The Holst Birthplace Museum is a small, independent charitable trust that celebrates the life of composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Founded in 1974 by Holst's daughter Imogen and saved from closure by the people of Cheltenham in 1999, the museum provides visitors of all ages unique access to the story of Holst's life and work as well as insight into Victorian social history.
 
The charm and historical value of the Museum lies in its small scale: there the ordinary day-to-day activities and concerns of our Victorian forebears are brought to life. But the Museum's domestic scale inevitably limits its ability to accommodate large numbers of visitors and to generate sufficient revenue.

At present it costs nearly £1,000 a week simply to keep the Museum open. To meet budgetary requirements, the Museum depends on the support of the public. By contributing you can help us to ensure its future and make possible the continuation of its valuable musical and social history outreach.

Collection details
Archives, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Music, Personalities, Photography, Social History, Toys and Hobbies

Collections description
Holst's piano, family items and extensive printed archive of photographs and ephemera. Holst's music is played in the Music Room. Also paintings by Fuseli's pupil Theodor von Holst (1810-44). The extensive social history collection of domestic items is displayed in period room settings: Regency drawing room, Victorian bedroom, Edwardian nursery and a working c.1880s basement of kitchen, scullery, larder and servants' rooms.

Facalities
Children's discovery trails
Group guided tours welcome by appointment
Victorian cooking and laundry sessions available for schools
Special events planned throughout the year
Gift shop specialising in Holst recordings and Victorian style toys
Limited disabled access - not suitable for wheelchair users

Opening hours:
10am-4.00pm Tuesdays to Saturdays
Open some Bank Holidays - please enquire.  Usually closed from mid-December to mid-January except for pre-booked groups.

Admission:
Tuesday to Saturday 10.00-4.20 NB. Closed Bank Holiday Mondays; £1.50 - concessions 50p.