Lancashire Museums Admissions policy 2024-25

The aim of this policy is to ensure visitors are welcome and enjoy their experience with us and that staff are clear about the charges that apply.  

Our charges apply to our four Accredited Museums and Gawthorpe Hall.

  • Judges' Lodgings, Helmshore Mills, Queen Street Mill and Clitheroe Castle Museums are local authority owned and run museums which are Accredited with Arts Council England.
  • Gawthorpe Hall is operated by Lancashire County Council under a lease with the National Trust who own the property.

Prices are set and reviewed by Lancashire County Council, except for Clitheroe Castle Museum which is set in consultation with Ribble Valley Borough Council who own that property.

All staff are trained in this policy on induction and annual refresher.

Compiled and updated by Emma Heslewood, Senior Museum Manager, March 2024

Ticket entry and charges

A ticket entry system is in place at each of our sites. This records our visitors and types of visitors, helping us to monitor and report our performance. Ticket charges raises income which help to offset our running costs and the overall cost of admission.

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Ticket charges 2024-25

Standard admission tickets

  Standard admission type
  Adult
(19 and over)		 Child
(18 and under)		 Xplorer Pass
(4 adults to access five sites for 1 year)
Clitheroe Castle £5.00 Free £25.00
Gawthorpe Hall £7.00 Free £25.00
Helmshore Mills £5.00 Free £25.00
Judges' Lodgings £5.00 Free £25.00
Queen Street Mill £5.00 Free £25.00

Educational admission tickets

Educational
(Guided tours and schools)		 Admission type
Adult
(19 and over)		 Child
(6 - 18)		 Child
(5 and under)		 Family ticket
Museums pre-booked group tours £8.00 N/A N/A N/A
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Free entry tickets

Free entry is available to the following visitors:

  • Children under 18
  • Current staff and volunteers of Lancashire County Council Museum Service, working at LCC museums, Lancaster Castle Shire Hall, the Conservation and Collections team or for Heritage Learning Lancashire
  • Members of the Friends of Judges' Lodgings
  • Members of the Friends of Gawthorpe Hall
  • Trustees of Lancaster Judges' Lodgings Trust
  • Trustees of the Higher Mill Trust
  • Art Fund Members
  • Museums Association members
  • National Trust members (Gawthorpe Hall only)
  • Holders of a valid Museum Xplorer pass and their qualifying party
  • Lancashire Reading challenge reward (free entry to adult)
  • Group leader organising group tours
  • Coach driver with organised group tours

At the discretion of staff /museum managers

  • Free entry may be given to carers accompanying a child or adult with a disability who is able to access the museum or tour and required to facilitate a day visit.
  • Free entry may be given to wheelchair users and visitors with limited mobility who are unable to use stairs to access upper floors.
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Open days

Free entry is available to visitors for some special events during the year where we allow free access to all to experience our sites up to 5 days per year. These include

  • Heritage Open Days
  • Fun Palace weekends
  • Special One-Off Community Days such as Painting Padiham
  • Museum Takeover Days
  • British Textile Biennial (every two years, participating sites only)
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Visitor definitions and restrictions

Adult

Adults are any visitors aged 19 and over.

Child and young person

A child or young person is a visitor aged 0-18 and should not be charged for general admission to our museums. There are entry conditions around their supervision.

  • Children aged 13 and over are welcome to visit Clitheroe Castle Museum unaccompanied.
  • For all other sites no-one under the age of 16 should be admitted unless supervised by a responsible person who is themselves 17 or over.
  • In certain circumstances exceptions may be made to this at the discretion of the Museum Manager.
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Xplorer passes

The Xplorer pass is an annual multi-pass ticket to encourage more family and friends groups to either visit one museum more often; or to visit several museums. 

  • Tickets are specifically printed cards that can only be purchased and issued in person at participating museums operated by Lancashire County Council.
  • Clitheroe Castle Museum
  • Gawthorpe Hall
  • Judges' Lodgings
  • Queens Street Mill
  • Helmshore Mill
  • The passes are £25 and valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
  • They cover standard admission only and give free unlimited access to the pass holder and up to three adults, plus unlimited children, to the five participating museums, their exhibitions and displays in a 12-month period.
  • The participating museums are
  • Clitheroe Castle Museum (open all year)
  • Gawthorpe Hall (seasonal opening)
  • Judges' Lodgings (seasonal opening)
  • Queens Street Mill (seasonal opening)
  • Helmshore Mill (seasonal opening)
  • Tickets are valid in participating venues only.
  • Tickets are non-refundable.
  • Lost tickets may be replaced on proof of purchase and valid until the original expiry date.
  • The pass/offer does not include Lancaster Castle which operates only for guided tours.
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Discounts

Standard Admission and Educational Admission Tickets are subject to dynamic pricing and may be subject to special offers and deals.

These may include promotions offering of 10% or 20% discounts to attract visitors at quiet times of the week or year.

We may also offer discounts of up to 50% when part of a site may be closed due to building work.