The Mapping Museums database comprises information on 4,000+ museums that have been open in the UK since 1960. It is the first publicly available longitudinal database of museums in the UK, and it is free to use.
The database records museums’ accreditation status, governance, location, size (according to visitor numbers), subject matter, year of opening and, where applicable, year of closure. Users can browse the data or conduct detailed searches. Data can be viewed as lists, on maps, and via visualisations. Users can also search the data according to the social deprivation and the Geo-demographic group associated with museums’ locations.
See the Mapping Museums project website for a comprehensive User’s Guide to the Database and glossary of terms.
We continue to update the database. Please contact the Mapping Museums Lab with any new information or corrections.