Museums

Gloucestershire has a wide range of museums that will help you catch a flavour of the county's rich heritage

Most of the larger centres in Gloucestershire have a museum displaying artefacts outlining the history of their district.

The Gloucester Folk Museum is housed in timber-framed buildings and explains local crafts and folklore while Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum has a renowned local arts and crafts movement collection. There are also some more specialist museums such as the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester Docks explaining the history and operation of inland waterways.

The Dean Heritage Centre is a museum of forest life set by a mill pond in a wooded valley at Soudley while the Cotswold Heritage Centre has a collection of old farm wagons housed in an old prison at Northleach. The Cotswold town of Northleach is also home to Keith Hardings World of Mechanical Music, a living museum of self-playing instruments.

The John Moore Museum at Tewkesbury is devoted to nature conservation and at Berkeley the Jenner Museum is dedicated to the memory of Edward Jenner, the discoverer of a vaccination against smallpox.

Museum Development Service

Gloucestershire County Council, with funding from SWMLAC (South West Museums Libraries & Archives Council), provides support to museums throughout the county, including training, events, projects and advocacy. The County & Diocesan Archivist is the first contact for the Museum Development Service, and can be contacted via Gloucestershire Archives.

	Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum Clarence Street, Cheltenham GL50 3JT		Cirencester Lock Up Cotswold District Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester
	Clearwell Caves Clearwell Meend, 1.5 mls S of Coleford off B4228		Corinium Museum Park Street, Cirencester. Great fun for all the family.
	Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection The Old Mill, Bourton-on-the-Water		Dean Forest Railway Norchard Railway Centre, 1 ml N of Lydney on B4234
	Dean Heritage Centre Soudley, 3 mls north of Blakeney. OS reference 665105		Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery
	Gloucester Folk Museum		Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Toddington, 3 mls N of Winchcombe
	Great Western Railway Museum Coleford, adjacent to central car/coach park (free)		Hopewell Colliery 1.5 mls W of Speech House on the B4226
	Jenner Museum The Chantry, Church Lane, Berkeley		John Moore Countryside Museum Church Street, Tewkesbury
	Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music High Street, Northleach		Miniature World, Museum of Miniatures Bourton-on-the-Water
	Model Railway Exhibition Box Bush, High Street, Bourton-on-the-Water		Model Village High Street, Bourton-on-the-Water
	Museum in the Park Stratford Park, Stroud		Nature in Art Wallsworth Hall, Twigworth, 2 mls N of Gloucester on A38
	Oakridge Village Museum Oakridge, 2 mls SE of Bisley		Swinford Museum Filkins, 3 mls NE of Lechlade
	Tetbury Police Museum 63 Long Street, Tetbury		Tewkesbury Museum 64 Barton Street, Tewkesbury Glos GL20 5PX
	The Merchants House 45 Church Street, Tewkesbury		Toy and Collectors Museum 8 Park Street, Stow-on-the-Wold
	Wellington Aviation Museum Broadway Road, Moreton-in-Marsh		Winchcombe Folk and Police Museum Town Hall, Winchcombe
	Wotton-under-Edge Heritage Centre The Chipping, Wotton-under-Edge		Winchcombe Railway Museum & Garden Gloucester Street, Winchcombe