Abbey Museum - Welcome (Duration: 3 minutes)

Transcript

Welcome to The Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology, a journey through 500,000 years of human history.

The Museum respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. We pay respect to First Nations Elders past and present, who hold the memories, traditions, and culture of this ancient Country.

In[SB1]  the entry there is the front desk and gift shop. To the left of the front desk is the café, bathrooms, and art gallery, which opened in 2024. Straight ahead explore the original museum, opening in its current form in 1986.

The single storey Museum building has a slate and grey split brick concrete exterior. The interior has soft lighting, flat floors with matt grey tiles and exposed roof beams, creating a warm Tudor like atmosphere.

Around 800 of the 5000 plus artefacts in the Museum’s collection are on display in a curated time passage. There are 28 display cases along the 2 passageways.  The passageways connect to form a loop, finishing back at the entry and exit. 

Reflecting its British origins, the Museum covers prehistoric Europe, Bronze and Iron Ages, the Roman Empire and Medieval Europe up to modern times. The Ancient and Classical World is represented with artefacts from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Persia, Greece, the Etruscans, and ancient Cyprus.  There are also collections from the Islamic world, South East Asia, China, Japan and India.

There is a seating area midway and benches and chairs throughout. 

Enhance your experience with audio descriptions and audio recordings of the didactics for all displays in the original Museum. Access on our website and by using the QR Codes located at 1 metre high to the left [SB2] of each corresponding display or grouping of displays. QR Codes are marked with tactile floor indicators directly below and in print and braille signage. To use, connect to The Museum's WiFi[SB3]  using your own device and headphones or earbuds.

Please ask our friendly team if you have any questions or need assistance.

Thank you for visiting The Abbey Museum.

Listen to the next recording to hear the full text on the entry sign.

The first display case is straight ahead and on your left.