Charlbury Museum

Run entirely by volunteers, the Museum is in part of the Corner House, in Market Street, opposite the Deli in the centre of Charlbury.  Our aim is to preserve the history of this ancient town and foster a sense of its history among residents and visitors.

We are now open for the 2024 season  and look forward to welcoming you to explore the town’s history. Our regular opening hours are 

Saturday mornings 10.30-12.30 

Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday afternoons 2.30-4.30

For full details please visit www.charlburymuseum.org.uk

Our permanent display Charlbury Museum is one of the finest small museums in the county.  It’s five rooms are crammed with exhibits revealing the history of this ancient market town, together with documents and photographs charting the lives of Charlbury families at work and play over the centuries.  Perhaps our most striking exhibit is a restored Oxfordshire wagon resplendent in its red and yellow colours.  Left to the museum in a very dilapidated state, it was painstakingly restored over twenty years and now forms an impressive reminder of the farming history of this area.

 Special exhibition for 2024 is TRADITION AND TRAGEDY :  Commemorating the centenary of the drowning of three children in the river Evenlode 

On a sunny day in May 1924 a large crowd Charlbury townspeople gathered for the traditional ceremony of the beating of he parish bounds. But what began as a happy social occasion turned to tragedy when a punt carrying adults and children across the river suddenly capsized.  Despite frantic efforts to save them three children sadly died. The many photographs taken that day offer a poignant insight into what happened that day.  You can read a detailed record of the inquest into the deaths and the story of the scouts who received gallantry awards for their efforts to save others.

Please do get in touch if you have any queries about the history of the town or have queries about relatives who used to live here. Please contact us at curator@charlburymuseum.org.uk

Can you help? Why not join our friendly team of volunteers who help to steward the museum when we are open.  If you are interested, please contact us at info@charlburymuseum.org.uk

Access: Charlbury is accessible by regular trains from Oxford and Worcester. Buses run from Oxford (Stagecoach S3), and the X9 between Chipping Norton and Witney [no buses on Sundays or bank holidays].

Wheelchair users are welcome. Refreshments are available in local cafes and pubs and at the local Community Centre. Toilets are available at the Corner House during opening hours.

Links: To find out about other Oxfordshire Museums contact www.museumsocc.org.uk

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