Burnley Corporation purchased Towneley Hall and the surrounding parkland to provide local communities with freely accessible green space, an art gallery and museum in 1902. When the Hall officially opened as a Museum and Art Gallery in May 1903, most of the collections on display were on loan.
Since then, for more than 120 years, the permanent collections at Towneley have grown to encompass objects and artworks that represent many different aspects of life in Burnley and beyond.
A home for Burnley’s heritage, arts and culture
We now have about 30,000 items in the collection which can be viewed within 10 central stories.
For 600 years
The hall was a home to the Towneley family
c1380
The Towneley’s first home, a simple ‘tower house’ dates
c1530
The chapel at Towneley Hall was built
1727
The Current U-shaped building was created around
1817
Architect Jeffry Wyatt presented his design for the Regency Rooms
1902
Alice, Lady O’Hagan, the last person to live here, sold Towneley Hall to Burnley Corporation
Events
Exhibition
31 Oct - 24 Dec 2026
Everything Is Suspended in Movement, Where our Dream goes on Forever
An installation of projected photography by artist and academic Richard Mulhearn, exploring perception, uncertainty, and interpretation Everything Is Suspended in Movement: A series of images seemingly float in a dark...
Event
5 Nov
Towneley Bonfire & Firework Display 2026
Yes, you heard it here first, Burnley Council is delighted to announce that after SELL-OUT events for the past 5 years, the annual Towneley Bonfire and Fireworks Extravaganza will return...
Event
5 Nov
Unlock the Power of Real world Learning: A CPD Event for Primary School Teachers
Discover how a visit to a historic house can meaningfully enhance statutory teaching in English, Maths and Science Using Towneley Hall as a rich, practical case study, give your teaching...