MUSEUMS have been closed for months during lockdown- and for many they have been sorely missed.

Many struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic and relied on the £300m culture recovery fund boost that Rishi Sunak announced in the 2021 budget meeting.

Thankfully, things are starting to look up for the industry as Museums are allowed to reopen from May 17- and many have new exhibitions and events lined up for visitors.  

Here are some top museums in Worcestershire that we can't wait to visit from next week:

1. Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, Foregate Street, Worcester
Price: Free

(Facebook/ Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum)

When was the last time you paid a visit to this elegant Victorian building.

Numerous exhibitions, events and activities take place here throughout the year- and this museum is opening with a bang.

From May 17, Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum will also be hosting an exciting Titanic exhibition.

Titanic: Honour & Glory exhibition will feature unique items from one of the largest collections of rare Titanic and White Star Line artefacts in the world- it will run until 11 September.

Here are some other planned events set to take place in May:

  • Lavish Living: Worcestershire in the 1950s exhibition
  • Fashioning Peace: Life and Liberty after the Great War
  • Britihs Wildlife Photography Awards Retrospective Exhibition

If you don’t want to attend a specific event, you can still browse the collections that are always at the museum.

You can visit The Worcestershire Soldier or the collections and objects from the Mercian Regiment Museum Worcestershire (formerly the Worcestershire Regiment Museum).

They have many popular attractions, but visitors seem to appreciate and remember: the Chemist Shop, the mighty Sturgeon, Sabrina and of course Albert the Albatross.

2. The Commandery, Sidbury, Worcester
Price: Children under five- Free
Children age 5-16: £3.50
Adults: £7.50
Family ticket: £20

(Facebook/ @commandery)

If you are a fan of all things about the English Civil War and The Battle of Worcester- then this is the museum to visit.

It will reopen to customers on Tuesday 18th May.

It features an interactive experience that takes you back 350 years to 17th century Worcester.

The Commandery also has its own gardens, as well as an independent café which serves artisan coffee and loose teas.

On bank holiday Monday (31 May), they will be hosting an event called Wild about Wildlife which will feature nature-inspired activities and birds of prey will also be on display.

The Commandery – Worcester is accredited by the Visit England Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme (VAQAS) and has earned the VAQAS mark for the high standard of our museum and visitor experience.

3. Tudor House Museum, Friar Street Cost: Free (but they welcome donations)

(Facebook/@TudorHouseWorcester)

Tudor House Museum will be reopening to the public on 19 May- and they have some new displays for the people of Worcester to enjoy.

The museum has been very cryptic about the new display boards- but they have uncovered some facts and stories about the family who lived at the Tudor House in 1911 and managed the Cadbury's coffee shop.

(Facebook/@TudorHouseWorcester)

This museum is described as a “unique slice of Tudor life” and run entirely by volunteers.   

Seat yourself in the 17th Century tavern or nose around the 16th Century bedroom, peak in at the ARPs office or refresh yourself in our charming coffee shop, inspired by Richard Cadbury’s work here.

They are open every Wednesday to Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.

4. Museum of Royal Worcester, Severn Street
Price: Adult- £6.50
Concession (Over-60s/Students)- £5.50 
Child (Under-16s) and essential carers go free.

(Facebook/ @TheMoRW )

This museum tells the story of Worcester porcelain and it also features galleries of Georgian and Victorian ceramics.

There are more than 10,000 ceramic objects in total and more are added on a regular basis.

Currently, they have some artwork in their courtyard which you can try and spot during your visit.

From Thursday 27 May, you will get the chance to see a new collaborative exhibition between the Museum of Royal Worcester and the Gloucestershire Society for Botanical Illustration.

Included in the exhibition will be a celebration of the life and work of Stuart Lafford, who worked at Royal Worcester in the 1980s as a painter. As a practising artist he also taught many of the GSBI’s current members.

This museum will officially open its doors on Thursday 20 May.

5. Worcestershire County Museum/ Hartlebury Castle, Kidderminster
Cost: (Just for museum admission)

Adult

£5.50

Concessions (over 60s & Students)

£5.00

Children (aged 5-16)

£3.25

Children under 5

Free

Family Ticket (2 adults & up to 3 children)

£16.00


This museum is located in Hartlebury Castle and features themed galleries, stunning rooms and vast collections.

Here, you can discover the Victorian school room and more about children toys of that era.

You can step back even further into ancient Worcestershire in their archaeology gallery.

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.

6. Bewdley Museum, Load Street, Bewdley
Cost: Free

Situated in the delightful Georgian town of Bewdley, this unique museum offers something for the whole family.

While here, visitors can enjoy audio history listens, tactile displays and can even learn what it was like to be locked up in the town jail.

They have a few events lined up in the coming weeks, including:

Guided town walks- 26 May

Take a stroll with a knowledgeable local guide and explore Bewdley's years as one of England's most important ports in a 90 minute discovery walkabout.

Tickets £7.50 per adult, booking is essential.

Half term crafting- 21 May- 4 June

Fancy making a ceramic dog planter or cotton summer caps? These are just some of the crafting events taking place in the half term.

It’s £5 per activity per child and spaces are limited.

The Shambles and Herb garden is open right now- but their displays and indoor galleries will be open from May 17.

Cherry Fair 1940s weekend- 24-25 July

 The event is a joint event with the Civic Society telling visitors the history of the cherry orchards in Bewdley.

There is also live entertainment from 1pm-3pm.

7. George Marshall Medical Museum, Charles Hastings Education Centre, Worcester
Cost: Free

This museum is home to a fascinating collection of artefacts which show the way medicine and healthcare have developed over the past 250 years.

Death masks, medical books and historic photographs are just some of the featured items at the museum.

While their focus is on history, they also feature some modern displays and exhibitions to do with medicine.

One of their newest exhibitions is from a Worcester artist called Corrine.

She has been creating photographs depicting her ongoing struggles with mental illness. Her fear of Covid-19 has had a debilitating effect on her already fragile health, leaving her bed bound.

8. Broadway Museum and Art Gallery, High Street, Broadway
Cost: Adult £5.00
Family £10.00 (2 Adults and up to 2 children)
Child £2.00 (under 5’s free)

(Facebook/@BroadwayMuseumUK )

Broadway Museum and Art Gallery has announced one of its summer exhibitions which are running between 22 May and 3 October.

This includes An Artist’s Legacy: Sargent, His Sisters and Their Friends.

According to the museum’s website, they wrote: “This is a unique exhibition celebrating two important recent gifts, to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, featuring rarely seen works by John Singer Sargent, the most prominent member of the Broadway Colony of Artists, and his contemporaries Augustus John, his sister Gwen John, and Philip Wilson Steer.

“Of particular interest is the important group of watercolours by Sargent’s beloved sister Emily, never before publicly exhibited.”

Will you be visiting a local museum when they reopen?