Ely Museum

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

Behind the Medals: Stories of Some of Ely’s Soldiers, the next in our series of afternoon Tea and Talks, is taking place...
25/01/2025

Behind the Medals: Stories of Some of Ely’s Soldiers, the next in our series of afternoon Tea and Talks, is taking place on 5th February at 2pm.

Medals can offer us a tangible connection to an individual and are often associated with significant moments, or phases, in that person's life. Join us for this Tea and Talk to discover more about a few local lives and stories behind the actual medals you will also get to see and hold.

Following the 30 minute talk there will be the chance to ask questions, join in further discussion and chat with like-minded people while enjoying a cuppa and a biscuit.

Tickets for the talk will be £3.50 and can be booked online in advance or purchased on the day with a valid admission or museum annual pass.

Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks/

Introducing Max the Mammoth, our newest Ely Museum explorer!  Max loves hanging out with children who visit the museum, ...
23/01/2025

Introducing Max the Mammoth, our newest Ely Museum explorer! Max loves hanging out with children who visit the museum, whether it’s helping them with museum trails, completing puzzles or having fun at the dressing up station. You can find Max at the welcome desk as you arrive, wearing their Ely Museum cape, next to the children’s Explorers Chest. Max can accompany your child while they discover everything Ely Museum has to offer. And remember, at the end of your visit share with our staff what you and Max enjoyed most!

Did you know that mammoths lived in Britain up until 14,000 years ago and you can see a mammoth tooth right here in our collections.

Max the Mammoth looks forward to meeting you!

Remember once you’ve paid for admission to the museum, your ticket acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

If you wander through the galleries of Ely Museum, you’ll discover a rich history of the Fens, but deep in our museum st...
20/01/2025

If you wander through the galleries of Ely Museum, you’ll discover a rich history of the Fens, but deep in our museum stores are many more objects with a story to tell. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities, a temporary exhibition from 1st February, where we are bringing some of these objects out into the light. Discover more about them on a visit to Ely Museum.

This temporary exhibition is free with your admission price or annual pass. Remember once you have paid your admission the ticket acts as your pass for a whole year.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/the-cabinet-of-curiosities/

Ely Museum is FREE to all visitors TODAY, Saturday 18th January.It’s the perfect opportunity to take a look, especially ...
18/01/2025

Ely Museum is FREE to all visitors TODAY, Saturday 18th January.

It’s the perfect opportunity to take a look, especially if you haven’t visited before or haven’t visited for a while.

Located in the historic Old Gaol on Market Street in the city centre, we are a family friendly museum that tells the story of the area and the people who live here.

Travel through time as you explore our amazing artefacts and interactive displays from the prehistoric creatures who swam in the ancient oceans through to the Bronze Age, the Romans and the World Wars, there’s something for everyone!

We are open from 10.30am-5pm on Saturdays.

Come and find out what Ely Museum is all about!

There are trails, a children’s Explorers Chest and dressing up station for families as well baby change facilities. We have level floors throughout the museum, an accessible toilet and a lift.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

It was lovely to welcome Ely St Mary’s Primary School to Ely Museum yesterday.  The school were taking part in a Prehist...
17/01/2025

It was lovely to welcome Ely St Mary’s Primary School to Ely Museum yesterday. The school were taking part in a Prehistory workshop discovering how the lives of prehistoric people changed through time in a journey from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. The children got to handle genuine and replica objects and learnt how they were made and used with the help of our fabulous volunteers and Learning Officer.

We look forward to seeing the children again at the museum!

Using our modern education room and museum galleries, schools can join us for an immersive workshop where our unique handling collection and stories of our local history will ignite imagination and curiosity in children.

For the full list of schools workshops please check out our website: https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/schools/workshops/

Ely Museum is FREE to all visitors this Saturday, 18th January.It’s a perfect opportunity to take a look, especially if ...
16/01/2025

Ely Museum is FREE to all visitors this Saturday, 18th January.

It’s a perfect opportunity to take a look, especially if you haven’t visited before or haven’t visited for a while.

Located in the historic Old Gaol on Market Street, we are a family friendly museum that tells the story of the Fens and the people who live here.

