Reopening dates announced for St Albans Museum + Gallery, Verulamium Museum and St Albans Clock Tower
Following the successful reopening of the café at St Albans Museum + Gallery in July, St Albans Museums is delighted to announce the reopening of the rest of the service.
St Albans Museum + Gallery will reopen on Monday 17th August and will be open every day 11am – 5pm.
Verulamium Museum will reopen on Tuesday 1st September and will be open Monday – Friday 10am – 4.30pm and Saturdays 11am – 4.30pm.
Following government guidance allowing the reopening of museums and galleries, the museum team has been hard at work putting in place safety precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit for everyone.
St Albans Clock Tower, which would usually have opened from Easter to September, will reopen for a weekend to celebrate Heritage Open Days.
Visitors will be able to climb the 93 steps to the top for breath-taking views across St Albans on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September 11am – 4pm.
To ensure the safety of all visitors, numbers within each building will be restricted to allow for social distancing.
All those wishing to visit are therefore encouraged to visit the St Albans Museums’ website to plan a visit and to ensure they are fully informed of the new ways of operating.
As a larger venue, St Albans Museum + Gallery will be able to accommodate a greater number of walk-in visitors. Visitors to Verulamium Museum however are encouraged to pre-book.
All visitors will need to complete a short registration form, either when they pre-book online or when they arrive on site. This is to assist with the track and trace scheme.
All visitors will be required to wear face masks in order to comply with the latest government guidance.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm said:
We’re so pleased to be reopening our museums fully for people to experience in person once again.
We hope visitors will be reassured that we have a range of measures in place to ensure our spaces are safe for everyone. Although some of the much-loved interactive elements have been temporarily removed to reduce the risk of Covid-19, the museum team has worked hard to ensure there are still elements to keep all the family entertained during their visit.
Families can borrow an explorer pack to help them discover the museum and complete a heritage trail that covers the history of the building and the surrounding city centre area.
Exhibitions on display when St Albans Museum + Gallery reopens will be the Handley Page: a history of the Radlett Aerodrome, which tells the fascinating story of the planes made there and the people who worked on site.
In the Weston Gallery, visitors can go back in time in our pop-up St Albans Picture House and experience the early films made by St Albans film pioneer, Arthur Melbourne Cooper.
A number of other exhibitions and displays, including Mechanical Marvels and 175 years of SAHAAS, will be displayed at St Albans Museum + Gallery later in the year.
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
- Visit www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/visit to find out more about planning a visit
- Images: St Albans Museum + Gallery, Verulamium Museum and St Albans Clock Tower ©St Albans Museums. Hi-res images available on request
- St Albans Museum + Gallery will reopen on Monday 17th August and will be open every day 11am – 5pm
- Verulamium Museum will reopen on Tuesday 1st September and will be open Monday – Friday 10am – 4.30pm and Saturdays 11am – 4.30pm
- St Albans Clock Tower will reopen for Heritage Open Days on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September 11am – 4pm
Councillor Contact:
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm
Email: cllr.a.rowlands@stalbans.gov.uk; Tel: 07761 232064
Media contact:
Farhana Begum, Museums Business Manager, St Albans Museums
Email: farhana.begum@stalbans.gov.uk, Tel: 01727 814638
About Verulamium Museum
Built on the site of one of the largest Roman cities in Britain, Verulamium Museum tells the story of life in Britain over 2,000 years ago. From immersive recreated Roman rooms and intricate large-scale mosaics to jewellery, coins and homeware, the museum displays archaeological finds discovered during the excavations carried out by Mortimer and Tessa Wheeler in the 1930s. As well as impressive mosaics, Verulamium Museum displays recent discoveries such as the Sandridge Hoard, a collection of 159 Roman gold coins.
About St Albans Museum + Gallery
St Albans Museum + Gallery is the newest addition to the collection of cultural heritage sites managed by St Albans Museums. It joins Verulamium Museum, the Hypocaust, the medieval Clock Tower, Sopwell Ruins and the thousands of objects in the City’s collection in being cared for and shared with the world. Set to be a world-class centre for arts and culture at the heart of one of Britain’s most historic cities, St Albans Museum + Gallery is free to all visitors. It showcases over 2,000 years of priceless heritage and hosts cutting-edge art exhibitions, sharing local, national and world treasures with all.