Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will reopen in phases. The full list of spaces that are now open are:

• Pre-Raphaelites Gallery
• Staffordshire Hoard Gallery
• The Round Room
• Industrial Gallery
• Contemporary Gallery (temporary exhibition space)
• Bridge Gallery (temporary exhibition space)
• Tearoom
• Shop
• Wild City (new family gallery)
• Pixel Studio (new digital gallery)
• Elephant in the Room Gallery

We are now open with displays that are different from before, you can find out more details about the new displays by seeing our Highlights page. We also have a series of temporary exhibitions, find out more about these on the What's On page.

We are reopening the Museum in phases to make best use of our limited resources. Having some spaces open and generating revenue for the Trust will help us accelerate work to improve and open other galleries across the Museum. This approach will also help us prioritise the re-introduction of learning and participation programmes that serve communities and schools across the West Midlands.

Birmingham Museums Trust is embarking on to make the Museum and the organisation more representative of the people of the city with a new approach to galleries and displays, all created in partnership with the people of the city.

The new displays explore the characteristics of Birmingham and what it means to be shaped by this city is at the heart of the of the latest phase of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s reopening.

We are continuing to work with people and partners across the city to develop these new displays, so that they tell the stories and display the objects that people most want to see.

We are now open Monday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm. Free entry (some exhibitions and special events may charge).

Yes, the museum has a new children's display called Wild City, as well activities for children and families.

Yes, the Tearoom is open Monday to Sunday, 10am - 5pm.

General admission to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is free but donations are welcome. Some events and exhibitions may charge, this information is included in the What's On details.

Birmingham Museums Trust is a charity, and your support helps us to care for and share the city’s collection of over 1 million objects and artworks across nine museums and historic properties. Find out more on our Support Us page.

We plan to reopen as much of the museum as possible. The displays will be different to before. We continue to work with people and partners across the city to develop these new displays, so that they tell the stories and display the objects that people most want to see. 

We are pleased that the works of art from Birmingham’s Pre-Raphaelite collection and the Staffordshire Hoard are now back on public display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery!

Objects from the Staffordshire Hoard can also be seen on display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

We are also conducting new research on the Pre-Raphaelite collection and plan to share new stories about these artworks in a future phase of the reopening. 

Yes school visits can now visit us, pre-booking is essential. See the Schools section for more details about sessions, self-guided visits and booking details.

The Museum has been partially or fully closed since March 2020. Following Covid-19, a programme of essential maintenance works had to be carried out across the Grade II* listed museum building and the wider Council House complex. This has included electrical work, upgrades to heating, roof repairs, and replacing lifts.

The museum objects were put safely into storage before the infrastructure works began.

This was a huge undertaking by our collections team to ensure 35,000 objects (26,000 works on paper, 1,000 paintings, and 8,000 objects) were checked, packed, and carefully moved.

Many other objects and artworks are on loan to other venues across the region and country. See the full list on the objects on loan page. Some of the stored objects can be seen at the Museum Collection Centre, the main store for Birmingham Museums, which holds around a million items. The Museum Collection Centre is open to the public once a week for pre-booked admission.

The electrical upgrade was part of Birmingham City Council’s works.

Funding has been secured via the Government’s Museums Estate and Development Fund (MEND) for the roof and other infrastructure works such as new lifts.

We are also hugely grateful to our funders FCC Communities Foundation and Friends of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery for their support towards the first phase of the reopening.

FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Over the past few months, we have worked closely with the Council to limit the impact of the section 114 (s.114) notice. We are focused on welcoming visitors back to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 2024 and on creating a financially sustainable plan that will allow the city’s museums and collections to play a full and inclusive role in the region’s civic life in the months and years ahead.

Birmingham Museums is an independent charitable trust formed in 2012 that cares for over 1 million objects and nine museums on behalf of the City Council and the people of Birmingham. Birmingham Museums venues are Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collection Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank and Weoley Castle.