COLLECTING ROTHERHAM

Rotherham collection

COLLECTING ROTHERHAM

June 2026 to Spring 2027

Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage is proud to present Collecting Rotherham, a new temporary exhibition at Clifton Park Museum, specifically designed to spotlight our lesser-seen collections. This exhibition is more than just a display; it is a democratisation of our collections.

The exhibition highlights the odd and eccentric – provoking ideas about the key role of museum collections in producing knowledge and histories; how the act of collecting indicates an attempt to make sense of our world.

By using high-volume, visually creative displays we aim to interrogate the very nature of our collections. Through the interpretive lens of "Then, Now and Next", we invite visitors to not only witness our past but to actively participate in shaping our future collections.

From nineteenth century Racoons to a Korean Han-Bok, from Fine Art to Archaeology, and from Rotherham to South Africa, the exhibition spans the length and breadth of our large and varied museum collections.

Join us to learn about where our first collections came from, what we collect now and to help us picture what should we collect in the future.

Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage (RMAH) is proud to present a new temporary exhibition at Clifton Park Museum, specifically designed to spotlight our lesser-seen collections. This exhibition is more than just a display; it is a democratisation of our history.

By intertwining high-volume, visually creative displays with community-led research, we aim to interrogate the very nature of our archives. Through the interpretive lens of "Then, Now and Next," we invite visitors to not only witness the diversity of our past but to actively participate in shaping the social value of our future collections.

Weapons in a display case

Bicycles on display

Display box

Key Exhibition Information

Check out our key exhibition information to find out more about the exhibition, and how to access it. For further accessibility information, check out our accessibility guide.

COLLECTING ROTHERHAM is a high-quality temporary exhibition designed to spotlight the hidden treasures of the Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage (RMAH) collections. By bringing lesser-seen objects out of storage and into the gallery, the exhibition celebrates the diversity of the borough's heritage through visually stunning, high-volume displays.

The exhibition is built around a central question: What is the role of the museum in "Collecting Rotherham"—in the past, the present, and the future? Using a unique interpretive approach, each display explores the concept of "perceived value" across THEN, NOW and NEXT.

Step behind the scenes at Clifton Park Museum to explore the objects that shape our identity. "Collecting Rotherham" is more than a display—it is an open conversation about what we value, why we keep it, and what stories we choose to tell for the generations to come.

The exhibition and accompanying events programme run from June 2026 – Spring 2027.

No, our exhibition is free and open to the public during our usual opening hours.

All the events at the museum are run as drop-in sessions and are free.

The Threads theatre performance at Rotherham Civic Theatre is bookable through the Rotherham Civic Theatre website.

The Museum can get busy, particularly on a weekend or during the school holidays. We suggest that if you would prefer to at a quieter time, weekdays when we first open or after 3pm are typically the best time to visit.

We kindly ask that visitors do not consume or bring food and drink into the museum galleries. This is to protect our collections on display, and to stop pests from eating them!

The Walker Café at Clifton Park Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, as well as Mondays during the school holidays. It serves a selection of meals, cakes, hot and cold drinks. We have indoor and outdoor seating available. See the full menu to find out more.

Yes, Clifton Park Museum is fully accessible for both wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The Museum is set within Clifton Park. Access from the car park to the main entrance is level with a slight gradient towards the main entrance at the front of the Museum.

The Museum is on two floors, both of which are fully accessible to wheelchair and pushchair users. The second floor can be accessed by a lift which is situated near the main entrance.

A wheelchair is available free of charge for use inside the Museum, it is advisable to contact the Museum prior to your visit to book the wheelchair.

Please note we do not have a pram park.

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed within the museum and The Walker Café. This is in order to protect the collections on display throughout the museum.

However, service dogs are allowed within the museum and The Walker Café.

Toilets are available on the ground floor next to the gift shop, where there is also an accessible toilet which operates on a radar key. Baby changing facilities are available in all toilets.

There is a registered Changing Places facility on the ground floor at the end of the Early Rotherham gallery, this can be accessed with a radar key.

Find out more information about Changing Places facilities

You can get to Clifton Park Museum by bus, train and tram.

  • The nearest bus stop is directly outside the Museum. If travelling from the Bus Station you need to catch the number X1. The bus stop is 0.0 miles / 0.0 km from Clifton Park Museum
  • The nearest train station is Rotherham Railway Station. The train station is 0.8 miles / 1.3 km from Clifton Park Museum
  • The nearest tram station is Rotherham Railway Station. The tram station is 0.8 miles / 1.3 km from Clifton Park Museum
  • Taxis are available from the station or you could walk to the Museum
  • Should you choose to walk you will go up a moderate incline for the majority of the journey
  • You can get a taxi with A1 Taxis by calling 01709 555555. The taxi company has a wheelchair accessible vehicle

    • Park and Ride

    You can travel to Rotherham Town Centre using the park and ride at the following locations:

    Parkgate

    Address: Stadium Way, S60 1TG

    Opening times: 05:00am to Midnight Monday to Saturday, 08:00am to 21:30pm Sunday

    Tickets from: Parking is free. Tickets for travel can be purchased onboard from the conductor

    Please note: Parking facilities outside of the dedicated Tram Train parking spaces are subject to the parking terms and conditions of Parkgate Shopping. This includes terms of maximum stay.

    Swinton Train Station

    Address: Lime Grove, S64 8SP

    Tickets from: Parking is free. Tickets for travel can be purchased from vending machines or via the Ticket Office.

    Find out more about ticket office hours on Northern Rail

    Facilities: Toilets opening during staffed hours, cycle spaces available.

    Accessibility:Check information on the National Rail Enquiries website.

  • There is a car park with accessible parking spaces. The parking is less than 50 metres from the main entrance
  • Although no designated drop off point, you can pull up outside the main entrance or near the shop entrance
  • The car park is pay and display, you can pay by cash, card, app or over the telephone.
  • The route is 1200mm wide, or more
  • The nearest Blue badge parking space is 41 metres away from the main entrance and 16.5 metres away from the shop entrance. For Blue badge holders parking is free in any designated bay as long as the Blue badge is displayed. There are 143 parking spaces with an additional 5 designated accessible parking bays. From the car park to the entrance, there is level access

    • Locations, charges and parking information (including electric vehicle charging points) can be found on the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s website.

    RMBC offers free and time-unlimited parking for disabled drivers displaying a valid Blue Badge in all of its off-street pay and display car parks in Rotherham.

    Free parking is available on Saturdays in Council-owned off-street car parks in Rotherham town centre (not Forge Island), no ticket required. The normal maximum duration time allowed still applies.

    Find out more about car parking in Rotherham

    View a digital map of all the car parking provided by Rotherham Council