Visit
Plan your visit
Most people spend about 90 minutes here. The Long Gallery alone is 96 metres from end to end, so wear comfortable shoes.
01
Opening hours
Closed
Closed (10 am to 4 pm in school holidays)
Closed (10 am to 4 pm in school holidays)
10 am to 4 pm
10 am to 4 pm
10 am to 4 pm
10 am to 4 pm
Last entry is at 3:30 pm.
We open on public holidays that fall Thursday to Sunday.
We are closed from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, and for one week each winter while volunteers clean the galleries and check every object on display. We post the winter dates on What’s On at least six weeks ahead.
The reading room is open Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 1 pm, by appointment. The Tar Pot tea room is open Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.
02
Admission
Adult
$10
Concession (pension, student or concession card)
$7
Child, 5 to 15
$4
Under 5
Free
Family (2 adults and up to 4 children aged 5 to 15)
$22
Members
Free
Carer or companion of a disabled visitor
Free
Buy your ticket at the front desk when you arrive; you don’t need to book. We take card and cash. Your ticket lasts all day, so you can leave for lunch and come back.
You don’t need a ticket for the Tar Yard, the tea room or the shop desk.
03
Getting here
2 Ropewalk Lane, Tarrow. The gate is on the river side of the lane, under the iron bell frame.
8 minutes from the town bridge along the river path, heading downstream. The path is sealed and flat.
Routes 4 and 11 stop at “Ropewalk Lane”, 2 minutes’ walk from the gate. Route 11 also runs to Orwick station.
There has been no train to Tarrow since 1958. The nearest station is at Orwick, 22 km away, and Route 11 connects with it.
Free parking in the Quay Street car park, 150 metres away (42 spaces). There are 2 accessible parking bays and a drop-off point at the gate on Ropewalk Lane.
10 bike hoops just inside the gate, in sight of the front desk.
04
Facilities
On the ground floor next to the Hemp Store, including one accessible toilet.
In the accessible toilet and in the other ground-floor toilets.
In the old gatehouse, run by volunteers on Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Tea, coffee, scones and one cake that changes every week. 24 seats, plus the Tar Yard in fine weather.
At the front desk. Books and booklets by the society, postcards of Ada Venn’s photographs, and rope-making kits. Members get 10% off.
Free lockers by the front desk (ask for a key). Coats and bags can also be left with the desk.
Benches every 12 metres in the Long Gallery, seats in every gallery, and folding stools to borrow at the front desk.
A drinking tap by the toilets. Refill bottles are welcome.
05
What to expect
About 90 minutes for all three galleries. Allow 20 minutes more if you come for the rope-making demonstration.
Saturday and Sunday at 11 am and 2 pm in the Long Gallery. It lasts 20 minutes. The machine runs for about 10 of them, and it is loud.
Take photos for your own use. Please don’t use flash in the Hackling Loft, where light damages the textiles and photographs. Tripods are fine outside opening hours if you ask us first.
Bags bigger than 40 × 30 cm go in a locker or with the front desk. The galleries have narrow spots and objects at elbow height.
Keep it to the tea room and the Tar Yard. Water bottles with lids are fine everywhere.
Very welcome. There is a family trail at the front desk and a box of things to touch at the far end of the Long Gallery.
06
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book?
No. Buy your ticket at the front desk when you arrive. Talks, walks and workshops do need booking; each event page tells you how.
Is there somewhere to eat?
The Tar Pot tea room is open on Saturday and Sunday. On other days there are cafés on High Street, 5 minutes’ walk away, and you can come back on the same ticket.
Can I bring my dog?
Assistance animals are welcome everywhere. Other dogs are welcome in the Tar Yard and the tea room, but not in the galleries.
Is it suitable for young children?
Yes. The Long Gallery is long and flat, which children tend to like. Pick up the family trail at the front desk. The demonstration machine is loud, so bring ear defenders if your child dislikes noise, or borrow a pair from us.
Can I see an object that isn’t on display?
Usually, yes. Book a reading-room visit and tell us what you’d like to see. Some large or fragile objects can only be seen in photographs.
Does the museum get cold?
The Long Gallery is a brick shed built in 1868, and it is cool in winter. Keep your coat on, or borrow one of the blankets from the bench by the door.
Can I leave and come back?
Yes. Your ticket is valid all day. Keep it with you and show it at the desk.
Who runs the museum?
The Tarrow & District Historical Society. We have one part-time coordinator and about 40 volunteers. The person selling your ticket is very likely a volunteer, and very likely knows something about your street.