As one of the first purpose built free museums to open outside of London in 1874, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery houses a rich and fascinating collection covering fine art, decorative art, Egyptology, coins, manuscripts, natural history, social history and South Asia.

Explore

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery houses a rich and fascinating collection of paintings, Japanese prints, Christian icons, medieval manuscripts, natural history specimens, Egyptian artefacts and of course the local and social history of its hometown, Blackburn.

What's On

See & Do

May Half Term Activities

26th - 30th May 2026

Free family friendly activities!

Exhibitions

Art Open 2026

14 March – 16 May 2026

Our annual Art Open, showcasing our incredible local artists once again!

Exhibitions

Collected Creatures

March - January 2027

An exhibition exploring the many creatures of Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery’s collection.

Events

Friends of Blackburn Museum Monthly Talk – The Frescoes of Sienna Cathedral

Tuesday 9th December

14:00 -15:00 FREE- Members £3 – Non Members

See & Do

Saturday Art Club

Every Saturday 4 Oct 2025 — 4 July 2025

The Craft&Making Saturday Club at Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery is a free programme of workshops for young people who have a passion for making.

See & Do

‘Get Crafty’: Free Saturday Arts and Crafts

Every Saturday

Free family friendly activities

Collections

Explore Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery’s collection.

Bloomberg Connects

Explore Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery with our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

Plan your Visit

Opening Times:

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat: 11am – 4:45pm
Closed Sun, Mon and all bank holidays

Learning

Museums and galleries provide a unique learning experience that can inspire and motivate young people in exciting and memorable ways. At Blackburn Museum we offer a range of taught sessions and other resources for schools and college groups.

Art UK Shop

The Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery Art UK Shop has over 330 of our artworks, including oil paintings, Japanese Prints and sculpture available to purchase as high quality art prints and framed prints with a wide choice of frames and mounts. Our Art UK Shop also offers a range of high resolution images to license for commercial use.