Back by popular demand!

Bowing to popular demand, we’re re-installing our Handel Cossham exhibition, which was our first exhibition of 2024.

Clearly, the local-boy-made-good who did so much for Thornbury has struck a chord and the 200th anniversary of his birth on 31st March 1824 has provoked a lot of interest, both locally and from further afield.

Come along and discover the life story of the man who was born in a tiny cottage in Thornbury High Street and who, self-taught in geology, went on to become a major colliery owner and one of the South West’s leading employers. In the process, he paid for the setting up of a school in Thornbury and made a gift to the people of Thornbury of the former Wesleyan Chapel now known as the Cossham Hall.   Tens of thousands of people lined the funeral route when he died.

Our exhibition includes the story of the Cossham Hall.

You can read more about Handel and the exhibition here.

We’re open on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 1pm to 4pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.

Entry is free – although we always welcome donations for our volunteer-run museum!