Britain's first public museum, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology grew from the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of Oxford in 1677. Its first building went up between 1678 and 1683, making it the world's second university museum after the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Today the collection numbers around a million objects and spans half a million years of art and archaeology, from Egyptian mummies to modern art. Galleries devoted to Egypt and Nubia opened in 2011, and the galleries of 19th-century art were redisplayed in 2016. The range suits visitors interested in ancient cultures as much as those who come for painting and sculpture.
The museum stands on Beaumont Street in a Grade I listed building constructed between 1841 and 1845, with Charles Robert Cockerell and Rick Mather credited as its architects. It reopened in 2009 after a major redevelopment.
No audio tours yet
Visited Ashmolean Museum? Make the first audio tour: AI helps with the stops, scripts and narration.
£75
£13.50
A fun, interactive family experience through the galleries. Book ahead or pick up the digital devices when you visit. Available weekends and daily in school holidays.
Help keep the past vibrant, relevant, and accessible for all.
Browse the floors of the Museum
Drop in to a coin handling session in the Money Gallery, every Saturday. Free. Check times.
Take a look at a selection of highlights from the Ashmolean's collection, chosen by our curators.
A special season of events and more for summer and autumn 2025.
The fourth exhibition in our Ashmolean NOW series presents sculptures by contemporary Irish artist Daphne Wright. Gallery 8, lower ground floor. Open now
Get ahead on your festive shopping with 15% off at the Ashmolean Online Shop this week. Use the code 15EARLYBIRD25 at checkout (t&cs apply).
Support the Museum and treat someone to free, unlimited access to a year of exhibitions, plus exclusive events and discounts.
Delve into our latest selection of ghostly tales and creepy objects from the collections... if you dare.
Marvel at the sensational kimonos worn by the famous kabuki actor Bandō Tamasaburō V. Textiles Gallery 5, lower ground floor. Final weeks
Ask for the new card game to play as you explore the galleries, available from the Museum's Welcome Desk and it's free!
Check out the new autumn menu in our Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace.
Discover thousands of objects and artworks Take a journey through thousands of years of art and history with our online collection. There are currently more than 300,000 objects available to search and browse online.
Hong Kong artist Pat Suet-Bik Hui, now based in the US, brings together the three art forms of poetry, calligraphy, and painting in her colourful artworks. Chinese Paintings Gallery 11, ground floor. Open now
Browse our collection of fine art prints from current exhibition imagery to highlights from across our collection.
Check out the fun interactives and games in the newly-renovated Rome galleries.
The new Shedding Light display of a reimagined Caribbean Living Room opens as a permanent display in the European Ceramics Gallery 40. From 4 Oct
This Is What You Get exhibition curator Lena Fritsch tells the story of Stanley Donwood, Thom Yorke and Radiohead's creative collaboration since The Bends album came out in 1995.
STANLEY DONWOOD | RADIOHEAD | THOM YORKE
£30
£8
Open every day, 10am–5pm
To mark our This Is What You Get exhibition, you could win an overnight stay for two in Oxford's 36 St Giles' luxury apartments.
Wikipedia
X (Twitter)
YouTube