park has a climbing frame and picnic tables, and children can use the pitch and putt course when accompanied by an adult. Baby-changing facilities are in the Courtyard and the cafe toilets, with free nappies and wipes at reception. Breastfeeding is welcome throughout the house, cafe and gardens, and the cafe staff can provide hot water for formula.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The house stands in Bantock Park off Finchfield Road, about a ten-minute drive from the centre of Wolverhampton.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Wifi

The Courtyard Cafe serves hot and cold drinks and food; hot food is served until 3.30pm from April to September and until 2.30pm from October to March. Afternoon tea can be booked in advance. Free wifi is listed among the facilities at the site. Picnic tables are in the park near the climbing frame.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Tot 100 personen.

The Coach House holds up to 100 people theatre-style and suits wedding receptions, parties and conferences; the Performance Space holds 40, a small gallery and cafe space can be hired for meetings and private dining, and the whole Edwardian house can be hired for events and filming. Civil ceremonies are held in the house (25 guests) and in the Coach House (100 guests).

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