Contents
- Introduction
- Our location
- Travelling to us by bus
- Parking at the museum
- Museum entrances
- On entering the museum
- Wheelchair access
- Lighting and sound
- Accessibility Map
- Museum cafe
- Toilets
- Dogs
- Medical assistance
- Virtual access
A brief summary of what to expect when visiting the museum
- Stepped, level and ramped entry
- Automatic entrance doors
- Wheelchair accessibility throughout public areas of the museum
- An accessible toilet
- Seating available in all public areas
- Free wi-fi throughout the museum and cafe
- Assistance dogs allowed throughout the building
- Free entry to registered carers
- Free return entry for 12 months with dated, stamped ticket
Our location
Keswick Museum, Station Road, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4NF
Keswick Museum is located on Station Road, which runs between Lower and Upper Fitz Park on the north side of Keswick town centre and the River Greta.
The museum is around 0.3 miles from the town centre, and about 0.5 miles from the town’s bus station, located at Booths, Tithebarn Street, Keswick CA12 5EA.
The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail is about 150 metres from the museum.
Travelling to us by bus
The museum is around 200m from Greta Bank bus stop near the junction of Station Road and Penrith Road. This gives access to buses to and from Penrith and East and West Cumbria (services X4 and X5)
X4/X5 Penrith/Keswick/Bassenthwaite/Cockermouth/Workington
Other bus services to and from Carlisle (service 554) and Lancaster (service 555) operate from Keswick Bus Station at Booths.
Parking at the museum
The museum does not have its own designated parking spaces, but 2 hours free public ‘disc’ parking is available along Station Road. Discs are available from lamp post dispensers and the museum reception.
There are 3 disabled parking bays for blue badge holders directly outside the museum entrance on Station Road. The disabled bays have a 3 hour limit.
The nearest paid parking is 200 metres away at Keswick Leisure Centre or 300 metres away at Otley Road or Bell Close Car Parks, both operated by Cumberland Council.
Museum entrances
There are two entrances to the museum on two levels – Street Level (from Station Road) and Park Level (from Lower Fitz Park.) Both entrances are wide enough for wheelchair access.
From Street Level – there is both stepped and ramped access, and large automatic double doors lead directly into the museum reception area.
From Park Level – there is gently sloping paved access and two automatic doors leading into the lower floor of the building. Separate entrances from Park Level lead straight into the café. Here, there is an automatic door and (in fine weather) open sliding doors with level access.
On entering the museum
STREET LEVEL
The Street Level entrance is wide and leads directly to the museum reception and shop. Museum admission fees are charged at this reception desk, which is staffed at all times – either by museum staff or by well-trained museum volunteers.
The reception desk is split level, and the area is well lit and generally quiet, although it can be noisy when busy. There is adequate space to manoeuvre a wheelchair in the reception and adjoining shop area. There is a hearing loop at the reception desk.
The reception area has a platform lift which is large enough to take a motorised wheelchair. This lift, and nearby stairs, provide access to the museum’s lower level. There are no toilet facilities on the Street Level of the museum.
PARK LEVEL
The Park Level entrance is narrower, is not staffed, and leads to the museum’s single-level lower floor comprising –
- Toilets
- The platform lift and stairs, providing access to the museum reception and main galleries at Street Level
- The Crosthwaite Room (meeting, learning and activity space) which also has direct access from Lower Fitz Park when in use.
- The Café
- Community Gallery
Wheelchair access
The museum main exhibitions and many items from its collection are displayed on the Street Level of the building in two open-plan galleries. The free Community Gallery is on the Park Level.
Most of the interpretation panels and display cases within the museum can be viewed from different heights, however some of the older display infrastructure and larger objects are not easily accessible by wheelchair users.
There is adequate space to manoeuvre and turn a wheelchair on both floors in most areas of the museum.
Lighting and sound
Two of the museum’s galleries are lit with a well-balanced combination of natural and electric light. Here, lighting can be dim in some areas due to the need to protect our artefacts from the damaging effects of light. The more modern Gallery 2 and Community Gallery are brightly lit, mostly by electric spot lighting.
Windows in the Crosthwaite meeting room look out on to Lower Fitz Park. The room is lit with a balanced combination of natural and electric ceiling light.
Depending on the number and kind of visitors, the museum environment is generally quiet, but can also be noisy at times – particularly if children or school groups are visiting and interacting with exhibits, including the museum’s famous musical stones.
A hearing loop is available at reception.
Accessible Visitor Map
This map of sensory features in our Museum building and exhibitions was created in August 2025, thanks to funding from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
You can also download our accessible visitor map here.
Museum cafe
Café West is situated on the Park Level with step free level access from the entrance. The cafe is level throughout, its tables are well spaced and the area is well lit by natural and additional overhead lighting.
There is a children’s menu and Café West also welcomes breastfeeding mothers. There is a public microwave in the dining area which may be used by parents needing to warm baby food.
Assistance dogs are permitted within the café. Other dogs should remain outside where water is provided. Dog snacks are also on sale.
There is free public wifi inside the café.
Toilets
Visitors to the museum can use male and female public toilets accessed via the café at Park Level. Here, there is also a separate accessible toilet which houses baby changing facilities.
If the café is closed and the Crosthwaite meeting room is in use, unisex toilets in the museum at Park Level are available instead.
The accessible toilet and baby-changing facilities are available during normal café opening days and hours – at all other times, access is only available by contacting staff at the museum reception.
Dogs
Assistance dogs (guide dogs and hearing dogs for the deaf) are welcome throughout the museum. Other dogs are not permitted inside the museum building. The café provides water for dogs outside their entrance at the rear of the Park Level.
Medical assistance
In the event of an accident, please speak to a member of our team at the museum reception who will organise assistance. When in the cafe, please speak to a member of the cafe team.
An accident book and first aid kit are kept at the museum front desk. First aid kits are also available in the Crosthwaite room and the café.
Virtual access
While our collections database is currently not publicly available to search, people can contact the museum to receive further collections information virtually. Some of our collections have been photographed, including most of our manuscript collections; these photographs can be provided upon request for research purposes.
The museum galleries have many virtual interactives which expand the stories told. These include touchscreens showing 360° images of the Keswick School of Industrial Art collection, historic maps and flooding simulations, and a presentation showing the geological development of the area over time.
Images of, and further information about, the objects in our Tourism in Keswick display can be found on our Tourism in Keswick collection page.
Contact
For further information, please contact Grace Wilson on 017687 73263 or send an email using the enquiry form below.