Charnwood
Museum
About the Museum
Charnwood is a very successful community museum managed in partnership between the
Environment and Heritage Services of Leicestershire County Council and the Leisure and Environment Department
of
Charnwood Borough Council.
Charnwood Museum features a wide range of
exhibits reflecting
the history, geology, archaeology and industries of Charnwood and the surrounding area. Permanent displays
include ‘Coming to Charnwood’, ‘The Natural World of Charnwood’, ‘Living off the Land’ and ‘Earning
a Living’. Each contains exhibits from the past and present including interactive displays, computers
and audio-visuals. Visitors can handle rocks from Charnwood’s volcanic past, walk beneath the giant
oak tree, investigate the 4,000 year old burial of the Cossington Boy, visit the Victorian grocers shop
or zoom-in on a fly’s eye with the video microscope.
Loughborough is the original home of Ladybird Books and Charnwood Museum has an
extensive collection of books, artwork and related memorabilia. Charnwood is also famous internationally
for the discovery of the world’s oldest multi-cellular fossil Charnia and visitors
to the museum can discover more about this rare find by a local schoolboy. Other key exhibits include
the Beaumanor Chair, the Wymeswold Chalice, an Anglo-Saxon gold sword pommel, the famous Barrow Kipper
– a Jurassic marine reptile that still ‘swims’ under the floor of the museum, and the locally made Auster
aeroplane that ‘flies’ in the rafters.
Charnwood Museum’s two temporary exhibition
galleries host a wide range of exhibitions on key local themes as well as national and international
subjects. The museum holds special
events, family fun days and ‘hands-on’ workshops
throughout the year.
Children’s activities including art and craft workshops are
held every school holiday.
Charnwood Museum is set within the beautiful Queens Park in the centre of Loughborough,
see our
Location Map for more details. The museum is open daily and admission is
free. The museum has a café and a shop and is fully accessible to disabled visitors.
e-mail page to a friend