Museum of Bath Stone

02/09/2026

The Combe Down Art Trail is coming up on 12th-13th September!

At the museum there will once again be a "snapshot" exhibition featuring work from every participating artist. It will be the perfect place to get a taste of what is on offer.

You can find out more at:
https://www.cdarttrail.com/2026-trail.html

13/08/2026

This week's photograph shows an entrance to the south-west Byfield quarry, likely constructed in the early 19th century. It was later named 'Irving's Incline' after Dr Richard Irving, who discovered it when living at the former quarry manager's house that it led to. The arched incline was used to transport stone to the surface. During the Second World War, it was used as an air-raid shelter. It has also been suggested that it served as a shortcut for the quarry manager and workers to the nearby King William IV pub.

This photograph is from David J. Pollard's negative collection of the Combe Down stone quarries.

The museum is open every Friday, 2pm - 5pm or by appointment.

Please go to https://museumofbathstone.org/visit-us/visitor-information/ for more details.

05/08/2026

Join us this Saturday for the Big Bat Count in Taunton.
Meet at the Wyndham Hall at 8pm (next to The Museum of Somerset)

Somerset Wildlife Trust Somerset Bat Group

03/08/2026

28/07/2026

The Festival of Archaeology is still on across the country. Did you know you can read the book written by the Oxford Archaeology team who worked on the Combe Down Stabilisation Project for free online? 'Finished Labour of a Thousand Hands' details their findings and the history of quarrying in the area. You can find it at: https://eprints.oxfordarchaeology.com/765/

The museum is open every Friday, 2pm - 5pm or by appointment. Please go to https://museumofbathstone.org/visit-us/visitor-information/ for more details.

24/07/2026

🌱 What are your growing stories?

We’re putting together a small pop-up exhibition exploring the history of farming and growing in the Bath area and we’d love to hear from local people about their own experiences.

Did you grow tomatoes with your grandparents as a child?

Have you kept an allotment in Bath?

Or perhaps you’ve finally managed to grow a strawberry plant that actually survived?

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, we’d love to hear your stories, memories and experiences of growing your own vegetables, flowers or fruit.

Your stories could help us build a picture of the people, places and traditions that have shaped growing in our local area.

Get in touch if you have a story to share! Comment below and we will be in touch or email [email protected]

21/07/2026

The Festival of Archaeology is on in the UK, running from Saturday 18th July to Sunday 2nd August. Whilst we unfortunately do not have an event this year, we really recommend checking out their website to see what is on around the country: https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/festival-event-listing.html?

At nearby Prior Park there are a couple of upcoming guided walks on 22nd and 28th July: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/prior-park-landscape-garden/events/dd60bc85-bb51-44a1-9c01-bd5e789bd517

The Roman Baths also have a handling and crafting event on 25th July:
https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/event/festival-archaeology-roman-baths

Search the Festival event listing here

20/07/2026

There are still spaces available on the archaeology walks at Prior Park led by the lead archaeologist from recent digs.

Wednesday 22 July, 11am-12pm
Tuesday 28 July, 2.30pm-3.30pm

The guided walks are free (standard entry applies) but must be booked in advance. Meet at visitor reception, main entrance.

18 July – 2 August

ArchaeologyUKNational Trust Archaeology National Trust South West

14/07/2026

This week's photograph shows a roof collapse covering the floor of a cartway. This quarrying area was located under the eastern side of Farrs Lane on the north edge of North Road. You can see two stone packs on either side of the collapse, where several large pieces from a roof collapse had been incorporated into their construction. The packs were at least 15m in length, 2m in width, and between 2.20 m and 3.70m in height. These underground quarry workings may have been attributable to and driven from Edwin Love's surface quarry, which was located to the north. Love's quarry was serviced by a haul road that would eventually become Farrs Lane.

This photograph was taken by archaeologists during the stabilisation project.

The museum is open every Friday, 2pm - 5pm or by appointment. Please go to https://museumofbathstone.org/visit-us/visitor-information/ for more details.

07/07/2026

This week's photograph is an example of some of the graffiti that was found in Combe Down's underground quarries. Found in West Byfield quarry, the c.1820s tally graffiti indicated "the quantities and the types of blockstone and wrought stone that were produced, including listed ‘Block’, ‘Coping’, ‘Pillar’ and ‘Ridge’ Stone, and the rows below listing what is thought to be the dimensions of the stone produced, measured in inches." Names and messages left by later explorers of the quarries can be found across the stone face. For example: "Ivor Nov 8 1965" on the top right of the tally, "B.W. June 2 1902" on the right side of the stone, and "We came in here in the year 1932" below the tally.

The museum is normally open every Friday, 2pm-5pm. However, with the high temperatures this summer, please be aware of closures at short notice.