Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Terrace Road, Buxton, SK17 6DA
T: 01629 533540
derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/buxton-museum/buxton-museum-and-art-gallery
About
Entry / Cost: Admission is free. Donations are welcome on your visit and support the work of the museum in many ways.
Opening Times: *TEMPORARILY CLOSED As of 1st June 2023*
Visit Buxton Museum to learn about the fascinating geology, archeology and history of the Peak District landscape at the Wonders of the Peak exhibition; the redevelopment of this exhibition in 2017 showcases more objects than ever before telling the story of Derbyshire lives and landscapes through its collection and providing material through digital interpretation.
New for 2023: Come and play in the family area which is specially for children under 5. Explore the museum with our family trails, play board games or help us complete a jigsaw puzzle during your visit to see the exhibitions. Buxton Museum is one of our warm spaces.
Visitors are able to explore four areas: caves, valleys, hills and pastures, discovering how the landscapes of the Peak District evolved and changed over time. Don’t miss the amazing microscope where you can everything from shells, a fly, coins and more really close up! Feed the Buxton Bear a coin to hear him roar.
The art gallery has changing exhibitions and collections throughout the year showcasing local and national work.
The Derbyshire Open, an annual open art competition, is open to both amateur and professional artists and competition entrants are asked to capture an image of what Derbyshire means to the artist. An exhibition of finalists work goes on display at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition in 2020 was postponed due to the current pandemic; more details on the next event are coming soon.
Regular programme of workshops and activities for families and children runs throughout the year and at key times such as Easter, summer holidays and Christmas.
School groups and young persons groups are welcome – get in touch with the museum prior to your visit if you wish to arrange specific activities.
The museum gift shop sells a wide range of gifts, toys, replicas and items inspired by the Wonders of the Peak exhibition, a large selection of colourful minerals and rocks, t-shirts, postcards, fossils, gifts made from decorative stones, local history and special interest books, soft toys and more.
Online access to the museum collections allows users to access and interact with specific objects and collections remotely and via mobile devices – click here for more.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the museum, why not join Friends of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery? Independently run, they hold regular free monthly talks with notable speakers relating to science, art and history, followed by free refreshments. Members also receive invitations to previews of the museum’s temporary art exhibitions and opportunities to work with the museum and its collections.
Free Wi-fi is available throughout the museum and gallery. There is free short-term (40 minutes) parking on the road outside. The Slopes and the Market Place pay-and-display car parks are a few minutes’ walk away.
How to find us and parking
There is a limited free short-term (40 minutes) parking on the road directly outside the museum. Pay and display car parking is available near the museum (High Peak Borough Council – The Slopes and the Market Place). Buses stop a few minutes away on Terrace Road and the Market Place. The train station is 10mins walk from the museum. The museum is located across from The Slopes park and opposite the Town Hall. The exterior of the museum building features a small but distinctive mint green coloured pepper pot dome on top.
