Market Hall Museum
The Market Hall was built in 1670 and originally had open arches for market stalls with meeting rooms above. The ground floor arches were infilled in 1879 as the museum expanded and the whole building was taken over by the Society.
The Society hired some rooms in the 17th century Market Hall in the centre of Warwick, now the headquarters of Warwickshire County Museum Service. There they displayed archaeological, natural history and geological objects, many collected locally from Warwickshire. Through field collecting and gifts from individuals the society’s collection grew quickly. More display space was needed and by 1840 the whole of the top part of the Market Hall was in use.
The museum was initially only open to subscribers and their families, with each subscriber having the privilege of bringing a friend to the museum. Non-subscribers had to pay one shilling, a significant amount in those days. This must have excluded the majority of the local population. Eventually the museum opened its doors to the general public for free from Whit Monday 1847. The museum committee reported that ‘Hundreds of visitors conducted themselves with the utmost decorum.’
The Society collected a wide range of materials, including zoological, botanical, rocks, minerals, fossils and archaeological objects and skeletons. This was not limited to any geographical area. This policy of collecting had changed over the years to only accepting objects with Warwickshire connections.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Admission: Free
Opening Times
10.00am - 5.00pm Tuesdays - Saturdays and
Bank Holiday Mondays (all year round)
11.30pm - 5.00pm Sundays (April - September only)
Address:
Market Hall Museum
Market Place
Warwick
CV34 4SA