Charlbury Museum

Since its very beginnings in 1949, Charlbury Museum has been based in the Corner House.  These days you will find us through a separate entrance, reached by a path through the little garden in Market Street at the side of the building. Our five rooms are full of exhibits and information revealing the history of our ancient market town. 

The Museum is open between Easter and September

The Museum will be open Friday 3 June at 2.30 – 4.30 pm, Saturday 10.30 am – 12.30 pm, and Sunday from 2.30 – 4.30 pm, celebrating the  Jubilee. Children free, adults £1. Do come in and explore our five rooms. 

Saturdays:  10.30am – 12.30pm

Sundays & Bank Holidays:  2.30 – 4.30pm

For more information and details of special events, please visit their website.

Charlbury is thought to have Saxon origins, still indicated by the layout of the central streets. In 1256 it was granted a charter enabling it hold a weekly market and annual fair, thus giving it the status of a town. The museum will give you an insight into how people lived their lives here in the past, how and why the town has changed over the years, and what can be learned by looking at the buildings and environment around us. Come and discover the important role that local Quakers played in the life of the town and how the gloving industry became a major source of income for residents for many years. 

Corner House with lantern
Corner House with Lantern
G Church Street
Church Street
larcum-kendal-cottage.jpg
Larkum Kendall's Home
G Swimming pool 1963
Charlbury Swimming Pool 1963

There are many varied artefacts and objects on display and there is a rich collection of photographs of the town portraying people and events, buildings and the social life of the town as well as recording disasters and celebrations. 

The five rooms are full of exhibits and information revealing the history of this ancient market town. Through Stone Age arrow heads, the history of the extensive royal forest of Wychwood, through centuries of farming and the growth of the gloving industry. The Museum tells the story of the streets and buildings and of the people who have lived and worked in Charlbury through the centuries.  As well as items on display, we have a large collection of documents and photographs of Charlbury and its people at work and play.

D Smithy
Blacksmith's Forge
B Gloving display
Gloving in Charlbury
C Allen's shop
Allens' Drapery
E Fireman
Firemen of Charlbury

Publications for Sale

We have a selection of local books for sale. Enquiries to info@charlburymuseum.org.uk

Glover, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor

Published to mark the centenary of WW1, this book records the findings of the 2014 exhibition, to which many towns people contributed photographs and information. It tells the stories of those who served in the forces, explores the home front, the refugees who came here, the effect of the war on children and the roles which women played in the war.

£5

A History of Charlbury

A lively history of the town, carefully researched, which follows the town’s development from prehistoric times to the present day.  It brings to life the story of the people who lived here, the buildings they created, and what makes the town the attractive and popular place it is today. Written by Lois Hey

£5

The History of Charlbury

This booklet brings together articles which appeared on the Charlbury website during the Covid pandemic in 2020. It explores over 30 varied topics linked to items in the museum, from pennyfarthing bicycles, the tithe map, the town crier’s bell and a tin trunk of treasures from the local drapers shop.

£8

Recent Events at the Charlbury Museum

Lockdown display outside the Corner House created by Little Monkey’s Nursery. 

The Museum’s largest exhibit is an Oxfordshire agricultural wagon, recently painstakingly restored and resplendent in its traditional yellow and red colours.