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The Holburne Museum

Great Pulteney Street, Bathwick, Bath, BA2 4DB

Type:Museum

Add The Holburne Museum to your Itinerary

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From £11.00
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Tel+44 (0) 1225 388588

The Holburne Museum

About

On the impressive approach to The Holburne Museum, the building’s grand façade and gardens provide an inkling of its grandeur and history. The Grade I listed building was originally designed and constructed as a hotel but is now home to a collection of fine and decorative art.

The fascinating pieces that adorn one of Bath’s most beautiful buildings vary from Renaissance treasures to masterpieces by Gainsborough. There is so much to see and explore, and even if you’re a regular visitor you can discover something new with the continually-changing temporary exhibitions.

Upstairs you can experience themes of eighteenth-century culture through porcelain, paintings and sculpture. In the impressive former ballroom, silver and china are laid out as though for a banquet, sparkling under a crystal chandelier, while glamorous members of seventeenth and eighteenth-century society look down from the walls.

Just across the hallway you’ll find the impressive collections of Sir William Holburne, who founded the museum. You’ll get a real sense of what Sir William enjoyed in his art with a strong presence of Golden-Age Dutch works and miniature objects such as gems and portrait miniatures.

The top floor of the museum is home to pieces from the Golden Age of British painting. Discover more about the history of Bath as the works embrace Bath's history as a fashionable and artistic spa city. William Hoare and Thomas Gainsborough lived in Bath and examples of their work can be found at the Holburne. Their paintings are hung alongside canvases by Zoffany, Ramsay and Stubbs amongst others.

The museum also has its own Garden Café, which opens onto the historic Sydney Gardens, offering the perfect place to relax after exploring indoors. The Garden Café prides itself on seasonal, delicious, fresh food and has won a Restaurant and Bar Design Award, showing that inspirational design isn’t confined to the museum’s exhibition rooms.

Access information

The Holburne Museum is fully accessible for all visitors.

Parking spaces are available for Blue Badge holders.

There is level access to the front door which opens and closes automatically. The ground floor is level and is where you’ll find the Garden Cafe.
There is a lift to all floors.

You are welcome to pre-book a wheelchair for your visit. If you need assistance or if your mobility is impaired, please ask the Front of House staff for help. Benches or chairs in all galleries and in the Entrance Hall and on the First Floor landing.

The public toilets are wheelchair accessible, on the ground floor and in the basement. The basement toilets are accessible via the lift from any floor. Both the men’s and women’s toilets have baby changing facilities.

Large print labels available in all galleries.

Hearing induction loop at the Reception Desk and also in the Picture Gallery on the Second Floor for lectures and events.

Assistance dogs are welcome.

Find out more

Dog-Friendly

The Holburne offers a warm welcome to dogs visiting the ground floor of the museum. The Garden Cafe has a range of indoor and outdoor seating and serves drinks, snacks and light lunches. Ideally situated next to Sydney Gardens, your furry friends can stretch their legs (or chase the squirrels!) in the Georgian pleasure gardens.

Book Tickets Online

Book Tickets

Guide Prices

Ticket TypeTicket Tariff
Art Fund/ NUS card holders/ 19-25 year olds£11.00 per person per day
Full Price£11.00 per person per day
Groups (10+)£11.00 per person per day

Free admission from 3 to 5pm every Wednesday afternoon and from 5 to 9pm the last Friday in the month.
Free for 18 and under, friends and patrons of the Holburne, staff and students from the University of Bath and Bath Spa University and adult accompanying a disabled visitor.
The Shop, Garden and Cafe are free to enter.

Special Offers

  • Accompanying Carer entitled to free entry

    The offer: Free ticket for carers when accompanying a paying disabled visitor.

    How to book: For further details, terms and conditions and to book visit The Holburne Museum website.

