St Albans Museum + Gallery will reopen to the public from Monday 17 May. Under the new government guidelines, the museum, café, and gift shop will be able to reopen each day from 11am – 5pm.
Verulamium Museum will also reopen on Monday 17 May and will be open Monday – Friday 10am – 4.30pm and Saturdays 11am – 4.30pm.
We hope to reopen the Clock Tower from Saturday 26 June, subject to the rules on socially distancing being relaxed further.
Both sites will reopen with COVID-secure measures in place as per government guidelines. This includes the need for all visitors to check-in on the NHS COVID-19 app when they arrive on site and to wear face coverings whilst indoors.
St Albans Museum + Gallery will reopen with some exciting new changes with three brand new exhibitions on display.
Behind the Mask, an exhibition in partnership with Trestle Theatre Company, opens in the Keepers Galleries, celebrating 40 years of this innovative organisation.
Lockdown Life, displayed in the magnificent Assembly Room at St Albans Museum + Gallery until 4 June, will share the creative, compassionate, and innovative ways the people of St Albans have responded to the challenges of living in lockdown.
And lastly, photographer Nic Madge’s Pandemic Portraits will be also be displayed as a short film in the Timeline Gallery of St Albans Museum + Gallery. Presented as diptychs, this moving collection documents the impact of the pandemic on residents’ lives.
In the Weston Gallery, the interactive exhibition exploring the magical world of automata continues until 27 June. Perfect for a family day out, Cabaret Mechanical Marvels presents a collection of whimsical mechanical pieces, ready to delight the young and the young-at-heart.
To avoid disappointment, visitors for this exhibition are encouraged to book ahead via the museum website.
Those looking to visit Verulamium Museum are also encouraged to pre-book.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm said, “I am so glad to see our museums reopening fully for visitors once again. It has been a difficult lockdown for so many and although there have been many digital outputs, there is nothing quite like experiencing heritage and culture in person.
“The team at St Albans Museums have worked hard to put together new exhibitions and to revamp much-loved displays across both sites. This is a moment of great joy and I hope everyone is as excited as I am to visit the museums once more.”
At this unprecedented time the arts, heritage and culture sector needs your support more than ever. If you are in a position to do so, please make a donation to help St Albans Museums. During this emergency, your generous donation via the St Albans Museums and Galleries Trust will let us plan ahead; help fund our future activity; and allow us to support our arts partners and colleagues.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience.
