Charlbury Museum

Run entirely by volunteers, the Museum is in part of the Corner House, in Market Street 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 reopen on Saturday 4th April and the season runs until 25th October 2026. Opening hours are

Saturday mornings 10.30-12.30 & 2.30 to 4.30

Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays  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.

Our special exhibition on the history of The Playing Close continues this year

For centuries The Playing Close has played a central role in the life of Charlbury.  Our exhibition unravels the story of how it was gifted to the town by Thomas Gifford and charts how its use has changed over the centuries.  Today it is a well-tended green and tranquil space but in the past it housed middens, hovels and sawpits, it rang to the sound of craftsmen making their wares, hosted animal markets and fairs and provided a large space for open air services by visiting preachers.  It was also used as a recreational space for funfairs and shows, and is still used as a place for gatherings, commemorations and celebrations.  Old photographs and imaginative displays capture the spirit of this iconic feature of Charlbury life.

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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