West Berkshire Museum

16/10/2026

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow 🌈 taken by one half of our two lovely Curators whilst leaving work for the day! What a way to finish a busy day.

16/10/2026

SAVE THE DATE of our family friendly Dragon Hunt! in a dark or dimly lit museum on Fri 30 October, 5pm to 7pm (last entry 6.40pm). FREE, drop-in, no need to book.
Some of our dragons are missing! Help the museum dragon Blaze (pictured) to find some of his dragon friends who are playing hide and seek in the galleries. There are also some newly hatched dragons to find as well as the greatest treasure of them all, a dragon egg. If you are successful in tracking down the dragons and dragon egg, you can claim a sticker reward.
Please remember to bring a torch as the Museum will be in darkness or very dimly lit.

15/10/2026

Our current Gallery 5 special exhibition, Curridge Primary School: Be a Hero, showcases the creative work of the children at the school as they explore what heroism looks like in today's world. Runs until Sunday 29 November 2026.
This special exhibition is free to visit as is the Museum itself. West Berkshire Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm each day (last entry 3.30pm).
Images: Gallery 5 -- a small part of the Be a Hero special exhibition.

14/10/2026

Our colleagues at Berkshire Archaeology, the local government curatorial archaeology team for the five districts of eastern , based at Reading Council, are recruiting for an Archaeology Officer. Details and online applications at: https://reabcli.webitrent.com/reabcli_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=2185726Xqv Closing date 25 October 2026. (Please note that we are not involved in the recruitment.)

14/10/2026

ONE WEEK BEFORE the next Talking History in-person talk at West Berkshire Museum -- Couture in the Country: the Ladies of Chilton Lodge, Wed 21 Oct, 1pm. Speaker Caroline Ness, an independent dress historian and author, will tell you about the social history of this local family (Ward) and their connections to royalty through their couture clothing. This talk is *FREE* but places must be booked in advance online: www.westberkshireheritage. org/whats-on
Bookings will close 4pm the day before the talk. Once it is fully booked, no further places will be available.
Image: Courtesy of Caroline Ness and the Fashion Museum, Bath.

11/10/2026

OCTOBER HALF TERM crafting fun is to be had at West Berkshire Museum including the Creative Craft Morning, Breathe Out Fire, Not Snow, on Friday 30 October, 10am-1pm (last entry 12.45pm).
We love dragons at West Berkshire Museum and so it will come as no surprise that one of our favourite books is Zog by Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.
In this craft, we'll be taking inspiration from this modern classic by making a fire or snow breathing dragon (pictured).
Drop-in, no need to book. £2.50 per child for the craft activity.
As usual, it is free to visit the Museum and after the craft, you can do the free complementary trail (available from the activity trolley in room 1).

09/10/2026

ONLY A FEW more weeks until the October half term holiday when we'll be offering a FREE Museum Explorers for children with additional needs and their families.
On Tuesday 27 October, 10.30am-12noon, when the Museum is usually closed to the public, the downstairs galleries (with trails) and Long Room (with free craft, pictured) will be open.
Free places are limited and must be booked in advance here: www.westberkshireheritage.org/whats-on
Book a place for the child/ren with additional needs only. Other accompanying family members need not book a place.

08/10/2026

We are looking forward to meeting delegates and chatting about our archaeology collection with anyone who stops at our stand!

CBA Wessex's annual conference will be at Shaw House near on Saturday 7 November! Compared by Julian Richards, hear talks by Phil Harding and Matt Leivers of Wessex Archaeology, the House's manager, Sarah Somerville, Simon Marsh of The Battlefields Trust, Dr Olivia Britter of the University of Southampton, Tom Cousins of Bournemouth University and us! Visit the House's current exhibitions and dressed rooms, and stands by Oxbow Books, English Heritage, West Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Archaeological Society. Lunch is included! Get your tickets now: https://www.cba-wessex.org.uk/product/cba-wessex-2026-conference/ 😀

West Berkshire Council Visit Newbury newburytoday Archaeology at the University of Reading

08/10/2026

Achieve your Arts Award Discover in morning, in three fun-filled sessions at central Newbury venues, including West Berkshire Museum!
Arts Award in a Morning, Thursday 29 October, 10am-12.30pm. Start your journey at the Museum with a craft and museum trail before moving on to Newbury Library for a story-based session. Finish at the Corn Exchange with a drama session, and you will have an opportunity to complete your Arts Award Discover there.
To book a place, please contact the Corn Exchange on 01635 522733 or go to www.cornexchangenew.com
£7 per child (and an additional £4.90 for the Award certification).

07/10/2026

ONLY A MONTH before the start of our under 5s art and craft sessions, Mini Messy Museum, on Wednesday 4 November, 10.15am-10.45am.
These are held over five consecutive Wednesday mornings when you and your child will take part in a simple craft linked to a museum object -- you'll get to take the finished artwork home.
After the craft, there will be a self-led treasure hunt to find a museum object and encourage further exploration of the museum galleries.
It costs £12 in total for all five sessions (accompanying adult is free). To book a child place, please book online in advance: www.westberkshireheritage.org/whats-on
Places are limited and when they're gone then no further places will be available.