The Story Museum

Image of the The Story Museum building frontage including the main double gates, which feature The Story Museum logo
The Story Museum's Courtyard (south side). This section of the building was previously a telephone exchange and a pub, the steel hoist and first floor door are from occasions when telephony equipment was brought in.

The Story Museum is a museum in Oxford, England. It aims to encourage education and support community engagement by exploring all forms of stories.[1] It is a registered charity under English law.[2]

Highlights include a Whispering Wood, an Enchanted Library and Small Worlds, a dedicated space for younger children as well as a 100-seat theatre, a learning studio and a temporary exhibition space. In addition to welcoming public visitors and school groups to its Galleries, the Museum also delivers an extensive public programme, including skills courses, workshops, drop-in activities and access visits for those wanting to enjoy the Museum in a more relaxed way, alongside a programme of funded community and school participation projects with targeted groups. The Museum attracts up to 100,000 visitors a year.

History

The museum was founded in 2003 and initially operated as a virtual museum with no premises of its own.

In November 2009, it was announced that the museum would move to premises at Rochester House in Pembroke Street, following a gift of £2.5m from a private donor.[3] The museum closed for a major £6 million redevelopment on 7 July 2018, with funding including a £1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2015, and a £2 million grant from Arts Council England.[4] The renovation was completed in 2020.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "What we do". Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  2. ^ "The Story Museum, registered charity no. 1107809". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  3. ^ News: Story Museum gets anonymous gift to buy permanent home in Oxford Archived 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Oxford Inspires Archived 23 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, 19 November 2009.
  4. ^ "£1m lottery boost allows Oxford's Story Museum to write new chapter". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Story Museum begins quest to raise final £300,000 for upgrade project". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  6. ^ Choat, Isabel (21 October 2020). "Oxford's new Story Museum finds fresh ways to tell tales in Covid era". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.

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