What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10:30am - 4:15pm Wednesday 10:30am - 4:15pm Thursday 10:30am - 4:15pm Friday 10:30am - 4:15pm Saturday 10:30am - 4:15pm Sunday 12pm - 4:15pm

Congleton Museum

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Congleton Museum

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Congleton Museum is an interactive experience for the whole family. Figures from the past tell their stories, and interactive computers fill in the background.

An ancient log boat, cannonballs from the civil war and the town stocks – just some of the things you can see at Congleton Museum. The museum houses tableaux illustrating life in the town during prehistoric times, in the Civil War, in the heyday of the textile industry and during the Second World War. Relief maps show the changes over the centuries. The Civil War was particularly significant to Congleton – a former mayor of the town, John Bradshaw, was first to sign Charles I’s death warrant. A cannonball from that time, still embedded in a piece of wall from Biddulph Hall, is in the museum. There are frequent temporary exhibitions, often involving the work of local schools. History walks through the town take place on the last Sunday of the month. Visiting the museum is free, but we rely on donations to support the cost of running the museum. Thank you!

15/10/2026

Greetings from our Bossons 80 exhibition!

We've had a great first day with plenty of visitors, including the Mayor of Congleton, Cllr Suzy Firkin, who was very impressed by the exhibition!

We look forward to welcoming you too! And don't miss our first talk this Saturday at 11am! Join Brenda, a former Bossons paintress, to discover life at the factory, the work of the paintresses and the fascinating history of Bossons.

14/10/2026

We've officially opened our Bossons 80 exhibition!

It was wonderful to welcome former Bossons paintresses to the opening - you can see them in the photo!

The photo also features some of our fantastic museum volunteers who helped bring this exhibition to life. A huge thank you to everyone involved!

We can't wait to welcome you! And this Saturday at 11am, join Brenda, a former Bossons paintress, for our first talk about life at the factory, the work of the paintresses and the history of Bossons.

12/10/2026

Bossons exhibition opens this Thursday!

15 October we open our new exhibition celebrating the history and remarkable creations of W. H. Bossons Ltd, one of Congleton's most successful local businesses.

And this Saturday, 17 October at 11am, join us for a special talk exploring the history of the company, with personal memories from a former Bossons paintress. You'll also have a rare opportunity to see and handle many objects from our collection and, of course, enjoy the exhibition itself!

Tickets: £7 / £5 for Museum Members.

Pictured is the Sunflowers plaque, specially purchased for the exhibition by one of our trustees! It will help us demonstrate how an original design was transformed into a finished Bossons piece.

09/10/2026

BOSSONS AT 80 - POST 1: MR W. H. BOSSONS

As we open our new exhibition, we're launching a series of posts about the history of Bossons, its people and its art.

Mr W. H. Bossons was a sculptor and the founder of W. H. Bossons Ltd. He began as an honours student at Stoke-on-Trent College of Ceramics and later became General Manager of the well-known tile manufacturer T. & R. Boote Ltd.

During the Second World War, T. & R. Boote Ltd became a 'nucleus' company, allowing it to continue producing ceramics under government restrictions, although its production was limited to essential goods. In 1944, Mr Bossons retired to Congleton due to ill health.

Here, he began making lead soldiers and metal and plaster Christmas figures as a hobby. His creations attracted so much interest that people began commissioning and paying for them. Encouraged by this demand, he established his own business at Brook Mills after the war - and Bossons was born!

BOSSONS AT 80 | 15 October - 28 November
Tue-Sat, 10am-4.15pm | Free entry, donations welcome

First talk: Saturday 17 October, 11am
The Bossons factory and its home-based workers.

08/10/2026

Today is the last day of our Our Disappearing Nature exhibition!

Come and explore how Congleton's natural environment has changed over the past 100 years, and the social factors that have shaped those changes.

And next Thursday, we open our new exhibition celebrating the 80th anniversary of Bossons - we hope to see you there too!

Part of Our Disappearing Nature will remain on permanent display in Market Square, where you can see the information boards and three planted beds featuring species that have disappeared from the local area over the past century.

In the photos, you can see the schoolchildren who collected the original data 110 years ago, alongside some of the more than 100 volunteers who helped gather new data in 2025-26.

07/10/2026

Can you help us?

