Learning
From school visits, to home educating groups, find out about our growing learning offer here
We are open at weekends and bank holidays throughout the year until the end of October. With lots of exciting events and activities, you can always discover something new! Please visit our ‘What’s on’ page for our latest events.
Our great-value ticket includes access to the museum with incredible natural history and world-culture collections. Complimentary highlights tours are available. Bring a picnic and make the most of Quex Gardens with its sweeping lawns, woodland walk and walled garden. Visit Quex House with its unique and beautiful interiors on a guided tour.
Children will love our backpacks full of tools to make exploring the museum fun. Take them to Gallery 6 to experience our handling collection, get artistic with various creative activities or have a quiet moment in our story corner full of brilliant books.
We are proud to offer an accessible experience for all. If you have additional access needs, please see our accessibility guide below or get in touch enquiries@powell-cottonmuseum.org.
Ongoing works
Throughout this year we will be continuing our re-imagining work. This includes significant building repairs to protect the museum collection and an extensive conservation programme which will require objects to be removed from display at times. We will do our best to minimise the impact on our visitor experience and know our visitors understand the need for this work, so thank you for your support. This page will be updated regularly so you know what to expect from your upcoming visit. You can also contact us by emailing enquiries@powell-cottonmuseum.org.
September
Galleries 7 and 8 are closed whilst we carry out urgent conservation work on skeletal material. Once cleaned, these galleries will be a holding area whilst we carefully pack and move this very delicate material. If you are curious about this process, please ask us about it during your visit.
Gallery 2 – is open however some animals are wearing ‘raincoats’ to protect them from water ingress into the diorama. Objects from the Ugandan, Kenyan and Ethiopian cases are not on display as part of a re-interpretation project.
Weddings
Please note that Quex House will be closed on Saturday 16th September for a wedding.
Prices
Adult: £3.50
Concession (over 65, disabled, student with student ID): £3.00
Child (4-16): £2.50
Infant (0-3): Free
Carer / Companion (accompanying a disabled person): Free
Great value membership options are available, offering free entry to our open days and special discounts for our events and activities.
Opening Times
Our 2023 season open days
11th Feb – 31st March, 11 am – 3 pm, weekends and bank holidays
1st April – 31st August, 11 am – 4 pm, weekends and bank holidays
1st September – 31st October, 11 am – 3 pm, weekends and bank holidays
How do I buy tickets?
You can pre-book your visit online here.
Tickets will be available to purchase in person, on the day. We advise pre-booking online wherever possible to guarantee your chosen visit date.
Group Bookings: Please see our group visits page.
School Bookings: Please see our school visits page under ‘learning’.
How to get to us
You can get to us by car, bus and train and taxi.
There are no buses passing Quex Park. The walk from Birchington village is level and there are no hills or slopes. The bus stop is 0.7 miles / 1.1 km from Powell-Cotton Museum, House and Gardens.
The nearest train station is Birchington-on-Sea. The train station is 1 miles / 1.6 km from Powell-Cotton Museum, House and Gardens.
You can get a taxi with Central Cars who offer an accessible taxi service. Please call in advance by calling (01843) 88 88 88. They have a wheelchair accessible vehicle on request.
The Powell-Cotton Museum, Quex House and Gardens, Quex Park, Birchington, Kent, CT7 0BH.
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Parking
We have a car park adjacent to the main museum building entrance. The parking is less than 50 metres from the main entrance. Parking is free and there are three accessible parking spaces.
There is a drop-off point with a dropped curb at the main entrance. From the car park to the entrance, there is level access. The route is a minimum of 1500mm wide.
Accessibility
Our accessibility statement is available here
Our gardens have concrete pathways however tree roots have made them bumpy in places and moss can make them slippery. Please take care whilst walking in the gardens. We have a full accessibility statement available
If you have a suggestion on how we can improve accessibility, please contact us enquiries@powell-cottonmuseum.org
Dogs and Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs only are allowed in the museum, house and gardens. If your assistance dog is thirsty we will provide water, please just ask a member of staff.
Toilets
Male, female, gender-neutral and accessible toilets are available in the main museum building.
Your safety during COVID
The safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers is our top priority. For this reason, we ask all visitors to observe the following:
We encourage the wearing of face-coverings, particularly on busy days however we understand this is a personal choice
If you are feeling unwell, please do not visit. Follow NHS guidance. We will provide refunds to those who cannot re-book for another date
Please respect the personal space of those around you. We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable during their visit.
We have thorough cleaning regimes in place. If you spot something that needs attention, please report it to a member of staff.
We will continue to follow all government guidelines and will update visitor information regularly
Eating and Drinking
You are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens. Please take your rubbish home with you.
Our gift shop stocks delicious ice cream and cold drinks.
Felicity’s cafe is situated at the front of the museum. They serve breakfasts, lunches, desserts and delicious afternoon tea’s. All their cakes are freshly baked on site. For more information and to book please visit https://felicityscafeatquex.co.uk/ or call 01843 482004. Indoor and outdoor seating available, pre-booking is advised.
