Facilities
- Fully physically accessible
- Coach Parking
- Coach drop off
- Lunch facilities
- Toilets
- Outreach sessions available
- Gift Shop
Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum
Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum is now temporarily closed to the public and schools until further notice to help contain the spread of coronavirus. The park remains open.
This impressive house, once the home of the important Towneley family, has been Burnley’s Art Gallery and Museum for over 100 years.
Our sessions for schools have been developed in collaboration with local teachers and cover a wide range of topics drawing both on the Hall itself and the surrounding parkland.
Our staff know that all classes differ in their needs and abilities and are happy to tailor a session to your particular class.
Watch the film above to see how Briercliffe Primary School used the amazing collections at Towneley Hall to achieve their Arts Award Discover
Learning Sessions
The Tudors at Towneley Hall
Half day / KS2 / Art/History
This session explores the life of the Towneley family who lived in the Hall before and after the Tudor times. Children get to see a priest hide, learn about the fate of John Towneley and dress up.
Looking at Art
Half day / KS2 / Art/History
This session encourages children to study Towneley’s paintings by looking at narrative and other works in the art gallery.
Toys and Games
Half day / KS1 / Art/History
The children find themselves looking at toys from the past such as a dolls house and money box before taking part in a role playing activity with the toys.
Houses and Homes
Half day / KS2 / Art/History
The children explore the Hall comparing and contrasting the old house and its contents with their own homes.
Life in Ancient Egypt
Half day / KS2 / Art/History
The children use objects from the collections to find out about the lives of everyday people from ancient Egypt and then they get to mummify one of their classmates!
Pond Dipping and River Studies
Half day / KS1/KS2 / Science/Geography
Using the River Calder and the ponds around the hall, children get to learn about river systems, capture and identify animals and learn about their life-cycles. They will also get to have a go at ‘Kick-sampling’ and learn about the animals that make the river their home.
Mini-Beast and Habitat Safaris
Half day / KS1/KS2 / Science/Geography
Find out about the invertebrates and small animals living in the different habitats in the park including woodland. Collect mini-beasts using ‘beating trays’ and learn about the life cycles of the animals, their food chains and the importance of green plants and fungi.
Explore Towneley Hall
Half day / KS2 / Architecture
A new session focusing on the architecture and layout of the Hall using the outside as well as inside of the building.
Writing Biographies
Half day / KS2 / English/History
Children learn about three historic members of the Towneley family and use the information to write their biographies at school.
WWII
Half day / KS2 / History
The children will discover the impact of WWII on the people of Burnley. The children will have the opportunity to handle a selection of objects and meet Ben Marshall who was a child of nine when the war started.
Additional Activities
Remembrance
(Half day) KS2 / History
Examining war memorials and the personal stories behind them.
Outreach Sessions
Natural History to schools in ‘Local Links’
