Museum and county record office in Warwick to reopen to the public

The Market Hall Museum and the Warwickshire County Record Office in Warwick are set to reopen their doors to the public next week.

The Heritage and Culture Warwickshire (HCW) team has continued to offer their services and access to their collections virtually during the lockdown, but are now able to welcome visitors safely back to their buildings.

Visits to both sites will be on a pre-booked basis only and tickets will be limited to allow visitors space to social distance while enjoying the exhibits at Market Hall and researching documents at the Record Office.

People keen to use the Record Office for their family or house history will need to pre-order documents when booking, with archivists creating a safe system of storing touched archives.

Heritage and Culture Warwickshire are unable to run events at the moment, so the learning and community engagement team has been busy preparing free activity packs ready for the school holidays.

Each week a different theme of activities will be released, and families will be able to collect them from Market Hall Museum.

To arrange a time slot to pick up a free activity pack go to the web address at the bottom of the article.

Rebecca Coles, Senior learning and community engagement officer, said: “We have a fantastic free offer for our families to still enjoy our summer events from home.

"The packs are full of interesting facts, fun craft ideas and games.

“You can also tune into our social media channels to watch demonstrations on some of the craft ideas.

"If you can’t get a pack, all the instructions will be on our website so everyone can join in.”

To keep visitors safe, some of the interactive displays and toys have been removed from museum, but there is a trail for children to take part in including challenges, quiz questions and games.

The Heritage and Culture Warwickshire team will still be offering a daily online activity for those unable to visit their sites.

Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for environment and heritage and culture, said: “Having put our archives and collections to bed during lockdown, I’m delighted that we will be welcoming visitors of all ages back to Market Hall Museum and the County Record Office and providing them with a fun and meaningful experience that is also safe.

“Heritage and Culture Warwickshire have been working hard to modify their buildings in a way that ensures the safety of their visitors and staff, while still providing an experience that is as engaging as possible.

“In addition to re-opening buildings, the team have also been busy looking at how they can re-imagine the Heritage and Culture offer in Warwickshire by engaging with visitors in a different way.”

Opening times:

The County Record Office will be open from Monday July 20 and will open on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Market Hall Museum will be open from Tuesday July 21 and will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Tickets for each week will be released on a Monday morning.

How to book your visit:

All visits to Market Hall Museum and the Warwickshire County Record Office must be pre-booked at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxofficeInstructions on how visits will be managed are on the booking details and website.

The Market Hall Museum shop and cafe will remain closed at this time.