Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do · Malmesbury
Athelstan Museum
Malmesbury's free museum in the Town Hall, with the stories of King Athelstan and Eilmer the flying monk, a wheelchair lift and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · Rainy days · Family-friendly
Start a visit to Malmesbury here, then cross to the abbey. Free, step-free by lift, and dogs are welcome.
- Good: Free; donations welcome
- Good: Wheelchair lift to the mezzanine; dogs on leads
- Good: Children's corner upstairs with activity sheets
- Good: Café and public toilets in the same building
- Worth knowing: Closed on Mondays; short hours on Sundays
About
The Athelstan Museum is in the Town Hall on Cross Hayes in Malmesbury, entered through the Tourist Information Centre. It tells the town's story, including King Athelstan, whose empty fifteenth-century tomb is in Malmesbury Abbey, and Eilmer, the monk who, William of Malmesbury wrote a century later, flew from a tower around the year 1000. The collections cover farming and industry, coins, lace and textiles, transport and local art, with recorded memories of people from the town.
It is free, run by volunteers and funded by donations. It opens Tuesday to Friday from 10.30am to 4.30pm, on Saturdays to 4pm and on Sundays from 11.30am to 3.30pm, and is closed on Mondays. Its exhibition on Malmesbury and America runs until 28 February 2027.
A wheelchair lift reaches the mezzanine, and dogs on leads are welcome. Children under 17 must come with an adult, and there is a small corner upstairs with activity sheets and crayons. The Town Hall also has a café, a small art gallery and public toilets, so it makes an easy first stop on a wet day before the abbey across the town.
Opening hours and season
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:30 to 16:30 |
| Wednesday | 10:30 to 16:30 |
| Thursday | 10:30 to 16:30 |
| Friday | 10:30 to 16:30 |
| Saturday | 10:30 to 16:00 |
| Sunday | 11:30 to 15:30 |
Facilities
- Wheelchair liftTo the mezzanine; a wheelchair to borrow
- Dogs welcomeOn a lead
- Public toilets in the Town HallAccessible toilets nearby
- CaféIn the Town Hall
- BookshopBooks on Malmesbury's history
- Cross Hayes car parkShort stay, in front of the Town Hall; disabled bays at the near end
The details
- Features
- Shop · Café
- Parking
- Cross Hayes short-stay car park in the town centre, in front of the Town Hall.
Photos
In the galleries Photo: Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
The museum from Cross Hayes Photo: Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
A wartime display case
Location
Accessibility
- Accessible toilet
A wheelchair lift serves the mezzanine floor and a wheelchair is available to borrow. Accessible toilets nearby in the Town Hall. Disabled parking at the near end of Cross Hayes car park.
Places to stay nearby
-
The Kings Arms, Malmesbury
Inn · Malmesbury
A refurbished coaching inn with 15 rooms and a tapas restaurant on Malmesbury's High Street, two minutes' walk from the abbey.
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Old Bell
Hotel · Malmesbury
A Grade I listed hotel beside Malmesbury Abbey, which says it has welcomed guests since 1220, with the Abbey Row restaurant, afternoon tea and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Stables at The Rookery
Self-catering · Malmesbury
Two self-catering cottages for couples on the edge of Malmesbury: the Stables, in a listed stone stable, and the Coach House, where dogs stay free.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Kings Arms, Malmesbury 0.1 km away
- The Abbey Café, Malmesbury 0.1 km away
- The Old Bell 0.2 km away
- The Three Cups Inn 0.4 km away
Sights nearby
-
Malmesbury Abbey
Sight · Church · Malmesbury
The surviving nave of Malmesbury's great Norman abbey church, built mostly about 1160 to 1180 and the parish church since 1541, with a south porch of carved Romanesque Apostles and King Athelstan's empty tomb. Grade I; free, open daily.
-
Market Cross, Malmesbury
Sight · Historic building · Malmesbury
Malmesbury's octagonal stone market cross of the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, a vaulted shelter with pinnacles, flying buttresses and a lantern of saints, built, John Leland wrote, to keep poor market folk dry. Grade I; free.
-
River Avon at Malmesbury
Sight · River · Malmesbury
The two branches of the Bristol Avon that almost ring Malmesbury's hilltop and meet below it, with riverside meads, old mill sites, Daniel's Well and a level path round the town. Free, on public paths and town council parks.
-
St Paul's Bell Tower, Malmesbury
Sight · Historic building · Malmesbury
The tower and spire of St Paul's, Malmesbury's medieval parish church, left standing alone on the edge of the abbey churchyard after the church fell. It has clocks below its spire and still holds a ring of eight bells, long rung for the abbey. Grade I.