Toy Museum

Re-imagining the Toy Museum For 2025 and Beyond: Temporary Closure

As part of the projects we complete over the winter season, the Toy Museum has been undergoing significant work on its presentation and interpretation. This re-imagining of the current display will help us provide better accessibility, alongside a more engaging look back at the development of play and materials over the last century.

This work will require our Toy Museum to be closed to all visitors until Summer 2025, when we look forward to welcoming you back to discover its new interactive features and displays which we hope will ignite conversations about many topics related to toys and play: materials, culture, and nostalgia among them.

We understand the temporary closure of our Museum may be disappointing, but we hope you will join us in our growing anticipation for its reopening this summer.

In the meantime, we will be updating our website and social media pages with exciting milestones in the project as we prepare our new museum for visitors later this year. If you are a Season Ticket Holder, you will receive these updates via email. 

Alternatively, make sure you're following us on Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up-to-date as this project progresses. 

A History of The Toy Museum

The Toy Museum was opened on 1st July 1970 by William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L’Isle. Since then, those who have visited have been delighted by the wonderful collection of toys on display from bygone eras.

The museum was created out of an old carpenters’ workshop and is part of a range of ‘Gothic’ stables of 1836, built by the 1st Viscount’s great-great grandfather.

Many of the toys are from the collection of Yootha Rose, stage designer, artist and royal toymaker, as well as toys from generations of the Sidney family, including many new ones from the present day owners.  Numerous others have been given or lent to Lord De L’Isle for the collection.