    Offers for Carers - redeem this special offer immediately

    More offers like this - Offers for Carers

Facilities

Other

  • Gift Shop

Accessibility

  • All Areas Accessible to Disabled Visitors
  • Designated parking provided for guests with disabilities
  • Facilities for Hearing Impaired Visitors
  • Facilities for Visually Impaired Visitors
  • Guide Dogs Permitted
  • Level access, ramp or lift to a public toilet
  • Toilets for Disabled Visitors

Catering

  • Restaurant

Children & Infants

  • Facilities for children

Establishment Features

  • Dog Friendly
  • Dogs-Accepted
  • Event venue

Key Features

  • Film or TV location

Parking & Transport

  • Car parking
  • On Bus Route

Show Facilities

Awards

  • Regional and MiscellaneousWTTC Safe Travels WTTC Safe Travels 2021

Opening Times

2024 Opening (1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024)
DayTimes
Monday - Saturday10:00 - 17:00*
Sunday11:00 - 17:00*

* (Museum is closed 24-26 December 2020 and 1 January 2020)

There’s an admission charge to visit the Holburne’s collection, displays and exhibitions on the first and second floor galleries.

- Full Price £11 (£12.50 includes a £1.50 Gift Aid donation).
- Concessions Art Fund | NUS card holders | 19 to 25 year olds £5.50 (£7 includes a £1.50 Gift Aid donation).
- Groups 10+ £10 (£11.50 includes a £1.50 Gift Aid donation).
- FREE admission from 3 to 5pm every Wednesday afternoon and from 5 to 9pm the last Friday in the month.
- FREE for 18 and under | Friends and Patrons of the Holburne | Staff and Students from the University of Bath and Bath Spa University | Adult accompanying a disabled visitor.

The Shop, Garden and Cafe are free to enter.

Dates and times marked with a '*' are provisional and may be subject to change

Events

Saturday, 21st October 2023 - Sunday, 14th April 2024

Gwen John, Mere Poussepin © The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of BirminghamGwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris at Holburne MuseumGwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris will bring together paintings, watercolours, drawings and sketches, as well as previously unseen archival material and personal belongings.
more info

Friday, 19th January 2024 - Sunday, 21st April 2024

Pieces of fabric
Lubaina Himid: Lost Threads at The Holburne MuseumLost Threads will see 400 metres of vibrant Dutch wax fabric transform the spaces of the Holburne Museum.
more info

Friday, 26th January 2024 - Sunday, 21st April 2024

metal sculptureGillian Lowndes: Radical Clay at The Holburne MuseumFocusing on Lowndes’ work from the 1980s to the 2000s, the exhibition showcases a small number of tabletop and wall pieces which reflect the breadth of her practice in the last decades of her career
more info

Friday, 29th March 2024 - Sunday, 14th April 2024

A family searching for Easter hares hiding in the museumEaster Family Trail at The Holburne MuseumCome and explore The Holburne Museum – there's lots to discover, including a FREE Easter family trail.
more info

Thursday, 4th April 2024 - Friday, 5th April 2024

Headset wearer looking at Van GoghArt on the Brain at The Holburne MuseumFor the first time ever, you can visualise the impact of art on your brainwaves as Art Fund, the national charity for art, are touring technology that brings this to life in real time and in 3-D.
more info

Friday, 3rd May 2024 - Sunday, 1st September 2024

Man dressed in black and white doodling on wallMr Doodle! Museum Mayhem at Holburne MuseumThe world-renowned artist and internet sensation Mr Doodle will have his first UK museum exhibition in the city of Bath this summer.
more info

Map & Directions

Road Directions

From M4 junction 18 take A46 then A4 towards Bath. Once on the A4 turn left at third major set of traffic lights towards the A36, then at the lights at the end of the road turn right on to the A36 towards Bristol. The museum is a short distance on the left.

Public Transport Directions

No 18 bus from Bus Station/City Centre to Great Pulteney Street.

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TripAdvisor Traveller Rating

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Map and Directions

Road Directions

From M4 junction 18 take A46 then A4 towards Bath. Once on the A4 turn left at third major set of traffic lights towards the A36, then at the lights at the end of the road turn right on to the A36 towards Bristol. The museum is a short distance on the left.

Public Transport Directions

No 18 bus from Bus Station/City Centre to Great Pulteney Street.

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