Bates Collection of Musical Instruments
Bate Collection Faculty of Music, St Aldates
View on Google MapsPhoto: Roger Balettie
About Bates Collection of Musical Instruments
Discover centuries of musical heritage through a fascinating array of historic instruments at this Oxford University museum. A compact but captivating collection perfect for music-loving families.
What's nearby
- Radcliffe Observatory Quarter next door
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford next door
- Oxford Oratory Church of St. Aloysius Gonzaga next door
- Somerville College 150m away
- Oxford University Press 250m away
Distances as the crow flies, via Google
Photos
Photos via Google
Opening hours
- Monday
- 2:00 – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Closed
- Thursday
- 2:00 – 5:00 PM
- Friday
- Closed
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
Current hours may differ from the usual schedule above (e.g. holidays) — check Google Maps for today's hours.
What visitors say
Really fascinating museum in downtown Oxford. Was smaller than what I thought it would be but there’s more than enough to keep you interested there for an hour or so. Guy at the front desk was really friendly. We had to leave our bags there but everything was safe enough. Would highly recommend for a great museum trip!
· via Google
Free admission. Large and impressive collection of historical instruments, and the staff is nice and informative. There's a Haydn's Broadwood piano on the second floor.
· via Google
Very interesting display. I don't know much about Musical Instruments so it was very helpful that you could listen to samples of the Instruments.
· via Google
This museum is sort of tucked away, but I loved it. Oxford has a massive collection of unique musical instruments. You can do an audio tour that shows you examples of each instrument being played. So some variations of normal instruments will be played in the context of opera music especially. If you talk to the worker or schedule a time in advance, you can even play the instruments. They have some instruments that belong to famous musicians, and so that made my heart happy when I got that opportunity. I ended up chatting with the woman working at the front desk for over an hour, and it was interesting to hear about her experiences living in London and Oxford, and it really just opened my eyes to the world of England.
· via Google
At a glance
- Address
- Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG Get directions
- Category
- Museums & Galleries
- Guest rating
- 4.7 / 5 (87 reviews)
- Suitable for
- Ages 9+
- Setting
- Indoor
- Toilets on site
- Yes
- Destination
- Oxford