Shop and eat
How to find us
Treat yourself to a snack, cake and drink from our Coffee Shop whilst browsing our preloved books for sale, or relax in our outdoor seating. Lunches are available a short walk away in Hednesford or you can picnic in our beautiful grounds.
We are accessible by car, bus and train. Free Parking. Located just a 15-minute walk away from Hednesford bus and railway stations. Follow brown ‘purple stag’ tourist signs from major routes into Cannock Chase.
In our gift shop, you’ll find work from local artists and makers, souvenirs, local books and a range of gifts and pocket money toys.
Opening times: Easter Saturday to end of September: Tuesday to Sunday, 11am – 4.30pm
Free admission and parking
October to Good Friday: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Last admissions 30 minutes before closing. The museum is open all year round, except for two weeks at Christmas and New Year.
riverside.public.stub
Rugeley
Valley Road
Hednesford Town Centre
Chadsmoor & Cannock
Hednesford Hills
KEY Museum of Cannock Chase Railway Parking Cannock
Cycle rack Information One-Way Traffic
Heath Hayes
Museum of Cannock Chase, Valley Road, Hednesford, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS12 1TD. 01543 877666 @museumofcannockchase
The Museum of Cannock Chase is managed by Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, a cause-led campaigning charity who exist to inspire health and happiness through participation in activities that encourage people to be active, creative, and healthy.
S 2024 CHRISTMA 2025 – SUMMER
@museumofcannockchase
Accessibility Information We are a fully accessible facility providing accessible parking, induction loops, flat access, accessible toilets and lifts. For more information, see our Access Guide at access.museumofcannockchase.org
museumofcannockchase.org
Events and activities
Exhibitions
The museum has a packed programme of events all year round.
The museum hosts temporary exhibitions throughout the year, showcasing the work of artists and photographers, as well as fascinating historical stories.
There’s always something to get involved in, whether it be a guided walk, crafty workshop, meet the author event, book club or our regular History Hunters sessions in which we delve into the museum collections.
Award winning For a great welcome, the Museum of Cannock Chase, on the site of the former Valley Colliery, is the ideal starting point for a visit to Cannock Chase. Explore the story of Cannock Chase through interactive displays, and exciting events and exhibitions. Bring your class to our award-winning education programme, showcase your artwork, hire a room for a meeting or workshop, or delve deeper into our local history collection. Enjoy the history and beauty of our outdoor space with a picnic in the grounds, follow the sculpture trail or take a walk on Hednesford Hills. Hednesford Park has a café and an exciting adventure play area, just a few minutes’ walk away. Winner of the Visit England Welcome and Hidden Gem Accolades, the museum is FREE to come and look around. Why not extend your visit, taking in local shopping, play areas, cafes, cycle trails and walks on Cannock Chase?
Every school holiday we host a range of activities for primary age children and their families.
Event Highlights Mission Christmas
Birds by Ruth Weaver 11th January – 1st March 2025 Ruth’s highly detailed realistic portraits of birds are created with coloured pencils and inspired by scientific illustrations. She aims to capture the birds in a snippet of their natural habitat, drawing attention to the beauty of these animals and the threats they face.
Artful Landscapes by Jean Walker 8th March – 27th April 2025 Jean works with oils on canvas, favouring working impasto style with a palette knife and her work is based on her travels around the UK over many years, capturing the atmosphere and light that frame the landscape and the sea.
Saturday 14th December 11am Child £13 | Adult £4.50 | Under 3 £2.50 | Babies free
Leek to Llandudno – Beside the Seaside… and Beyond
The magic of Christmas has been stolen – can you help? Your mission: Feed the birds, make decorations with the elves, and make sure Father Christmas gets his letters. Meet and receive a gift from Father Christmas and his family. Booking required.
3rd May – 22nd June 2025
Midwinter Celebration Saturday 11th January
In this interactive family friendly exhibition, we explore how the people of a land-locked county enjoyed their holidays and leisure time. With the development of the railways, tourism boomed, with trips to enjoy the bright lights and entertainment at the seaside. Includes objects, photographs and documents from the Staffordshire Archive & Heritage collections.
11am – 3pm
Explore... Discover the rich history of Cannock Chase across our five permanent galleries. Mining Memories is an interactive journey through the Cannock Chase coalfield. Find out what it was like to work down the pit, experience our pit cage, watch archive films from the Valley Training Centre and find out where the pits used to be. Take a peek into homes from the past with our Miner’s Cottage and 1940s Room and find out more about the story of Cannock Chase in our local history gallery. Our Toy Gallery has everything from Sindy to Star Wars, and there is a Toy Room for interactive play.
Child £7 | Adults £4 | Adult and Child Ticket £10 Celebrate Midwinter with arts and crafts for children, the Holly and Oak King play, Morris dancing, Wassailing, Mari Lwyd and mummers. No need to book, just turn up.
VE Day Celebration Saturday 3rd May
28th June – 17th August 2025 Walsall Society of Artists is celebrating its 75th Diamond Anniversary this year and ‘Black Diamonds’ is the name often given to coal by those in the mining industry, used to drive the industrial might of Walsall, a town of 100 trades. Artwork on display will reflect a wide variety of skills and styles with something for everyone to enjoy.
11am – 4pm Adult £8 | Under 16s Free Celebrate this momentous occasion in style. Re-enactors, vintage vehicles, wartime music with the Henderson Big Band and Lindy Hop dancing, cookery demonstrations, talks, Dig for Victory corner, and Black Market cream teas.
Vintage Village Fete Sunday 20th July 12pm – 4pm
Plus don’t miss our regular mini exhibitions showcasing fascinating artefacts from our collections.
Walsall Society of Artists – Black Diamonds
Adult £3 | Child £5 | Family Ticket £14 Fun for all the family with maypole dancing, competitions, crafts, puppet shows, stalls, clog dancing, displays and traditional games.
Scan here to see our full list of events.
Scan here to see our full Exhibitions programme.