Travel through time as you explore our amazing artefacts and interactive displays. Whether you’re interested in the Bronze Age, Romans, archaeology, agriculture or the World Wars, there’s something for everyone!

Come and find out what Ely Museum is all about!

We have level floors throughout the museum, an accessible toilet, baby change facilities and a lift.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

Great to see so many people at our inaugural Tea and Talks session yesterday afternoon!  We are now looking forward to o...
16/01/2025

Great to see so many people at our inaugural Tea and Talks session yesterday afternoon! We are now looking forward to our next session on 5th February, Behind the Medals: Stories of Some of Ely’s Soldiers.

There will always be a half hour talk by one of our knowledgeable museum team followed by a chance to chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit.

Tickets for the session will be £3.50 and can be booked online in advance or purchased on the day with a valid admission or museum annual pass.

Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks/

Join us this afternoon for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens starting at 2pm...
15/01/2025

Join us this afternoon for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens starting at 2pm.

There will be an introductory talk by one of our knowledgeable museum team followed by a chance to chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit.

Tickets can still be booked in advance online or purchased on the front desk on arrival. We hope to see you this afternoon!

The next session will be on 5th February, with a talk entitled Behind the Medals: Stories of Some of Ely’s Soldiers.

All talks will be held monthly on a Wednesday afternoon from 2pm-3.30pm.

Tickets for the talk will be £3.50 with your museum admission or pass. Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks-climate/

Join us for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens this Wednesday, 15th January a...
11/01/2025

Join us for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens this Wednesday, 15th January at 2pm.

There will be an introductory talk by one of our knowledgeable museum team followed by a chance to chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit.

Tickets can be booked in advance online or purchased on the front desk on arrival. We hope to see you there!

These sessions will be held monthly on Wednesday afternoons from 2pm-3.30pm. The next one will be on 5th February, with a talk entitled Behind the Medals: Stories of Some of Ely’s Soldiers.

Tickets for the talk will be £3.50 with your museum admission or pass. Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks-climate/

Looking for a family outing on a cold January day? Visit Ely Museum and try our winter trail.Ely Museum is open until 5p...
04/01/2025

Looking for a family outing on a cold January day? Visit Ely Museum and try our winter trail.

Ely Museum is open until 5pm Tuesday to Sunday and the winter trail is free with your admission price or annual pass and available until 31st January.

Mrs Robin Red Breast is having a day out at the museum with her family. They are all looking for their favourite things! Follow them around the museum to see if you can find the clues and discover more about the museum exhibits as you search for them.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/winter-trail-2024/

Join us for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens on 15th January at 2pm.Held mo...
03/01/2025

Join us for the first in our series of Tea and Talks: Climate and Environment in the Fens on 15th January at 2pm.

Held monthly, these sessions will include an introductory talk by one of our knowledgeable museum team followed by a chance to chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit.

All sessions will be held on a Wednesday afternoon from 2pm-3.30pm.

Tickets for the talk will be £3.50 with your museum admission or pass. Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

Tickets can be booked in advance online or purchased on the front desk on arrival. We hope to see you there!

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks-climate/

Happy New Year from the Ely Museum Team!We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead, with a mix of family activitie...
01/01/2025

Happy New Year from the Ely Museum Team!

We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead, with a mix of family activities that include family museum trails, school holiday drop-in crafts and Little Explorers for the under-5’s. For adults we have a new afternoon Tea and Talks programme, evening talks by special guests and weekend craft workshops. And for everyone we have special themed days, new exhibitions and fun evening events at the museum.

There’s something for everyone and we look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Remember once you’ve paid for admission to the museum, your ticket acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Keep an eye on our website for the latest ‘What’s On'.
https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/

Join us on 15th January at 2pm for the first in our series of Tea and Talks.Held monthly, there will be an introductory ...
28/12/2024

Join us on 15th January at 2pm for the first in our series of Tea and Talks.

Held monthly, there will be an introductory talk by one of our knowledgeable museum team followed by a chance to chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit.

The first session will explore the topic Climate and Environment in the Fens.