On 15 October, we are opening our Bossons exhibition, and one part of it explores Bossons' competitors and the objects they produced.

One of these was Heritage, a company based in Congleton which produced decorative wall heads, figurines and other pieces. We are currently trying to find out more about the company and its history.

If you have any Heritage pieces, we would be very grateful if you could share photos or information with us. We would also love to hear from anyone who worked for Heritage, or who knows someone who did.

Here are a few examples of Heritage pieces that we have managed to find so far.

Please comment below or send us a message if you can help. Thank you!

03/10/2026

DO YOU RECOGNISE THIS BUILDING?

Ahead of our final guided walk of the year tomorrow, here is another piece of Congleton Co-op history.

This was the Co-op's central premises in Mill Street, built in 1881. The three-storey building brought several parts of the growing business together under one roof, including grocery, drapery, shoe and clothing departments, with offices and an assembly room above.

But the building you see today looks very different.
On 27 February 1962, a serious fire broke out in the Mill Street premises. A 16-year-old comptometer operator was rescued unconscious from the top-floor offices after being cut off from the main staircase by the flames. Four other employees were also taken to hospital. The young woman later died from her injuries. Damage was estimated at £30,000, and the top floor was eventually demolished, leaving the building with two storeys and a flat roof.

Want to discover more about Congleton's Co-op?
Sunday 4 October, 2pm - The Co-operative in Congleton
The walk starts and finishes at Congleton Museum, followed by a complimentary cream tea with locally sourced scones and jam.

Tickets: Adults £10 | Friends £7 | Children £5
Pay on arrival by cash or card.

Pictured: The Co-op central premises in Mill Street before the 1962 fire.

01/10/2026

THE CO-OPERATIVE IN CONGLETON
Sunday 4 October, 2pm
Last walk in this year!

From a small group meeting in Astbury Street cottages in the winter of 1859-60 to a network of shops across the town, the Co-op became a major part of everyday life in Congleton.

Join Peter Aston for a guided walk tracing this remarkable story. Discover how the Co-op transformed shopping in Congleton, where its shops once stood, and what Astbury Street - and even a bed shop - have to do with its history.

The walk starts and finishes at Congleton Museum. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cream tea with scones and jam.

Tickets: Adults £10 | Friends £7 | Children £5
Pay on arrival by cash or card.

Pictured: 1960 was the Congleton Co-op's centenary year. Eighteen-year-old Ann Edge, a clerk in the Co-op's coal department, was chosen as the Centenary Queen. She is pictured being introduced to Bessie Braddock MP during the centenary celebrations, which included a huge carnival through the town with around 45 bands, dancers, decorated vehicles and floats - Congleton's first carnival since before the Second World War.

30/09/2026

For families this October - Bossons is 80, and we are celebrating at Congleton Museum!

Saturday 3 October, from 11am
DROP-IN: Paint a Bear - or a Ghost!
Join a former Bossons paintress and decorate your own plaster figure. No booking needed. Free, donations welcome.

27-29 October
BOSSONS ART WEEK
Made in Congleton, collected around the world - come and celebrate 80 years of Bossons with us.
Three days of half-term family activities exploring how Bossons pieces were designed, moulded and painted - with plenty to try for yourself.
Booking for Art Week workshops will open soon.

29/09/2026

From a cottage to more than a dozen shops - discover the story of Congleton's Co-op!

Sunday 4 October, 2pm - The Co-operative in Congleton

Join Peter Aston for a guided walk tracing the Co-op's history, from its beginnings in a cottage in 1859 to a network of shops across the town. Discover how the Co-op transformed shopping in Congleton and what Astbury Street and even a bed shop have to do with its story!
The walk starts and finishes at Congleton Museum. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cream tea with locally sourced scones and jam.

Tickets: Adults £10 | Friends £7 | Children £5. Pay on arrival by cash or card.
Pictured: Co-op grocery store, Buxton Road, Buglawton, 1879.

Address

Market Square
Congleton
CW121ET

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10:30am - 4:15pm
Wednesday	10:30am - 4:15pm
Thursday	10:30am - 4:15pm
Friday	10:30am - 4:15pm
Saturday	10:30am - 4:15pm
Sunday	12pm - 4:15pm

Telephone

01260 276360

Website

http://www.congletonmuseum.co.uk/

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