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Monday 12pm - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Pitt Rivers Museum

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Welcome to the official Pitt Rivers Museum page. Please check our website for Christmas and Easter opening.
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The Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford is home to some of the most important collections of ethnography and archaeology in the world. Entry to the Museum is through the Oxford University Museum of Natural History on Parks Road. For information on transport and access please see: http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/visit.html

On this page we'll keep you posted about exhibitions, special events and latest news. It is also a place to leave your comments and share photos. A quick note on commenting:
This page is an open forum where anyone is welcome to contribute. Discussion is encouraged, but please be aware that any offensive, defamatory, obscene or harassing comments or personal attacks of any kind will be removed. Spamming, repeat submissions of the same (or very similar) contributions or content that is off-topic may also be removed.

12/10/2026

A Māori kiwi feather cloak originally gifted in 1900 to Dr George Cleghorn, a medical doctor working in the Wairau Pā region of the South Island, by Hapareta Rore Pukekohatu and Mere te Hiko, two members of the local community, and loaned to the Pitt Rivers by Cleghorn’s widow, Helen, in 1913, is returning home. Following a short ceremony in Oxford on 10 October, the cloak was transferred to the Ngāti Rārua o Te Wairau Society in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will be temporarily cared for at The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa until the completion of a new Meeting House at Hauhunga Marae, the traditional gathering place and cultural centre for the hapū (sub-tribe) of Paretona and Te Arawaere.

Prof. Laura Van Broekhoven, Director of the Pitt Rivers Museum said: “We are very pleased that the day has come for the Kahu Kiwi to return home — the cloak generously gifted to Dr Cleghorn for his important medical work in the Blenheim region. It has been our privilege to have cared for it on loan here in Oxford, and we know how deeply it will be cherished at Wairau Pā."

11/10/2026

Gakkeido, an indigenous folk religion based in the mountain worship in the Kyushu region of Japan, is centred on magic and practised only by women. However, this religion is almost extinct in Japan today. In 'Living Traditions of Nature and Spirit', kiRin, the last successor of the Gakkeido practice, will talk about Gakkeido and comparing their practices and rituals with other belief systems, including Evenki cosmology. This session will include a talk on Evenki cosmology from the Museum's curatorial and collections team, followed by a guided tour exploring the Museum's collections and their connections to Gakkeido, magic and traditional belief systems.

Friday 16 October, 12.00 - 16.00. Tickets: £8 (Members free).

10/10/2026

Clothworkers’ Detail of the Day: Üç Etek Entari or three-skirt robe, ankle-length with long sleeves and made from striking cream-and-red striped silk.
The üç etek entari was an important element of traditional Turkish dress of the late Ottoman period, worn with a chemise (gömlek), baggy trousers (şalvar) and a belt or sash at the waist. The distinctive three-part skirt, fitted upper body, long sleeves and carefully finished edges create the elegant, elongated silhouette. The robe is beautiful in its details: scalloped edges picked out with black cord, a neat stand-up collar, and wonderfully fine stitching throughout. The dramatic length of the sleeves and skirt also reflects the fashionable proportions seen in Ottoman entaris, where exaggerated length and elaborate finishing could signal contemporary taste and, in some contexts, social status.
Not a stitch or a seam unturned! Part of the Clothworkers’ team’s role is to condition-check, document, photograph and carefully house newly acquired textiles and clothing for their long-term conservation. We were completely mesmerised by this piece; examining its construction, materials and finishing, particularly the beautifully laced edges and exceptionally fine stitching. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, we got a little carried away with the number of photographs we took! We hope you enjoy discovering all those details as much as we did.
The robe was donated alongside a filigree headdress and silver-gilt woven belt by the son of a British diplomat. It had been gifted to the diplomat’s wife while the family was living in Ankara, Turkey in the late 1960s. 2026.15-1-3

09/10/2026

SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER Please note that the Pitt Rivers Museum will open tomorrow at 12pm, due to a museum event. The Oxford University Museum of Natural History will open at 10am as usual.

