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

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 Co

ngleton – 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!

25/06/2026

In 1993, the Priesty Fields Hoard was discovered just outside Congleton.

The hoard contained more than 3,400 silver coins dating from the reigns of Edward VI to Charles II. Years of research have suggested that it may have belonged to John Walker, a prominent Congleton townsman, alderman and mayor.

How was this conclusion reached? What do the coins tell us about Congleton during the Civil War? And who was John Walker beyond the story of the hoard?

This Saturday, 27 June, at 11.00am, David Jackson will share the story of the discovery of the Priesty Fields Hoard and the research that led to the possible identification of its owner.

Join us to find out more.

21/06/2026

On today’s walk with Peter Aston we stopped by an unremarkable wall behind the museum and discovered that it may once have formed part of the route between the town cells and the courtroom. If you know where to look, you can still spot traces of the old steps in the masonry.

We've also spotted one of Congleton’s hidden treasures: the 1872 flood marker beside the River Dane. Most people walk straight past it, but it records just how high the water rose during one of the most dramatic floods in the town’s history.

Our next walks will take place on 12 July and 16 August.

And next Saturday 27 June at 11 am you can discover the possible origins of one of Congleton’s most famous hoards. David Jackson will explore the story of John Walker, the man believed to have hidden the 17th-century coin hoard discovered in 1992 - a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of Congleton’s most prominent seventeenth-century residents.

19/06/2026

Did you know that Congleton was seriously flooded?
Take a look at the photo. Want to find out more?

New Heritage Walk - Shadows in the Town
Sunday 21 June, 2pm
Led by Peter Aston

As Congleton changes, traces of its past can still be found hidden in plain sight. On this guided walk, Peter Aston will reveal details that many people pass every day without noticing - flood stones marking historic flood levels, fragments of vanished buildings, and other clues that tell the story of the town's past.

Meet at Congleton Museum at 2pm.

After the walk, enjoy a complimentary cream tea at the Museum. Please let us know at least 48 hours in advance if you have any dietary requirements or allergies.

Tickets: Adults £10, Friends of Congleton Museum £7, Children £5

15/06/2026

New heritage walk - Shadows in the Town
Sunday 21 June, 2pm
Led by Peter Aston

As the town changes, this walk offers a chance to notice the small traces of the past that still remain in plain sight. Peter will guide you around Congleton, drawing attention to details many people pass without noticing — including flood stones, fragments of vanished buildings and other clues that reveal what used to be here. It is a walk about the shadows of the past that still shape the town today.

Meet at Congleton Museum at 2pm. After the walk, a complimentary cream tea will be served at the Museum. Please let us know at least 48 hours in advance if you have any dietary requirements or allergies.

Tickets: Adults £10 | Friends of Congleton Museum £7 | Children £5

14/06/2026

We had a brilliant walk today in Bromley Woods - it felt like a real wild woodland, just a short distance from town. We recorded around 100 plants and saw how rich local biodiversity can be when you slow down and look closely.

Join us for our next free biodiversity walks as part of Our Disappearing Nature, supported by the Royal Society. This year we are exploring biodiversity at the Congleton Town Council's 30 Biodiversity Sites. Botanist Jack Swan and Town Council Ranger Andy Stubbs will lead walks through different local habitats, recording the wild plants found today and comparing them with a 1915 survey.

13/06/2026

Tomorrow at 11.00am

Join us for a free Bromley Woods free biodiversity walk as part of Our Disappearing Nature, supported by the Royal Society. Botanist Jack Swan and Town Council Ranger Andy Stubbs will lead a walk through woodland paths, riverside habitats and former railway corridors, recording the wild plants found today and comparing them with a 1915 survey.

Meeting point for the walk: 57 Burns Road.

09/06/2026

Two free events at Congleton Museum this week.

Tomorrow, Wednesday 10 June at 6.30pm, we are holding a Bossons Tea and Chat meeting. We are preparing a new exhibition about Bossons and would love to hear from former workers - paintresses, designers and everyone who was part of the factory. If you worked at Bossons, or know someone who did, please come along or help spread the word.

Then on Sunday 14 June at 11.00am, join us for a free Bromley Woods biodiversity walk as part of Our Disappearing Nature, supported by the Royal Society. Botanist Jack Swan and Town Council Ranger Andy Stubbs will lead a walk through woodland paths, riverside habitats and former railway corridors, recording the wild plants found today and comparing them with a 1915 survey.

Meeting point for the walk: 57 Burns Road.

Both events are free, donations are welcome, and all are welcome.

06/06/2026

Discover the treasures of Congleton Museum

What if you could go behind the scenes, open the boxes, explore old photographs, handle objects from Congleton’s past and help bring their stories to life?

We are now opening new volunteer opportunities.
1. Collections Care Volunteers
Work directly with the museum collections, helping to check object locations, review documentation and bring records into better order. A separate group will focus on photography, scanning and digitisation, helping to make the collection accessible.
2. Research and Exhibitions Volunteers
Explore the parts of the collection that interest you most. Research objects, themes and local stories, help prepare short texts and collection presentations, and contribute to online exhibitions and future displays at the museum.

Daytime, evening and weekend opportunities will be available. Some tasks can also be done online.
No previous experience is needed. Training and support will be provided.

Do not miss this chance to get closer to Congleton Museum’s collections than ever before. Leave your application on the museum website by 9 June.

Photo: Congleton. 1980. Mary Edith Hulme with dau Mrs May Whitby. Little Street.

04/06/2026

After what feels like days of proper British summer weather ☔, the cinema seems like the best place to be! Mind you, there was a time when Congleton gave you three cinemas to choose from.

Frank Worrall recalled:
"Yes, there were. There was one at the top of Kinsey Street, where the garden is now – that was the Premier Picture House. That opened… and it always had the date over the door – 1921 – when it was silent pictures. And the other one – which was looked upon as the posh one of the three – was the Capitol. And that was where the Capitol Walk shops are now. That opened up first as a theatre. Then it was a theatre and films for a while, and then it turned over entirely to films. That used to have Sunday night concerts and amateur talent shows on a Sunday night. And the other one – which was considered not quite in the same class as the other two – was over Mill Bridge, turn left into Royle Street and the first building on the right… The Regal"

Today's photo shows the Premier Picture House. Does anybody remember when it was closed?

03/06/2026

In these photographs you can see some of Bossons' famous Character Wall Masks - familiar to many in Congleton, but also loved by collectors around the world.

We were recently contacted by Italian collector Stefano Micheli, who kindly sent us his article about Bossons, published on the Italian arts and culture website Udite Udite.

In the article, Stefano compares Bossons' work with the great Italian masters, including the Modenese sculptor Guido Mazzoni. He highlights the extraordinary detail, lifelike expressions and humanity of Bossons' faces, describing them not simply as decorative objects, but as works full of history, craftsmanship and artistic sensitivity.

It was a surprising and wonderful comparison for us to read in Congleton, and a reminder of how far the appreciation of Bossons still reaches.

To help us prepare a new exhibition, we are inviting former Bossons workers - paintresses, designers and others - to a Tea and Chat meeting at Congleton Museum on 10 June at 6.30pm. The session will be led by museum trustee and former Bossons paintress Brenda Proudlove, who has generously volunteered her time to deliver several talks about the history of the factory.

If you worked at Bossons, or know someone who did, please come along or help us spread the word.

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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