The long-awaited redevelopment of the town centre and the advent of the national Lottery provided an opportunity to create a new museum for Banbury. Imaginatively redeveloped, the new museum and boatyard opened on 21st September 2002.

The historic Tooley's Boatyard, built at the same time as the Oxford Canal in the late 1700s and a key part of the town's history, has been incorporated into the new museum site. Now a working boatyard, regular guided tours

will be available from the Spring. The Waterways Gallery is a glass bridge spanning the Oxford Canal and Tooley's Boatyard. This dramatic structure links the Museum's entrance to the galleries across the canal. It is a significant architectural landmark that has a direct relationship to the features that are interpreted in the gallery.

The Discoveries and Treasures Galleries tell the stories that have made Banbury famous: the Civil War; the plush cloth industry; the market town, and wartime Banbury. The clean modern object-rich displays are supported by low-tech tactile interactives designed with family groups in mind.

The Exhibitions Gallery hosts national and local touring exhibitions, ensuring that there is always something new to see.

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