The Story Museum
The Story Museum
4
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
The Story Museum is a most unusual museum located in the heart of Oxford celebrating the power of stories to teach and delight. Highlights include a Whispering Wood, Enchanted Library, City of Stories film experience and Small Worlds gallery for younger children. The Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday. Please visit our website for details of prices and opening times.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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4.0
212 reviews
Excellent
123
Very good
43
Average
23
Poor
16
Terrible
7
estar t
9 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
Fun place to take our nephew. He loved listening to all the stories. He even became a little story teller himself. The staff are amazing and encourage the children to explore and challenge themselves.as an adult I really enjoyed it and I loved their recycling installation
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review and we look forward to the next Chapter in your nephew's storytelling!
Written 13 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Charlie W
4 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
I honestly think this is one of the best museums I have ever visited. My children (5 and 7) were entranced the whole way through, as was I. The guides were knowledgeable and so enthusiastic which just added to the experience.
We went to the gallery and the City of Stories audio-visual experience. My children loved the City of Stories and although I was slightly concerned it wouldn't hold their attention, I was very wrong!
The gallery itself, I thought was magical. We spent 3 hours there and could easily have spent longer (despite the advertised average time spent at the museum being a lot less). My children loved the make your own story room as well as Narnia and they also loved the Brilli-Ant exhibition. The whispering wood at the beginning was beautiful and both loved listening to the stories. In fact we spent over an hour in there alone.
I think it probably helped that it was very quiet when we went (although it was a weekend and school holidays) as I think some of the magic would be lost if you were queueing for the rooms.
But as I've said, we had a wonderful time, thank you.
We went to the gallery and the City of Stories audio-visual experience. My children loved the City of Stories and although I was slightly concerned it wouldn't hold their attention, I was very wrong!
The gallery itself, I thought was magical. We spent 3 hours there and could easily have spent longer (despite the advertised average time spent at the museum being a lot less). My children loved the make your own story room as well as Narnia and they also loved the Brilli-Ant exhibition. The whispering wood at the beginning was beautiful and both loved listening to the stories. In fact we spent over an hour in there alone.
I think it probably helped that it was very quiet when we went (although it was a weekend and school holidays) as I think some of the magic would be lost if you were queueing for the rooms.
But as I've said, we had a wonderful time, thank you.
Written 4 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laurenbroadfield
Oxford, UK30 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Visited for a Lego workshop and the youngest went to the small worlds area. Great time had by all. A fantastic place in the heart of the city that feels like you’re in another world. Cycle storage inside the venue was appreciated and the cafe was excellent. Really family friendly and lots of options for picky eating kids! We will definitely visit the cafe again if in this part of town even if we don’t go to the museum. Excellent coffee for the grown ups too. Museum staff were really friendly and welcoming with clear directions.
Written 19 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clare4948
Bury, UK53 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We went to the museum with our three year old and did the under 5's Small World's session, which our daughter loved. The host Lucy was amazing, and when we bumped into her later in the Galleries, she went above and beyond to make our daughter happy. Lucy is a true asset to the museum and made our daughters day. The Galleries are great with lots of exhibits to see and special book themed rooms. Narnia was our daughter's favourite. I'd thoroughly recommend it for families visiting Oxford.
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stevecrow74
Galway, Ireland39 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Brought the little one here (7yrs old), unsure what to expect we did the Galleries, the staff were amazing and kept little one entertained from the very beginning right through the sections, with storytelling, treasure hunts and activities, even us adults enjoyed the experience, it’s definitely a must for those wondering what to do with the kids for an hour or two, it’s very easy to lose track of time in there too as there is so much to do and look at.
The cafe attached could do with having more a selection of warm foods, but the sweet treats were good.
The cafe attached could do with having more a selection of warm foods, but the sweet treats were good.
Written 31 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zutot
Horley, UK688 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
It looked really nice. We enquired about pricing and they gave us the information and time slots. When we returned later, about 45 minutes before the time slot we wanted, we were told it was fully booked. Would have been helpful to be given that information earlier when we’d been enquiring, or be encouraging but the ticket then. Very disappointed little girl, but oh well.
Written 9 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark L
Crowthorne, UK1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Couples
This is a very original and innovative museum/attraction in central Oxford. My wife and I really enjoyed our visit. The story museum is staffed by a significant number of knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides. It has a range of different sections, each with its own individual style and content. In these sections there are extremely well designed and attractive displays celebrating stories passed down through generations to the written word in classic and contemporary works of children’s' fiction. Film and other media also feature. My only criticism is for the Brilli-ANT exhibition, in which the primary subject is the now obligatory propaganda for climate fundamentalism. We see books celebrating Greta Thunberg and are encouraged to become vegetarians. What has this to do with stories? The Brilli-ANT exhibition does not contribute anything to the overall theme of storytelling but virtue signals excessively, without pointing out the likely outcome of the climate fundamentalism religion, which is the inevitable death of millions of people worldwide and the deliberate impoverishment of billions more. These outcomes are the likely result of the intentional acts of reducing economic growth, reducing access to affordable energy and the reduction in the food supply worldwide. All this is orchestrated by the UN and the WEF, as they facilitate the mass transfer of money and natural assets from poorer people and countries to rich global corporations. It is not a smart move for the Story Museum to promote this nonsense. There is no Climate Crisis - just look out of the window and perhaps do some background reading of your own.