08/10/2026

The University of Oxford’s Mexican Society invite you to celebrate Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead) after dark at the Pitt Rivers!. Originating in Mexico and increasingly celebrated across Latin America, Día de los Mu***os is an opportunity for people to come together and welcome back deceased relatives for a joyful reunion.

The Mexican Society will create a Ofrenda (altar) in the heart of the Museum, which will grow during the night: bring a photograph / picture of a deceased loved one to add to the altar and make a paper decoration in our workshop room to add to the installation.

The evening will also feature short talks by the Mexican Society, sampling of pan de mu**to, hot chocolate and tequila, music and a chance to explore the Museum’s Latin American collections. Come as you are, or show off your best La Catrina or El Catrin costume!

Note this event is strictly for ages 18+ and Challenge 25 will be in place for the consumption of alcohol.

Friday 30 October, 6.30 - 9pm. Tickets: £5 (free for members of the Oxford Mexican Society).

07/10/2026

Book now for our cushion weaving course with weaver, designer and author, Angie Parker, and learn the therapeutic process of hand-weaving on a professional multi-shaft loom. With access to a wide range of Angie's colourful yarns, you can let your creativity run wild while learning different weave structures, including plain and twill. Participants are welcome to bring images or textile samples which inspire them but this isn't essential - often the materials in the room are inspiration enough! No previous weaving experience required.

Saturday 27 February, 10.00-16.30. Tickets: £185 (Members £148), includes all materials, lunch & refreshments.

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04/10/2026

Clothworkers’ Textiles Through the Lens: Today we’re celebrating the kira, the national dress worn by women in Bhutan and an important expression of the country’s rich textile heritage and cultural identity. The kira is an ankle-length, rectangular textile wrapped around the body and fastened at the shoulders with brooches known as koma. A woven belt, or kera, secures the garment at the waist. Traditionally worn over a blouse and jacket, the kira is made in a wide variety of textiles, colours, patterns and weaving techniques that can reflect regional traditions and the identity of the wearer.
📷 The first photograph shows four women wearing kiras in the Lhuntse and Khoma region of eastern Bhutan, photographed by Michael Aris in 1983.
📷 The second photograph shows a woman weaving a Moentha kira on a backstrap loom, photographed in Bhutan by Michael Aris in 1985. Backstrap-loom weaving is an important part of Bhutan’s textile traditions, with the loom allowing weavers to produce the densely woven fabrics characteristic of many traditional kiras.

03/10/2026

Come and discover the art of linocut printmaking with this beginners' session run by artist Sally-Anne Stewart. Be inspired by the incredible collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum and learn how to design, carve and print lino blocks, creating a set of unique art prints to take home. All equipment and materials included.

Saturday 23 January 2027, 10.00 - 13.00. Tickets: £60 (Members £48).

02/10/2026

Opening today, 'On Paradise: Between Hope and Memory' is a major exhibition at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities featuring the work of artist Saad Qureshi. It explores humanity's enduring fascination with paradise - lost, longed for, or yet to come - inviting viewers to reflect on the personal, cultural and collective visions that sustain hope and inspire action. Complementing the main exhibition, Saad Qureshi has created a series of sculptural responses to the collections at each of the Oxford University museums. Discover 'Geography of the Mind' amidst the ground floor displays in the Pitt Rivers.

28/09/2026

Clothworker’s Detail of the Day: This striking hooded shepherd’s akhnif (cloak) is woven from wool and goat hair. An akhnif is a traditional cloak worn in Morocco by Amazigh and Jewish men. Made by women and woven in a single piece, this cloak combines bands of colour, geometric designs and a large red, eye-shaped motif on the back. The motif is traditionally thought to offer protection against the evil eye. The combination of wool and goat hair makes the akhnif warm and water-resistant, while its generous, semicircular shape allows the wearer to move freely and provides protection from the elements in Morocco’s mountainous regions.
This akhnif was bought by Jenny Balfour-Paul at Agdz in the Draa Valley, Anti-Atlas, in April 1990 and donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 2018.

2018.37.207

Address

South Parks Road
Oxford
OX13PW

Opening Hours

Monday	12pm - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441865613000

Website

http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/

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