Pitt Rivers Museum
An anthropology museum entered through the Natural History Museum, with more than half a million objects from cultures around the world crammed into dim galleries.
The Pitt Rivers Museum was founded in 1884 on a collection donated by General Pitt-Rivers, and today it holds more than 500,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects. Unlike most museums, it arranges exhibits by object type rather than by region: musical instruments, masks, weapons and boat models, with examples from every continent displayed side by side. The glass cases are packed closely together and the lighting is dim, giving the place a strong Victorian atmosphere. Torches can be borrowed for a closer look. In recent years the museum has made ethical adjustments to some of its colonial-era collections and added explanatory labels. Admission is free. The museum is closed on Monday mornings, and the entrance is at the back of the Natural History Museum.
Opening hours
Mon 12:00–17:00; Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- Keble College, Oxford
- University Parks
- History of Science Museum, Oxford
- Bridge of Sighs, Oxford
- Sheldonian Theatre
- Turf Tavern
- Bodleian Library