About
Abington Park Museum occupies one of Northamptonshire's most historically significant buildings, a beautiful Elizabethan manor house set within the extensive parkland of Abington Park in the south-east of Northampton. The manor house, which dates from the late sixteenth century with later additions, is of extraordinary historical interest as the former home of Bernard Hall, the grandson-in-law of William Shakespeare — making it one of the very few surviving buildings with a direct personal connection to Britain's greatest playwright. Elizabeth Hall, Shakespeare's only granddaughter, lived here after her marriage to Thomas Nash and later to John Bernard, and this remarkable literary heritage gives Abington Museum a unique place in the story of English literature.
The museum was established in the house following its acquisition by Northampton Corporation in 1892, when the surrounding parkland was opened as a public park. For over a century the house has served as the principal museum of Northampton's history and culture, housing collections that range from Romano-British archaeology through medieval history to the costume and decorative arts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The setting within Abington Park, one of Northampton's most beloved green spaces, allows visitors to combine their museum experience with a pleasant walk through the mature parkland that surrounds the historic house.
The museum's collections include an important and nationally significant collection of military history, particularly relating to the Northamptonshire Regiment and local military service across the centuries. Uniforms, weapons, medals, and campaign records document the service of Northamptonshire men in conflicts from the English Civil War to the Second World War. The collections of costume and textiles are particularly strong, reflecting Northampton's historic importance as the centre of England's boot and shoe industry — a heritage that helped shape the character of the town and region through the Victorian era and beyond.
Abington Park Museum serves as a free community resource for Northampton and the wider county, welcoming school groups, local historians, and visitors from across the region and beyond. The combination of the historic house, its remarkable Shakespeare connection, and the varied and engaging collections it contains makes it one of the most rewarding free museums in the East Midlands. The museum's programme of temporary exhibitions, community events, and educational activities ensures that there is always something new to discover on repeat visits throughout the year.
Categories:
Plan Your Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check opening hours before visiting — the museum opens afternoons only (from 1pm Tue-Sat)
- Combine with a walk through Abington Park, one of Northampton's most beautiful green spaces
- Don't miss the Shakespeare granddaughter connection — ask at reception for the full story
- The free car park in Abington Park makes visiting by car very convenient
Highlights
Shakespeare's Granddaughter Connection
Abington Manor's most remarkable historical distinction is its direct connection to William Shakespeare through his granddaughter Elizabeth Hall. Born in 1608, Elizabeth was the daughter of Shakespeare's only child Susanna and her physician husband John Hall of Stratford-upon-Avon. After the death of her first husband Thomas Nash in 1647, Elizabeth married Sir John Bernard of Abington, a local landowner, and came to live in this house.
She died at Abington in 1670 as the last direct descendant of England's greatest playwright, carrying the Shakespeare line to its end within these very walls — a connection that gives the museum a unique and treasured place in English literary heritage.
Elizabethan Manor Architecture
The manor house at the heart of Abington Museum is an outstanding example of late Elizabethan domestic architecture, with later additions creating the building's current character. The stone-built manor, with its mullioned windows, asymmetric facade, and period interior features, represents one of the better-preserved historic houses in Northamptonshire and provides a beautiful and atmospheric setting for the museum's collections.
The building's history can be traced through structural evidence and historical records that reveal how the house developed from its Elizabethan origins through seventeenth and eighteenth-century modifications to its current form.
The architecture alone rewards careful examination by visitors interested in English domestic building history.
Costume and Textile Collections
The museum holds an important collection of historic costume and textiles spanning several centuries, with particular strengths in Victorian and Edwardian dress that reflects Northampton's position as the capital of England's boot and shoe industry.
The collection includes examples of fashionable dress from across the social spectrum, from working-class garments to elite court dress, documenting the material culture of clothing and bodily adornment with remarkable breadth. Shoes and boots from local manufacturers feature prominently, connecting the museum's costume collections to Northampton's industrial heritage and the skilled craftsmen whose work supplied the nation's feet for generations.
Northamptonshire Regiment Collections
The museum houses significant military collections relating to the Northamptonshire Regiment and other local military connections, spanning conflicts from the English Civil War through to the Second World War.
Uniforms, weapons, medals, campaign documents, and personal effects document the service of Northamptonshire men in the nation's wars, bringing individual human stories to the broader military history. The collections include items associated with the Regiment's service in colonial campaigns, the Boer War, and both World Wars, providing a local perspective on events of national and international significance.
These military collections are of particular importance to former service personnel and their families researching regimental and family history.
Collections
Northampton Through Time
Permanent displays tracing the history of Northampton from Roman settlement to the twentieth century, using archaeological finds, documents, and social history objects
Costume and Dress
Historic costume collection spanning several centuries, with particular strengths in Victorian and Edwardian dress and Northampton's footwear heritage
Military History of Northamptonshire
Collections relating to the Northamptonshire Regiment and local military service
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.