Museums & Galleries · Oxford
Bate Collection of Musical Instruments
📍 OX2 6GG
Photo: ceridwen (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- New permanent exhibition on material culture, sound and craft
- Over a thousand woodwind, brass and percussion instruments on display
- Instruments spanning Renaissance and Baroque to modern times
- Welcome video introducing the new exhibition
- Collection includes Jacob Rayman Violin and Bressan Recorder
The Bate Collection of Historical Musical Instruments is a museum of musical instruments from the Middle Ages onwards. It was housed in Oxford University's Faculty of Music near Christ Church on St. Aldate's before moving to the newly constructed Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in 2026, with a new permanent exhibition "Resonant Histories: Material Culture, Sound and Craft" curated by Dr Emanuela Vai. The Bate Collection is an accredited museum under the Arts Council Engl... — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Practical details
- Open
- 2-5pm Mondays and Thursdays
- Accessibility
- Closed for a period in September 2026 due to staffing
From the attraction's own website on 12 Oct 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Gift Shop
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The Netty
✓ Boutique stay set within beautifully restored Victorian public toilets
🏖️ 2.35 miles from Wolvercote Mill Stream (Poor water quality)
Oxford
0.5 mi
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