Abingdon County Hall Museum
Abingdon County Hall Museum
The Market Place
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3HG
England
Website
Abingdon Museum website
The Abingdon Museum Friends
legges.users.btopenworld.com/musf.htm
abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk
Telephone
01235 523703
Fax
01235 536814
Abingdon County Hall Museum is located in a Grade 1* listed building in the centre of the town just opposite the Medieval Abbey. This beautiful, perfectly-preserved Restoration building overlooking the Market Place, is considered to be one of the outstanding market buildings in England, with vaulted cellars, undercroft, stair of c. 1700, Sessions Gallery with Minstrel Gallery, and roof open to visitors on Saturday from April to October with views of the Cotswolds, Chilterns and Downs.
Abingdon is considered to be the oldest continually inhabited town in Britain, and exhibitions include collections from the Iron Age oppidum, Roman town, the finest collection of Anglo-Saxon jewellery and personal items from Oxfordshire and outstanding Medieval finds. There are collections and displays relating to all periods of the town's history, which is summarised in a Time Line suitable for families.
In addition to the permanent collections and larger temporary exhibitions several times a year, smaller exhibitions on local themes change every month. The museum has a well-stocked shop for every age-group, and a coffee-bar tables and chairs. Families with pre-school children are welcome and there is a children's activity table with drop-in activities.
Venue type
Museum
Additional info
No wheelchair access but Museum Guide at Town Council Offices at Information Point
Abingdon County Hall Museum
The Market Place
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3HG
England
Website
Abingdon Museum website
The Abingdon Museum Friends
legges.users.btopenworld.com/musf.htm
abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk
Telephone
01235 523703
Fax
01235 536814
A beautiful mirror frame carved by Grinling Gibbons, an embroidered smock shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and badges from Abingdon's own car company, MG, are just some of the objects forming a large and varied museum collection, some of which can be seen in displays which line the stairs (giving a brief introduction to the history of the town) and in the main museum gallery, the Sessions Hall, which was originally a court room in a magnificent 17th Century building, reputed to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Today the Sessions Hall is a spectacular setting for a varied programme of displays and exhibitions, concentrating on local history themes and contemporary crafts. The classically styled display cases that furnish the gallery were specially created by the renowned furniture designer, Erik de Graaff.
Collection details
Archaeology, Architecture, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Natural Sciences, Social History, Toys and Hobbies, Weapons and War
Collections services
- Object identification and/or written enquiry service
- Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)
Abingdon County Hall Museum
The Market Place
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3HG
England
Website
Abingdon Museum website
The Abingdon Museum Friends
legges.users.btopenworld.com/musf.htm
abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk
Telephone
01235 523703
Fax
01235 536814
The Making of MG - The Abingdon Years, 1930-1980, at Abingdon County Hall Museum
Close to a million MGs were made in Abingdon, beginning in 1929, of which around three quarters were exported. As a result, the names and fame of MG and Abingdon spread throughout the world.
This exhibition is designed to illustrate the working lives of the men who made the MG, show how the cars were made, look behind the finished product to the development and design, and show the social life of the employees and the team spirit that it bred.
Suitable for
- All ages
- Family friendly
When
10:30am-4pm
Where
Abingdon County Hall Museum
Admission
Please note that this exhibition is open at weekends only and is on the second floor. Regrettably there is no wheelchair access. But admission is free and there is no need to book.
Abingdon County Hall Museum
The Market Place
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3HG
England
Website
Abingdon Museum website
The Abingdon Museum Friends
legges.users.btopenworld.com/musf.htm
abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk
Telephone
01235 523703
Fax
01235 536814
