Ely Museum

Ely Museum Ely Museum is now open following a £2.2m National Lottery Heritage Fund Redevelopment.

A new special exhibition, Castles: Towers, Trebuchets and Toilets, will open at Ely Museum this Saturday 20th June.This ...
15/06/2026

A new special exhibition, Castles: Towers, Trebuchets and Toilets, will open at Ely Museum this Saturday 20th June.

This summer come and explore our battlement and find out the best ways to keep your castle safe from your enemies.

Learn more about the people who lived in castles. What did they eat and what did they wear? And even find out where they went to the toilet! An interactive exhibition that is perfect for adults and children alike.

This exhibition is included with a standard museum admission or valid annual pass.

Then during the school holidays join us for a summer of Medieval Mayhem with our programme of events and activities. Keep an eye on our website for more details!



Did you know, the original part of the Ely Museum building was the Bishop’s Gaol from 1679 until 1836? The prisoners va...
11/06/2026

Did you know, the original part of the Ely Museum building was the Bishop’s Gaol from 1679 until 1836? The prisoners varied from those being held for unpaid debts to those guilty of theft and even murder.

You can still see graffiti on the original walls and floors that reveal names, places and dates. As you enter one of the original gaol cells, there is a letter marked into the floor, which is thought to be a mark to ward off witches. There are also hanging scaffolds and transportation ships etched into the walls revealing the thoughts of some of the condemned prisoners who spent their final days here before either being transported to the colonies or hanged.

Visit Ely Museum to see for yourself this fascinating prisoner graffiti.

Did you know your admission ticket acts as your annual pass, so you can visit Ely Museum as many times as you like for a whole year.

A new exhibition at Ely Museum is in the making!Castles: Towers, Trebuchets and Toilets opens this month on 20th June.Pl...
07/06/2026

A new exhibition at Ely Museum is in the making!

Castles: Towers, Trebuchets and Toilets opens this month on 20th June.

Planning a new exhibition often starts around a year before it opens: thinking through and researching an idea; planning the exhibition space; working on a design and title for the exhibition; deciding what will be displayed; working with artists; writing the information panels and designing the graphics; building work and making interactive elements; putting everything in the space and planning an exhibition launch!

Check out the photos for a little taster of what we’ve been doing.

We look forward to welcoming you to the finished exhibition!


Please be advised that Ely Museum will be closed on Tuesday 9th June due to staff training.We will be back open as usual...
06/06/2026

Please be advised that Ely Museum will be closed on Tuesday 9th June due to staff training.

We will be back open as usual on Wednesday morning from 10.30am.

Thanks for your understanding and we hope to see you soon!

Enjoy history and the arts? Maybe you are passionate about Ely and would like to help preserve its history and collecti...
04/06/2026

Enjoy history and the arts? Maybe you are passionate about Ely and would like to help preserve its history and collections for generations to come? Then join as a Friend of Ely Museum today or buy the perfect gift for the history lover in your life with an annual membership.

An annual membership is just £15 or £25 for two people and with that you get free entry to the museum, discount in our lovely museum shop as well as previews to our special exhibitions. We will also keep in touch with you with a newsletter twice a year to let you know what’s happening at the museum and how your support is contributing towards our work and new acquisitions.

Ely Museum is an independent museum and registered charity so your support is crucial in helping us to secure Ely Museum’s future and enable us to continue to offer: inspiring exhibitions, high quality care of our collections, engaging services for schools, and exciting events for all.

Ely Museum tells the stories of the people and landscape of Ely and its surrounding area from prehistory to the present day.

Volunteers’ Week is back. It’s time to celebrate all things volunteering!Our volunteers give so much to Ely Museum, wit...
01/06/2026

Volunteers’ Week is back. It’s time to celebrate all things volunteering!

Our volunteers give so much to Ely Museum, without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Thank you to each and every one of you.

We have a wide range of roles at Ely Museum from Welcome volunteers and Learning volunteers to our volunteers who help with our museum garden and holiday crafts. And of course our Trustees are all volunteers too.

If you are interested in volunteering with Ely Museum then check out our website for our volunteering opportunities.

Thank you to all those who joined us at our History Heroes event yesterday and a special thank you to those who particip...
28/05/2026

Thank you to all those who joined us at our History Heroes event yesterday and a special thank you to those who participated in our history-themed fancy dress contest!

We are pleased to announce two of our winners!

Telvi won the Most Historically Accurate category with her Emily Williamson costume. Emily Williamson, Telvi's history hero, co-founded the RSPB and Telvi's costume included a robin!

Edmund won the Best Homemade Costume category dressing up as a Roman legionary. He even decorated his own shield!

Many congratulations to all our prize winners and thank you again to all our participants.

Some of our history heroes activities throughout the museum will stay up through May half-term, so make sure you come check them out!

At our History Heroes day today, you can create your own time capsule! Decorate your time capsule (a box which is prov...
27/05/2026

At our History Heroes day today, you can create your own time capsule!

Decorate your time capsule (a box which is provided) using our craft materials and then take it home to fill it with your keepsakes or a drawing or self-portrait, a small toy, tickets from somewhere you've visited or maybe a note that lists your favourite food, TV shows or hobbies now. Take an official Time Capsule Seal to close your box and then remember to open it in 10 years time!

If you can wait that long of course!😊

Today, Wednesday 27th May, join us at Ely Museum for our History Heroes activity day! Dress up as someone from History ...
27/05/2026

Today, Wednesday 27th May, join us at Ely Museum for our History Heroes activity day! Dress up as someone from History and enter our fancy dress competition or just join in the fun with a range of activities in the galleries including: Roman noughts and crosses, Norse Runes name spelling, Victorian marbles, historical charades and more!

Children dressed in history-themed fancy dress get free admission and can be entered into the competition to win a City Cycle Toy Department gift card.

You can join in the fun anytime from 10.30am until 4pm but the fancy dress judging takes place at 2pm so if you’d like to enter make sure you visit before that time.

For more information check out our website 'What's On'.

All activities are included with standard admission or with a valid annual pass.

Visit Ely Museum today, Tuesday 26th May, for Dig It! our archaeology discovery day. Starting from 10.30am until 4pm, p...
26/05/2026

Visit Ely Museum today, Tuesday 26th May, for Dig It! our archaeology discovery day. Starting from 10.30am until 4pm, pop in any time and meet the archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology and try out a range of hands-on activities: look at archaeological finds and discover the stories behind them and have a go at excavating and crafts.

There will be a finds identification team here too who might be able to help you discover more about an item you’ve found on a walk, in your garden or maybe at the beach.

For Scouts and Brownies wanting to do their archaeology badges, the Cambridgeshire Scouts Archaeology Squad will also be here to support the event.

Included with your standard admission ticket or valid annual pass.

We look forward to seeing you!

Address

The Old Gaol, Market Street
Ely
CB74LS

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 5pm
Thursday 10:30am - 5pm
Friday 10:30am - 5pm
Saturday 10:30am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+441353666655

Website

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