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.

With over 1,000 Japanese prints, 5,000 examples of coins and money, 500 books and manuscripts and largest icon collection outside London, you certainly won’t be short of things to see.

From books to beetles and from mummies to machinery, Blackburn Museum and Art gallery has something to intrigue and inspire all ages. This beautiful Grade II listed building is internationally renowned for its unique collection of coins, manuscripts and books gifted by local notable Robert Edward Hart (1876-1946), which cannot be matched by any public collection outside London.

The Museum now houses an eclectic mix of modern displays focusing on Hart’s treasures, the history of Blackburn, the Egyptian mummy, Japanese prints, fine and decorative art and the Bowdler collection of world beetles. It also incorporates the Lewis Textile Museum, a fascinating collection of machines and memories from Blackburn’s heyday as a major player in the cotton industry.