Guildford Museum

What's on at Guildford Museum

Explore our local history from the age of prehistoric man to modern life and times. Discover more about famous people connected with Guildford and Surrey. Including garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and author Lewis Carroll. Enjoy our unique collection of needlework and toys. As well as free displays and exhibitions, we have a programme of events and activities for all ages.

We are open Wednesday to Saturdays 12noon to 4.30pm (last entry 4pm).

There are times when we're working hard to changeover our exhibitions, and this might mean that some spaces or displays may be closed. If you're visiting to see a specific display, you can call us on 01483 444751 to check that it's open.

Easter Bunny Trail

Dates: Wednesday 25 March to Saturday 11 April.
Suitable for ages 4+. Adults to accompany all children.

Free, donations welcome.
Drop-in.

Join the Easter Bunny on a fun trail around Guildford Museum.

Playtime!

Dates: Saturday 29 March to 11 April 2026

It's Playtime! at Guildford Museum! Enjoy our fun learning exhibition for all the family.

Explore our display of vintage toys and games from our museum collection and try out Playtime! for yourself and get hands-on with a selection of toys and games available during your visit.

Alongside our Playtime! exhibition, we'll have lots of family fun activities too. We'll also be making regular changes to the displays, so that they'll be something new for you to see!

Gertrude Jekyll Collage

Date: Wednesday 8 April - 12pm to 4pm
Suitable for ages 6+

Free, donations welcome.
Drop-in.

Help create a picture inspired by Gertrude Jekyll's gardens. Use collage to make the flowers, paths and walls. Young people at the Halow Project have started the picture and we'd love visitors to help complete it. The finished picture will go on display in the Gertrude Jekyll in Surrey exhibition from 25 April.

Alice in Wonderland Craft and Storytime

Date and time: Friday 10 April,10.30am to 11.15am.

Suitable for ages 2+. Adults to accompany all children.

Free, donations welcome

No need to book; places allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Join this fun-filled session. Listen to stories from Alice in Wonderland, specially adapted for younger children. Author Lewis Carroll lived in Guildford! Make a Cheshire Cat mask and a Mad Hatter hat to take home!

Also running at Guildford Library on Wednesday 18 March.

Surrey Day fossil handling and activities

Date: Saturday 9 May, 12pm to 3pm
Suitable for ages 6 to 11 years old. Adults to accompany all children.

Free, donations welcome
Drop-in

For Surrey Day 2026 the theme is 'Going Underground' and at Guildford Museum we'll be offering you the chance to handle some fossils and discover what used to be under our feet millions of years ago! From shark teeth to crystals, you can see up close how the environment, and life itself, has evolved over time and how exactly things come to be fossilised.

Family Fun! Wheels of Time

Date: Ongoing

Join Roamin' Rex as he travels through time (and around Surrey)! Collect a badge from each participating museum, including ours.

For more details, visit Surrey wheels of time. (opens new window)

The Longworth Discovery Lounge

Date: second Friday of the month from 12pm until 4pm (last entry 3.30pm)

Our Discovery Lounge is the place for history enthusiasts to explore our local history resources. We have books, maps, records, and digital files to use for research and history enquiries. A digital compendium, Guildford Inhabitants, is available to search and provides a snapshot of town centre inhabitants from the 1800s to present day. The compendium has been compiled by a local historian using census returns, trade directories, electoral registers, and newspapers. Our knowledgeable volunteers, coordinated by the Friends of Guildford Museum, are on hand to help with your queries.

The Longworth Discovery Lounge is a partnership between the Friends of Guildford Museum and Guildford Museum.

Named in memory of Andrew Longworth, former employee of Guildford Museum.

Soldiers of Surrey: A display from the Surrey Infantry Collection

Dates: available during opening hours
Free entry

June 6, 2024, was the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Surrey Infantry Collection display D-Day +80 commemorated this anniversary of the Normandy landings. Explore the role of Surrey men in the Allied D-Day landings through personal artifacts and technical objects.