Oxford City Council’s Cabinet will discuss introducing a small entrance fee to the Museum of Oxford, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the museum and provide a more meaningful visitor experience.
The Museum of Oxford, which this year (2025) is celebrating its 50th anniversary, is the only museum all about Oxford and tells the story of Oxford and its people through an exciting range of social history objects alongside interactive displays across two galleries.
The Museum of Oxford reopened in 2021 following a £2.8m redevelopment, which tripled the size of the museum space, provided a new shop, improved facilities and hiring spaces.
Since its reopening, feedback about the Museum has been excellent including being rated an average of 4.6/5 on Trip Advisor, with over 88% of visitors being very/extremely likely to recommend it to others. However, in line with the national trends in the industry, footfall at the museum overall has reduced.
Following this, the Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve the introduction of a small entrance fee for the museum, in order to maximise the benefits of the museum and secure its longer-term sustainability.
The proposed entrance fee
The Cabinet is considering introducing a £4 entrance fee for standard visitors, and £2 for concessions. This new ticket price will include an audio guide of the museum space (under current arrangements, the cost of an audio guide is £3).
It is also proposed that the museum would continue to provide funded learning activities and concessionary rates. This would include free entry for bookings for Oxfordshire schools, carers when providing support, children under 5, people receiving benefits, and volunteers at the museum. The concessions rate (£2) could also apply for Blue Light card holders, and students.
The museum is also proposing to host 12 free to enter days per year for all visitors, linked with cultural events and activities, such as Oxford Open Doors and the Christmas Lights Festival. It is also proposed that visitors would have the option to ‘pay it forward’, and give free entry for those who otherwise would not be able to attend.
The Museum of Oxford currently charges a small fee for entrance to some events and activities. Following this introduction, it was found that attendance at these activities increased with visitors spending more time at the Museum, which also increased the likelihood of them visiting the shop and being more engaged with the exhibitions.
Other council owned museums across England have already implemented admission fees, including York Castle Museum, Abbey House Museum, Corinium Museum, as well as private and independent museums. The median price for an adult ticket for general admission is £7.60, with the median price for a concession ticket for general admission being £6.60.
A 2023 report found that museums moving from free entry to charging for admissions resulted in a rise in both total admissions income as well as the number of visitors and the dwell time of visitors. Many museums reported no change in impacts, although some suggested that there were negative aspects around fewer visitors and a reduction in on-site spontaneous donations.
The proposals will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on 22 October. It is proposed that the fees would be introduced in January 2026, subject to Cabinet approval.
Museum Renewal Fund
Last week, the Museum of Oxford was also awarded £227,952 from the Museum Renewal Fund. The Museum Renewal Fund supports museums by ensuring community access to their collections and investing in upgrading their services. This can include boosting community programmes, supporting and growing schools' activities, and driving more visitors to museums. It can also enhance revenue generation, organisational change and IT upgrades, whilst also supporting jobs in the local community.
This funding will be used to support the museum’s ongoing operations, as well as marketing to promote the museum, and the history of Oxford and its people.
Comment
“The museum sector is undergoing a challenging time following the pandemic, with many museums looking at changing their operations – and MOX is not alone. We hope that by bringing in a small entrance fee, this will help visitors to have a more meaningful experience at the museum, while we continue to provide an informative and fun experience. The Museum of Oxford is fantastic, and we want to ensure as people as possible can enjoy it, which is why we want to ensure concessions for schools, people in receipt of benefits, and other groups.
“It is also good news that we have been awarded £228,000 from the Museum Renewal Fund to help support the museum in its continued operations and to ensure more people are aware of the museum and can learn about Oxford, and the history of its people.”
Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet member for Planning and Culture
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