Group visits
We regularly welcome group visits to Maidstone Museum, and can help support you in ensuring that any visit is as rewarding and enjoyable as possible. With over 600,000 artefacts and specimens, a group visit will be fun and engrossing, with exclusive talks providing the perfect opportunity to understand and explore the importance of our collections.
Select SCHOOLS for school group visits.
Available talks
Our expert museum curators are able to offer you detailed and informative talks on a range of subjects. Talks are for 10 to 30 people, and cost £15 per person. Off-site talks are also available – please contact us for details. Choose from:
| Talk | Details |
|---|---|
| Talk:General museum talk | Details:Beginning with an introduction to the history the of the museum and a virtual tour of the primary galleries, the talk provides details of some of the collection highlights including the Japanese collection, costumes, natural history, and ethnography. The talk also provides insight into the activities behind the scenes at the museum today. |
| Talk:Albert Goodwin | Details:A prolific artist, who worked in both watercolours and oils, Albert Goodwin was a pupil of Arthur Hughes and the Pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Maddox Brown. These artistic foundations put him into contact with the eminent art critic John Ruskin, who also became a friend and mentor. This session covers Goodwin’s local beginnings, inspirations, family life and some of his many works held. |
| Talk:Archaeology | Details:A chronological look at the museum’s British Archaeology collection and what they tell us about Kent’s past. |
| Talk:Carriage Museum | Details:A look at the Carriage Museum collection and the man who created it. |
| Talk:Costume | Details:Explore Maidstone Museum’s diverse and beautiful costume collection on an exclusive talk, looking at dresses, hats, shoes, and other fashion and textile through the ages from the 17th century to the present day. This session also offers the chance to see beautiful iconic pieces of costume that aren’t currently on display. |
| Talk:Egyptology | Details:A look at the museum's Egyptology collections, now with exciting updates from the research that has been undertaken for the new Ancient Civilisations Gallery |
| Talk:Japanese | Details:Celebrate Maidstone Museum’s fascinating Japanese collections, and look at nature and symbolism through traditional Japanese craft techniques. See inro, netsuke, ceramics, swords, and lacquer donated by local collectors Henry Marsham and Marcus Samuel in the late 19th/early 20th century. |
| Talk:Local history | Details:Uncover Maidstone’s local and industrial history. Focussing on papermaking and brewing, this talk offers the chance to see social history artefacts from the Human History Collection that are currently kept in the storeroom. |
| Talk:Natural history | Details:A look at the different area of the museum’s Natural History collections. |
| Talk:Oils, watercolours, and prints | Details:Celebrate Maidstone Museum’s fascinating Fine Art collections, including those of local artists such as Albert Goodwin. Looking at oil paintings, watercolours, and prints by local and international artists, with works dating from 16th century to the present day, this session offers the chance to see many fine works of art that aren’t currently on display. |
| Talk:Photography | Details:An impressive collection of glass plate negatives, photographic prints, can be discovered on this exclusive talk. Look at the photographic collections and the development of photography through historic artefacts. |
| Talk:Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment | Details:With diverse regimental collections and many artefacts not on public display, this session offers the chance to hear about the fascinating history of the regiment from the late 18th century to the mid-20th century. |
| Talk:World cultures | Details:Focusing on the ethnography collections of Julius Brenchley - our dashing Victorian Gentleman Explorer. |
Other activities
In addition to the informative and enjoyable talks provided by our curators, you can take advantage of a number of additions to make your group visit to Maidstone Museum even more memorable.
Contact us
If you want to discuss your planned visit to Maidstone Museum, you can contact us today to talk to one of our friendly team. Simply call or email and we’ll be in touch to answer any questions you may have.