Grosvenor Museum, Chester
You must not miss the Grosvenor Museum if you are planning to visit Chester. The Museum does not only offer an unforgettable experience but it is a special experience itself. It is housed in a Grade II listed building built from Ruabon red brick that is covered with sandstone and has a free Renaissance style red tile roof. The museum building was designed by Thomas Lockwood (12830-1900) who has been very active in Chester and also designed the famous black-and-white revival style 1 Bridge Street, Chester Town Hall and Bishop Lloyd’s House. The Grosvenor Museum was named after the First Duke of Westminster who played an important role in its foundation. Officially, the museum is named The Grosvenor Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, with Schools of Science and Art, for Chester, Cheshire and North Wales, however, it is almost always referred to simply as the Grosvenor Museum.
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History of the Grosvenor Museum officially starts in 1885. It was founded by the Chester Society for Natural Science, Literature and Art which was created in the early 1870s. Shortly after its formation, the Society started raising money for the museum building and managed to collect enough funds thanks to Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster who donated nearly 40 percent of the collected sum and gave the Society a piece of land for the museum building in the Grosvenor Street. It was he who laid the foundation stone in February 1885 and officially opened the museum one and a half year later. However, the museum building was extended within less than a decade after its official opening. But except refurbishment which took place from the end of 1980s to the end of 1990s, the museum building remained unchanged since then. |
The museum’s collection consists of archaeological finds from the Roman period, four centuries old Chester silver, paintings, sculptures, costumes, natural history and geological items, and the so-called King’s Arms Kitchen (recreation of a public house from the 18th century) and Period House (rooms dedicated to different historical periods). Its permanent and temporary exhibitions attract as many as 100,000 visitors a year. And they do not leave the Grosvenor Museum disappointed. On the contrary, the museum’s visitors are impressed by its rich collection which is displayed in a visitor-friendly way. The only thing that some visitors did not like is the fact that there is no lift to the first and second floors which means that disabled visitors can access only to the galleries in the ground floor.
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If you would like to visit the Grosvenor Museum, you can find it on the Grosvenor Street about a 10 minute walk from the Chester Town Hall. It can be visited daily from Monday to Saturday between 10:30am and 5pm, and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Like most other museums in The North West, the Grosvenor Museum is closed from 24 to 26 December, 1 January and the Good Friday. The admission to the museum is free. |