What's in the Museum

Whether you are looking for a trip down memory lane, a chance to learn something new, a peaceful stroll through nature or just a nice cup of tea and a cake, Worcestershire County Museum has it all.

The County Museum, housed in the former home of the Bishops of Worcester, is a fascinating place to explore.  In the museum galleries you can discover social history, toys through time, travel & transport and the intriguing story of Worcestershire's past. Visitors can also see room sets such as the schoolroom and scullery, which are regularly brought to life by visiting schoolchildren and period rooms that focus on the Victorian and Civil War rooms.

The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and exciting events throughout the year.  A fantastic gift shop, café, picnic areas and nature reserve all add up to a great day out.

Download our Visitor Map which shows you the various areas within the Museum as well as giving you a short history of the site.

So what will inspire you to visit? 

• a fun day out with the family including a nature reserve, fabulous cafe and well stocked gift shop?
• an enjoyable way of finding our more about the world we live in and expanding your own knowledge?
• a chance to explore the past, through room sets and real historical objects and imagine just what life was like for our ancestors?

Come to Hartlebury for all these things and more!

What is there to see?

Worcestershire County Museum is housed in the servants quarters of Hartlebury Castle, home to the Bishop of Worcester since the 16^th century. The site has been owned by the Church since 850AD and a manor house was built here as early as the 13^th century

Use this link to find out more about the history of Hartlebury Castle.

The County Museum main galleries include collections ranging from children's toys, archaeology and costume to craft work by the Bromsgrove Guild (find out more about our Collections).  Our new themed Galleries focus on the geological wonders of Worcestershire and the importance of water to the region including Victorian Spa Holidays, Malvern spring water, Droitwich Brine Baths and the canal at Stourport.  We also take a look at the history of agriculture and current farming practices in the county. Each year we will be changing and re-displaying our permanent exhibitions and bringing more objects out of our stores so there will always be something new for you to discover!  We also hold temporary exhibitions each year which allow us to explore new themes and exhibt objects not usually on disaply.

The building also contains a number of room sets such as Victorian and Civil War rooms and original rooms within the Castle including the Schoolroom, Scullery and Nursery which really help to bring the past to life.

Within the grounds of the Castle you can also visit the Cider Mill and the Transport Gallery housing a fascinating array of vehicles including a fire engine, hansom cab, bicycles, carts and a large collection of beautifully decorated Gypsy caravans.  

The South wing of the Castle and the magnificent State Rooms (pictured below) are only open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 April - 30 September this year (2012).