All sessions will be held on a Wednesday afternoon from 2pm-3.30pm.

Tickets will be £3.50 with your museum pass. Remember once you’ve paid the admission to the museum it acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

Check out our website for the full Tea and Talks programme.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/tea-and-talks-climate/

The staff at Ely Museum have donned their finest festive jumpers to wish you all a very merry Christmas!  Remember we ar...
20/12/2024

The staff at Ely Museum have donned their finest festive jumpers to wish you all a very merry Christmas! Remember we are closed from Sunday 22nd December and open again on Thursday 2nd January at the usual times.

We look forward to seeing you at the Museum in 2025!

Remember once you’ve paid for admission to the museum, your ticket acts as your museum pass for the whole year!

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

There are only three more days to visit Ely Museum this year! However, that is still plenty of time to pop in and find t...
19/12/2024

There are only three more days to visit Ely Museum this year! However, that is still plenty of time to pop in and find those last minute gifts in our free to enter museum shop. From top selling latest history hardbacks and books on those niche topics, like the' Sword in Anglo-Saxon England' to gifts and stocking fillers for all ages. It is well worth including a visit to us in your Ely Christmas shopping trip. If you’ve not visited us before, we’re located in the Old Gaol on Market Street.

We are open from 10.30am to 5pm on Thursday 19th, Friday 20th, and Saturday 21st December. After that we are closed for Christmas and the New Year.

We look forward to seeing you!

Merry Christmas!

Why not have a Roar-some birthday at Ely Museum? Make your child’s birthday party unforgettable with a unique party expe...
17/12/2024

Why not have a Roar-some birthday at Ely Museum? Make your child’s birthday party unforgettable with a unique party experience, with two hours exclusive use of our party room including a whole hour of exciting activities led by a member of the museum team.

The Prehistoric Creatures party is suitable for explorers aged 4 - 7 years. And can be booked for up to 20 children.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/birthday-parties/

World Ice-skating Day is a dedicated day celebrating the joy of skating across the world.  Here in the Fens we have a ri...
15/12/2024

World Ice-skating Day is a dedicated day celebrating the joy of skating across the world. Here in the Fens we have a rich history of ice-skating dating back to medieval times. Later in the 19th century, thousands of people would gather to watch famous fen skaters in the UK Speed Skating Championships.

Visit Ely Museum to find out more about the social history of ice-skating in this area and check out the other museum displays while you visit.

Remember your admission ticket gets you into the museum for a whole year!

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

Bring the family and try our Winter Trail while the museum is decorated for Christmas!Mrs Robin Red Breast is having a d...
12/12/2024

Bring the family and try our Winter Trail while the museum is decorated for Christmas!

Mrs Robin Red Breast is having a day out at the museum with her family. They are all looking for their favourite things. Follow the robins around the museum to find the clues and find the secret phrase. It’s an activity that will delight the whole family while visiting the museum this festive period.

The trail is free, no pre-booking is required and it’s included in your entry ticket or museum pass.

A gentle reminder that the museum is closed from Sunday 22nd December until 1st January.

https://www.elymuseum.org.uk/whats-on-elymuseum/winter-trail-2024/

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

01353 666655

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Ely Museum

Ely Museum opened to the public in the historic Bishops Gaol on the 26th April 1997 You could originally find Ely Museum in the former Choir School of Ely Cathedral at the Sacrist Gate, where we opened in 1975!

In what is now the Octagon Studios Performing Arts Centre, the original Ely Museum was opened with a small team of dedicated volunteers led by local man, Dennis Adams. It seemed particularly relevant today on our ‘second’ 22nd birthday to share some images from the grand opening of that museum!

Following our big move, the museum moved into the Old Gaol, reopening to the public in April 1997 by local archivist and historian, Mike Petty MBE

The earliest documentary reference to our Old Gaol building is from 1417 when a survey was carried out to settle a dispute over property ownership between a Bishop and Prior, though archaeological evidence suggests our building was originally built in the 13th Century. The tenant of our building in 1417 was listed as Thomas Hakwrong, though unfortunately we don’t know more about him.