Charnwood is a very successful community museum managed in partnership between the Communities and Wellbeing Department 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 free and has a café and a shop and is fully accessible to disabled visitors.

For further details about Charnwood Museum please contact the curator on 01509 233737 or email museum@charnwood.gov.uk