Vale & Downland Museum

Vale & Downland Museum Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Vale & Downland Museum, History Museum, Church Street, Wantage.

The museum has been nationally acclaimed and offers a very broad range of services, from galleries interpreting the cultural heritage of the Vale of White Horse region, to a coffee shop with a delightful terrace and garden.

Wantage Market Place in 1948.A nice view of the King Alfred statue and the Ye Old Post Office Vaults behind. The buses b...
03/06/2026

Wantage Market Place in 1948.

A nice view of the King Alfred statue and the Ye Old Post Office Vaults behind. The buses back then were quite a bit smaller than those we see in the town centre today.

We are working hard behind the scenes to gather all of the objects images and text to go into the new barn gallery. This...
02/06/2026

We are working hard behind the scenes to gather all of the objects images and text to go into the new barn gallery.

This has included meeting with some fantastic people from the local community to hear their stories. We'd also love to include memories and stories from people locally that we might not know about, so we've put together a survey to try to capture anything interesting you'd like to share.

There is a small display in the museum and paper copies available if you'd like to pop in, otherwise there is an online version available here: https://forms.gle/zQE724rscyY4LfSc6

You can add as much or as little as you'd like to the survey, don't get put off by the number of questions, they are just there to get you thinking, pick any that you'd like to answer!

We're incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful group of volunteers, it is impossible to just highlight one, so here are...
02/06/2026

We're incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful group of volunteers, it is impossible to just highlight one, so here are just a few of our volunteers that don't mind having their photos taken.

Volunteers are a huge part of museum life and they enable us to host family days, tours, fetes, school groups and they do so much behind the scenes.

To all our current and past volunteers we say a very big THANK YOU for all your hard work and support.

Our electrician will be in the museum and coffee shop all this week to complete a condition report. This will mean that ...
01/06/2026

Our electrician will be in the museum and coffee shop all this week to complete a condition report. This will mean that different areas of the museum will be inaccessible for short periods of time.

The coffee shop will have to close early on Thursday 4th June, with last orders at 2pm.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Don't miss out on the final Toddler Tunes before our musical volunteers take a well-earned break over the summerMonday 8...
31/05/2026

Don't miss out on the final Toddler Tunes before our musical volunteers take a well-earned break over the summer

Monday 8th June 10am

Β£2 per child
Book now www.ticketsource.com/vale-downland-museum/t-qmmzzqg

Adults go free but must book an adult ticket. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Suitable for children aged under 5.

There is space for just one family to join the Family Weaving Workshop with Angela Pawlyn tomorrow.Families will be lear...
28/05/2026

There is space for just one family to join the Family Weaving Workshop with Angela Pawlyn tomorrow.

Families will be learning how to weave using a small loom and they will be creating their very own family weaving to take home.

Β£10 per family. Max 4 people per group and it must include at least one adult.
Grab the remaining family ticket before it is too late https://www.ticketsource.com/vale-downland-museum/t-njjnkxj

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils are working with Flying Geese to research what people in sou...
28/05/2026

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils are working with Flying Geese to research what people in southern Oxfordshire would like to make it a better place for the people who live here. Vale of White Horse District Council

If you would like to have your say then complete the survey online by Sunday 31st May
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/SouthernOxfordshireCultureSurvey

Have you read the latest book from local author and historian Nicola Cornick?Nicola will be here in the museum next week...
27/05/2026

Have you read the latest book from local author and historian Nicola Cornick?

Nicola will be here in the museum next week to discuss The Fourth Queen and her writing.
Friday 5th June 1.30pm
Β£7.50 per person
Book online πŸ‘‰ www.ticketsource.com/vale-downland-museum/t-dkkemmr or in person at the museum.
Copies of Nicola's book will be available to purchase on the day courtesy of Wantage Bookshop.

The Fourth Queen is a dual-time novel set in the present and the Tudor period, which has readers hooked from page one!
'𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘒𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘒π˜₯', '𝘸𝘰𝘯π˜₯𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴π˜ͺ𝘯𝘨', and '𝘨𝘳π˜ͺ𝘱𝘱π˜ͺ𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘯π˜₯ 𝘡𝘩𝘰𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘡 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬π˜ͺ𝘯𝘨' are just some of the great reviews The Fourth Queen has received online.

Address

Church Street
Wantage
OX128BL

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 3:45pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 3:45pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 3:45pm
Thursday 9:30am - 3:45pm
Friday 9:30am - 3:45pm
Saturday 9:30am - 3:45pm

Telephone

+441235771447

Website

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