Written 2 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark B
Newport, UK485 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Firstly I have to admit that we were in Oxford to look at 'His dark materials' exhibits and filming sites. We saw that there were some displayed here so decided to go.
There is an entrance fee of £10, when we went, but being fans of a show we thought it was worth the price.
We entered with an open mind, in the first area you select a character and are given a lanyard with that characters details and certain things for that character to look out for. The venue is divided into different areas and each is really beautifully designed, yes it's designed for children but if you embrace the idea you will as an adult have a great time. Some of the areas have temporary exhibits, when we went they had a great one about comics and their characters.
I won't give anymore spoilers, suffice to say we spent a lot longer than we had anticipated 'playing'.
Staff are extremely engaged and engaging.
There is an entrance fee of £10, when we went, but being fans of a show we thought it was worth the price.
We entered with an open mind, in the first area you select a character and are given a lanyard with that characters details and certain things for that character to look out for. The venue is divided into different areas and each is really beautifully designed, yes it's designed for children but if you embrace the idea you will as an adult have a great time. Some of the areas have temporary exhibits, when we went they had a great one about comics and their characters.
I won't give anymore spoilers, suffice to say we spent a lot longer than we had anticipated 'playing'.
Staff are extremely engaged and engaging.
Written 7 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JollySailor46
Colombo, Sri Lanka115 contributions
Feb 2023
We went on Feb 23rd '23 with grandson and we were disappointed. On an organised visit with an experienced tutor I am sure it is a great experience for children but just turning up you are among a group of other visitors who are all wondering what happens now and the truth is not very much. Staff are friendly but there ain't many of them.
Written 24 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hagedornjacob
Burford, UK8 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
The first time I visited the Story Museum as a teacher with a school trip, I thought it was brilliant. For one thing, I hadn’t bought the tickets. For another, there are magical elements with beautiful props. There are favourite editions of childhood books. We had a tour guide who told a story in a way that had us spellbound. I went again, with my wife, three-year-old and one-year-old. I wanted to show her the displays, so we opted for the actual museum, not the playschool-type setup which costs £5.50 per person, and would be better for under 5s.
We were given the ticket price for the museum for our family: £40. £10 for a one-year-old. £10 for a three-year-old. Might be an extra £10 if you carried a newborn.
There were aspects our children enjoyed like the Narnian wardrobe, but it wasn’t good value. Actually it’s absurd pricing structure.
The next thing that we noticed was that in the cabinets dedicated to children’s authors, JRR Tolkien had been lumped in with one shelf on a cabinet titled ‘C.S. Lewis.’ To put this in perspective, the author of ‘Horrid Henry’ has an entire cabinet. Why would this be, for one of Oxford’s most extraordinary writers and creative minds - for one of the world’s?
The answer may be in the whole cabinet for Malorie Blackman, author of ‘Noughts and Crosses.’ While other cabinets had material relating specifically to the writers, Blackman’s centerpiece is a Time Magazine cover featuring UK Grime artist Stormzy. What is the link? You guessed it - they’re both Black. This is actually racist as it implies that all Black British creativity can be lumped together because they’re all the same. In fact, there’s a big difference between Malorie Blackman and Stormzy. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ was shortlisted 2004 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (age 6-8 category). It can be enjoyed by older children. But it’s a children’s book. Stormzy’s lyrics encourage gang violence and misogynistic behaviour towards young women so foul that I won’t write it here - but read the lyrics for ‘Vossy Bop.’ It’s not for children.
I wish that the Story Museum would do its research fully and could represent our rich children’s literary heritage as well overall as it does in some places; and I wish that you could take your toddlers around the museum for less than a full grown American football player.
We were given the ticket price for the museum for our family: £40. £10 for a one-year-old. £10 for a three-year-old. Might be an extra £10 if you carried a newborn.
There were aspects our children enjoyed like the Narnian wardrobe, but it wasn’t good value. Actually it’s absurd pricing structure.
The next thing that we noticed was that in the cabinets dedicated to children’s authors, JRR Tolkien had been lumped in with one shelf on a cabinet titled ‘C.S. Lewis.’ To put this in perspective, the author of ‘Horrid Henry’ has an entire cabinet. Why would this be, for one of Oxford’s most extraordinary writers and creative minds - for one of the world’s?
