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All the United Kingdom England Oxford The Story Museum

The Story Museum

An Oxford museum where visitors can have tea with the Mad Hatter and climb through the wardrobe to a fantasy land.

Oxford, England

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The entrance to the Story Museum   The Story Museum
The entrance to the Story Museum   The Story Museum
The Story Museum at Oxford.   The Story Museum
The story machine   lauracurtistalbot / Atlas Obscura User
The Ever After spacecraft   The Story Museum
The hugely popular Story Throne.   The Story Museum
The colorful decor of the museum.   The Story Museum
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  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Alice’s Wonderland, Narnia, and Middle Earth were all worlds which emerged from the streets of Oxford, where fantasy authors Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien spent time writing. Yet Oxford's significance in children's literature was often overlooked until 2014, when the Story Museum opened its doors.

Almost every room in the fantastical museum has something in it to touch, listen to, smell, or dress up in. Lining the walls of the Throne Room are hundreds of costumes for princesses, knights, and dragons to pose in on the Story Throne for photos. Here children can generate their own story titles by mixing together different words on a board.

The museum is based on exploration, so there is no predetermined route through the rooms. Corridors such as Merlin’s cave lead to dead ends, and surprises hide in every corner. In the room which also holds the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a small wardrobe. Once open, children push through a wall of fur coats and into the snowy landscape of Narnia, finding Jadis’ abandoned sled and the familiar lamppost. Upon ploughing through the frozen landscape, children find the cozy den of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, replete with fire and comfy armchairs.

In another room an outsized bed with the patchwork quilt from children’s book, The Baby Who Wouldn’t Go To Bed, dominates the room. Here children can put their own baby doll to bed or snuggle under the covers while a museum volunteer reads to them. From the Control Room of the Mission Craft Ever After, a spacecraft collecting stories from around the galaxy, children can give feedback to the crew, recording their own stories through audio, typewriters, or filming their favorite scenes from books or movies. Museum staff hope to soon acquire Phillip Pullman’s ponytail. Pullman famously delays cutting his hair until his current manuscript is complete, illustrating just how long it takes to write a book.

Update as of December 2019: The Story Museum is undergoing major restorations and will reopen in April 2020. 

Related Tags

Literature Books Museums Fantasy Libraries Exploration Imaginary World Museums And Collections

Know Before You Go

Located in Pembroke Street, the museum is a 15-minute walk from Oxford train station and is clearly marked by two lanterns outside reading "Speak Friend" and "And Enter." The museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during term-time and every day during school holidays. The Museum is 80% wheelchair accessible, with hopes to expand to 100% by 2019. The museum is currently planning major renovations due for completion in mid-2019, so check the website before planning a visit.

Community Contributors

Added By

lauracurtistalbot

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erjeffery, bobrenner38, Kavya Ram Mohan, Ursula...

  • erjeffery
  • bobrenner38
  • Kavya Ram Mohan
  • Ursula
  • missingfilm
  • Juliejoolz

Published

June 12, 2017

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  • www.storymuseum.org.uk
  • https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/feb/10/story-musuem-oxford-day-trip-take-the-kids-to
The Story Museum
Rochester House, 42 Pembroke Street
Oxford, England
United Kingdom
51.750693, -1.257986
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Mr. Therm Balcony Railings

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The Painted Room Oxford

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Mr. Therm Balcony Railings

Oxford, England

miles away

The Painted Room Oxford

Oxford, England

miles away

The Bear Inn

Oxford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oxford

Oxford

England

Places 46
Stories 8

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