Alistair Hardaker
Image: Museum of Oxford (CC-BY-SA-4.0 Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net))
Cabinet to consider £4 standard entry and £2 concessions, with twelve free days yearly and audio guide included in ticket price.
Oxford City Council’s Cabinet are to consider a £4 entrance fee at the Museum of Oxford.
The museum reopened in 2021 following a £2.8m redevelopment, which tripled the size of the museum space, provided a new shop, improved facilities and hiring spaces.
The museum is currently free to enter, operating a ‘pay what you can’ model. It already charges a fee for entrance to some of its events and activities. THe council said attendance at these activities increased, “with visitors spending more time at the Museum, which also increased the likelihood of them visiting the shop and being more engaged with the exhibitions.”
However the introduction of an entry fee comes after the council said, in line with the national trends in the industry, footfall at the museum overall has reduced.
Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet member for Planning and Culture, said: “We hope that by bringing in a small entrance fee, this will help visitors to have a more meaningful experience at the museum, while we continue to provide an informative and fun experience.
The Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve the introduction of a fee to ‘maximise the benefits of the museum and secure its longer-term sustainability.”
The Cabinet is considering introducing a £4 entrance fee for standard visitors, and £2 for concessions. This new ticket price will include an audio guide of the museum space which is currently priced at £3.
It is also proposed that the museum would continue to provide funded learning activities and concessionary rates. This would include free entry for bookings for Oxfordshire schools, carers when providing support, children under 5, people receiving benefits, and volunteers at the museum. The concessions rate (£2) could also apply for Blue Light card holders, and students.
The museum is also proposing to host twelve free to enter days per year for all visitors, linked with cultural events and activities, such as Oxford Open Doors and the Christmas Lights Festival.
It is also proposed that visitors would have the option to ‘pay it forward’, and give free entry for those who otherwise would not be able to attend.
The proposals will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on 22 October. If approved it is proposed that fees would be introduced in January 2026.
Last week, the Museum of Oxford was awarded £227,952 from the Museum Renewal Fund, which will be used to support the museum’s ongoing operations, as well as marketing to promote the museum.
