Here is some information to help you prepare for your visit to St Albans Museum + Gallery:
Before you arrive
Opening times and ticket booking
The museum is open daily, 10am-4pm (last entry 3.30pm). We are open all bank holidays except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years Day.
Entry to the museum, and all exhibitions, is free.
Tickets for workshops, talks, family activities and special events are available to buy on the website or at the front desk, in the shop.
We accept cash and card.
Quiet times
We are usually quieter from 2-4pm. We are busier during market day on Wednesday.
Getting here
By train:
St Albans City station is a 15 min walk from St Albans Museum + Gallery. The walk is downhill and uphill. St Albans Abbey station is a 13 min walk up a steep hill.
By car:
There is a drop off point outside the front of the museum. The Civic Centre, Drovers Way and London Road car parks are the closest. Visit the Council website for more information on payment, opening hours and disabled bays.
By bus:
The nearest bus stops to the museum are on St Peter’s Street and St Albans Police Station. The 300, 302, 321, 361, 725, S6, S4, S4, S9, 34, S5, S8, S1, S1, 84, 230, 301, W8, W8A all pass near the museum.
Welcome
When you approach the front of the museum there are three glass doors. The one in the middle has a large button on the left, press this and the door will open automatically. The doors on the left and the right open by hand.
The building is wheelchair accessible with lift access to all areas apart from the historic Cells. Unfortunately the cells are too narrow for wheelchair access. The Courtroom includes a priority seating area for wheelchair users.
Admission to the museum is free.
The time it takes you to visit the museum will depend on your level of interest - visitors tend to stay between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours.
On entering the museum, you will see a shop to your left and the cafe to your right. The cafe and shop both take cash and card. If you'd like to eat/drink in, there is seating inside the courtroom and outside the front of the museum.
As you go further into the museum, you will reach the welcome desk and be greeted by a member of our Visitor Services team. Here you can pick up trails and resources for your visit. We have ear defenders and portable seating available if you'd like to use them during your visit. We also have explorer buckets and 'museum buddies' for younger visitors to take around the museum.
The lift to the upper and lower floors is next to the welcome desk, by the entrance to the courtroom.
Toilets
Visitor toilets are located at the front of the museum and in the cells. When you enter the museum, they are down the stairs to your left. There are accessible toilets on the ground floor, to the left of the main staircase, and one accessible toilet on the first floor at the rear of the building.
The Courtroom
You can sit and eat your food bought from the café in the courtroom. There is a range of seating and tables, and a priority seating area for wheelchairs. In the defendant’s dock you can go down the stairs, which lead into the cells. There is a narrow corridor with a low roof, leading to the cells - several cells have been converted into toilets. Unfortunately the cells are not wheelchair accessible.
You can also reach the Weston Gallery via this corridor.
Weston Gallery
The lift opens opposite the doors to the Weston Gallery. We have exhibitions that change every 3-4 months. A member of staff sits in here at all time and can answer any questions about the exhibition. There is seating and activities for children inspired by the exhibition.
The Staircase and Landing Gallery
See the portraits of famous faces connected to St Albans on your way up the staircase, you can learn more about them on the screen at the top of the stairs.
The landing gallery is where we show different objects picked by the public, volunteers and staff. The exhibition is called ‘Objects on Demand’. These objects change around every 6 months. There is a desk with a screen and cards for you to search our archive and pick an object you’d like to see on display.
The lift opens onto the landing gallery.
Assembly Room
You will see the Assembly Room from the top of the stairs. Admire the stunning Georgian architectural flourishes, ornate chandeliers and lustrous gold leaf when you step inside. With its double height ceiling and large windows which flood the space with light, this breathtaking room hosts changing exhibitions and art installations throughout the year. There is often music playing in this space, and activities for children.
Keeper's Gallery
From the landing gallery, follow the right hand corridor towards the rear of the building and you will reach the Keeper's Gallery. This gallery also has exhibitions which change every 3-4 months. Exhibitions may feature audio and video, and will have activities for children inspired by the exhibition.
There is an accessible toilet between the two gallery spaces.
Follow the corridor at the end of the gallery to go back to the Assembly Room. You will also go through our 'Community Space'. Every few months, a local group picks the objects and stories for this space.
Resources to support your visit
We have a number of resources available to support your visit. These include:
- A hearing loop at our welcome desk
- Ear defenders (for children and adults)
- Wheelchair available to borrow
- Subtitles on all films and large print transcripts
- Lift to access our upper and lower floors
- Seating around the museum
- Portable seating to carry around the galleries
- Unfortunately we don't have a designated calm space, but please ask a member of staff to point you to a quieter area of the museum.
You can also take a 360° virtual tour of the inside of the museum.