Located in the market town of Cirencester, the impressive Corinium Museum is home to the finest and most extensive Romano-British collection of objects ever discovered from a particular town. The Roman town of Corinium, which was settled shortly after the Roman conquest of Britain, was the largest outside London.
The Corinium Museum’s principal collections include highly significant finds from the town of Corinium Dobunnorum, which once lay in the same area as Cirencester. The museum is particularly famous for its intact Roman mosaics, including the Hare mosaic, which has inspired modern-day Cirencester to adopt the hare as its unofficial emblem.
In addition to Roman antiquities, a walk around this fascinating museum will take you on a journey through history, as it charts the development of the Cotswolds from prehistoric times up until the present day. As you wander through the brightly-lit galleries, you will discover some intriguing objects, such as prehistoric tools, Roman mosaics, Anglo Saxon grave treasures and sculpture from Medieval times.
The Anglo-Saxon galleries display stunning objects from the Saxon graveyard at Lechlade, which is not only one of the largest, but also one of the wealthiest ever to be discovered. The medieval exhibits explain the importance of the Cotwolds through history. New prehistory galleries are opening in the summer of 2020 to complete the story of the area’s archaeology.
If all that history has made you hungry, Jack’s Tea Room and Kitchen offers coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Pop into the gift shop for books and locally produced crafts.
While you are visiting the Corinium Museum, make the most of the opportunity to explore the beautiful Cotswold town of Cirencester, home to lovely independent shops, cafes and the cathedral-like Church of St John the Baptist, which dominates the market square.
Corinium Museum opens throughout the year (except for 24th to 26th December and 1st January). Check their website for opening times and admission charges.
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Park Street, Cirencester GL7 2BX | 01285 655 611 | Corinium Museum
Images copyright Corinium Museum
