Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery
The Story
The Music Hall on The Square has been a building in some form since the medieval period. The structure that stands today is largely Victorian, built as a concert hall in the 1840s on a site with centuries of prior use. The building alone is worth looking at before you go inside.
The museum reopened after a major restoration and now runs five permanent galleries: Roman, Prehistoric, Medieval, Tudor and Stuart, and The Shropshire Gallery. The Roman and prehistoric collections are the strongest, drawing material from Viroconium at Wroxeter and from the wider Shropshire landscape. Several items in the collection are of national significance. The special exhibitions gallery changes through the year.
Free entry throughout. The café runs Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3:15pm.
A Victorian music hall on The Square, free to enter, with Roman and prehistoric collections that include nationally significant material from Wroxeter and the wider Shropshire landscape. One of the best free attractions in any English market town — and it is on the main square, which means there is no excuse for walking past.
Enjoy Your Visit
The museum is on The Square, directly in front of the Old Market Hall. From anywhere in the old town centre it is no more than five minutes on foot. Free entry means there is no reason to plan a visit around ticket times.
Spring and summer (April to September): Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 11am–4pm. Autumn and winter (October to March): Tuesday to Saturday 10am–4pm, Sunday 11am–4pm. Closed Mondays in winter. Worth checking before visiting outside summer months.
Allow at least ninety minutes to cover the five permanent galleries properly. The Roman gallery and the prehistoric material are the strongest — the finds from Viroconium at Wroxeter sit alongside objects from across the county that put the Roman period in regional context. The Shropshire Gallery on the upper floor is the broadest in scope.
The temporary exhibitions gallery changes regularly through the year. Check shrewsburymuseum.org.uk before your visit to see what is showing. Some temporary exhibitions are ticketed even when the permanent collection is free.
The museum café is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3:15pm (last orders). Worth building into the visit if you are spending the morning. The Square has plenty of other options within two minutes if it is closed.
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