Lapworth Museum of Geology
A free University of Birmingham museum of fossils, rocks and minerals in the Edwardian Aston Webb Building, with an Allosaurus skeleton in its main hall.
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Over het museum
The Lapworth Museum traces its origins to 1880 and the foundation of Mason College, the forerunner of the University of Birmingham. It is named after Charles Lapworth, the college's first Professor of Geology. The museum has occupied its present space in the Grade II* listed Aston Webb Building since the 1920s, and the main hall was once an engineering workshop that served as an ambulance bay during the Second World War.
The collections have grown over more than 125 years of research. They include about 12,000 minerals, large palaeontological collections of international scientific importance, historic rock samples, a map collection recording nineteenth-century advances in geology, and an archive relating to significant geoscientists. Altogether the museum holds a quarter of a million specimens.
The museum reopened in 2016 after a redevelopment costing £2.7 million that created new galleries and visitor and education facilities. Its three galleries tell the story of life and the planet: the Evolution of Life gallery in the main hall, Active Earth on processes such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and Mineral Wealth on the uses of minerals, including links to Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. The museum is run by the University of Birmingham, admission is free, and it offers free learning sessions for school groups.
Hoogtepunten
- Allosaurus and Pteranodon skeletons in the Evolution of Life gallery
- Floor-to-ceiling rock wall explaining the rock cycle
- Fluorescent minerals under ultraviolet light
- About 12,000 minerals
- Interactive globe projector in Active Earth
- Free monthly guided tour
Vaste collectie
- Evolution of Life, Active Earth and Mineral Wealth galleries – Three permanent galleries covering the history of life, Earth processes such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and the diversity and uses of minerals.
- Opgericht
- 1880
- Beheerder
- University of Birmingham
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
De toegang is gratis.
| Groepen | –Groups should contact the museum before visiting. |
|---|
General entry is free. Learning sessions, school visits and loan boxes are free but must be booked in advance.
Toegankelijkheid
- Rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The museum is fully accessible for wheelchair users and prams, with a lift to the mezzanine level. Standard wheelchairs and folding stick seats can be borrowed free from reception. There is a gender-neutral accessible toilet with baby changing. Limited Blue Badge spaces are next to the museum; visitors should approach the campus via the Ring Road and tell security. An Easy Read visual guide to visiting and a 2026 access policy are available on the museum website.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
- Doe- en voelstations
- Kinderwagenvriendelijk
- Verschoonruimte
The galleries are aimed at a broad audience including families, and the museum offers family trails, activity ideas to try at home and free school workshops. Baby changing is in the accessible toilet, and the museum is accessible for prams.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
University station · 5 min. lopen
The museum is a five-minute walk from University railway station and is on several bus and cycle routes.
Met de auto
Betaald parkeren
Weekdays 08:00 to 18:00: pay and display in the North East multi-storey car park (£3.40 up to 1 hour, £5.20 up to 3 hours, £10.00 all day); free on campus after 18:00. Weekends: £3.00 per day campus-wide until 18:00. Pay with the RingGo app (location code 15677) or by cash at the multi-storey. Limited Blue Badge spaces are next to the museum; parking cannot be reserved.
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
The museum is in the Aston Webb Building (marked R4 on the campus map) just off the Ring Road South on the University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Museumwinkel
Snacks and drinks are sold at the museum gift shop but cannot be consumed in the galleries. The shop sells toys, books, minerals, prints, games and jewellery. A water point is opposite reception.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
- Privéfeesten
- Zakelijke evenementen
Tot 200 personen.
The Main Hall can host drinks receptions, dinners and celebrations for up to 200 standing guests, and the Education Room is available for seminars and meetings (day hire 09:00 to 18:00).
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 60 min. |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | A free guided tour runs on the first Monday of each month from 12:00 to 13:00 and includes behind-the-scenes access; it is booked through Eventbrite. A free object identification service lets visitors bring finds to reception for a brief look by curatorial staff, but no valuations are given. Primary school sessions are one-hour hands-on workshops for groups of eight or more, held on Wednesdays to Fridays and fully booked for autumn 2026 and spring 2027. |