The answer may be in the whole cabinet for Malorie Blackman, author of ‘Noughts and Crosses.’ While other cabinets had material relating specifically to the writers, Blackman’s centerpiece is a Time Magazine cover featuring UK Grime artist Stormzy. What is the link? You guessed it - they’re both Black. This is actually racist as it implies that all Black British creativity can be lumped together because they’re all the same. In fact, there’s a big difference between Malorie Blackman and Stormzy. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ was shortlisted 2004 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (age 6-8 category). It can be enjoyed by older children. But it’s a children’s book. Stormzy’s lyrics encourage gang violence and misogynistic behaviour towards young women so foul that I won’t write it here - but read the lyrics for ‘Vossy Bop.’ It’s not for children.
I wish that the Story Museum would do its research fully and could represent our rich children’s literary heritage as well overall as it does in some places; and I wish that you could take your toddlers around the museum for less than a full grown American football player.
Written 22 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit with the school trip and sorry to hear that you were disappointed on your return visit.
We recognise that ticket price can be a barrier but we benchmark our prices annually against other ticketed attractions and are confident that our ticket price offers good value for money for a typical average visit duration of c90 -120 minutes. We also offer a monthly Pay What You Can Sunday offering admission for a minimum £1 per person per ticket. Under-1s go free to all our Museum spaces.
With limited display space we try to balance the information and stories presented within our immersive installations to provide a broad cross section across the 8 featured stories, with additional context available on the shelves outside the installation (hence we have a Wardrobe into Narnia and the shelves outside reference the fact that Tolkien and CS Lewis were contemporaries). Whilst we would love to have our very own 'Room of Requirement' so that we could fit in even more stories, we are bound by both physical restraints and copyright agreements!
Our ambition is that every child is able to find themselves represented and included in the stories both within the Museum, in our programme and in our online story collections and we actively encourage discussion and debate around whose stories are being told, who is telling them and how those stories are being expressed. We recognise that some stories that are considered ‘classic’ stories may have been shaped by attitudes and outlooks that do not include all perspectives, and that some stories will be told from a dominant, rather than an inclusive, voice. We are committed to including previously marginalised voices and perspectives in the 1001. Where we have included stories whose content or attitudes are controversial in nature because of either historical, cultural, gender or other bias, we will acknowledge the context of the time in which the story was created and provide alternative voices and stories from those periods of literary history as well as more contemporary stories set within these times. The Story Museum Is committed to understanding the origins of these stories, the difficult histories they expose and the complex questions they raise. In order to bring these to light, we consult and collaborate widely with audiences and advisors for whom these stories have specific relevance. We also welcome being challenged on our choices.
Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback and I hope that you'll consider revisiting for a third time - particularly the Small Worlds Gallery with children aged 1 and 3.
Written 2 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
karinesmile
92 contributions
Do you think the place could be interesting for a 10 year-old French girl who doesn't speak English properly?
TheStoryMuseum
Oxford, UK1 contribution
The Story Museum is a magical place where visitors of all ages can step into stories and enjoy our hands-on immersive galleries. Because our spaces are very tactile and evoke an emotional response, they work very well for children who don't have English as their first language - as long as they've got plenty of curiosity and a desire to explore!
dreamtraveller85
Abingdon, UK18 contributions
Hi I was looking at bringing some of the children from my preschool on a Tuesday afternoon before Christmas. There would be around 7 or 8 children. Would this be possible and would I need to book in advance? Also do you do special events themed around halloween and Christmas?
TheStoryMuseum
Oxford, UK1 contribution
Our Learning Team would be delighted to help you. Please give them a call on 01865 790050 and talk through your requirements or email them via the link on our website.
bugthorn
Moreton-in-Marsh20 contributions
Dear Museum of Books,
Please would you let me know whether there will be any story reading by one of your team on Wed 5th April.
Many thanks,
Hilary Thornburgh
TheStoryMuseum
Oxford, UK1 contribution
Dear Hilary
The Story Museum is only open to school groups on Wednesday 5 April.We open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and every day of Oxfordshire state school holidays (except Easter Sunday, Christmas Day & Boxing Day). This year our Easter holiday opening runs from Friday 7 April - Sunday 23 April. We have pop-up stories in the Museum every day of public opening.
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Frequently Asked Questions about The Story Museum
- The Story Museum is open:
- Tue - Fri 09:30 - 16:30
- Sat - Sun 09:30 - 17:30
- Hotels near The Story Museum:
- (0.03 mi) Museum Hotel Oxford
- (0.11 mi) 4 Golden Cross Guesthouse
- (0.13 mi) Turl Street Mitre
- (0.23 mi) Old Bank Hotel
- (0.14 mi) Egrove Park
- Restaurants near The Story Museum:
- (0.02 mi) The Old Tom Oxford
- (0.03 mi) The Story Café
- (0.03 mi) George And Danver
- (0.04 mi) St Aldates Tavern
- (0.08 mi) The Spires Cafe