The Box

About

The Box, Plymouth’s major new museum, gallery and archive, opened in late 2020 and is one of the UK’s most exciting cultural attractions. It’s a place where heritage meets contemporary art and archives meet interaction. A museum, gallery and archive. A Kitchen & Bar. A place you can make your own, and where there's always something new to discover.

Nine permanent galleries showcase the city’s incredible art, natural history, human history, film, photographic and archive collections. Two major exhibitions are also currently on display. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday.

On arrival you’re greeted by 14 phenomenal ship’s figureheads. Dating from the 1800s these giant wooden sculptures have been restored and reimagined in a unique suspended display that ‘sails’ across the main entrance.

You’ll find The Box Bar & Kitchen here too with locally inspired menus, great breakfast selection, afternoon teas and Sunday roasts.

Immerse yourself in the city’s ongoing relationship with the sea from the Bronze Age to the present day in the Port of Plymouth gallery. Explore some of the momentous and notorious voyages that began in Plymouth in the 100 Journeys gallery, the centrepiece of which is a striking animated globe and interactive touchscreens that help you explore even further.

Then, discover the beauty and diversity of nature in the Mammoth gallery which features over 3,000 natural history specimens. Travel back in time and come face to face with animals that lived in Plymouth 35,000 years ago. Learn more about biodiversity, evolution, climate change, marine life and the South West’s rich mining history.

See fascinating items the city’s archives and discover how these and other archival materials help shed light on Plymouth’s history in the Active Archives gallery. You’ll also encounter the figureheads again – this time at eye level.

When they’re not on display you can access the collections in support of your research via the Cottonian Research Room, as well as see selected highlights from the nationally important Cottonian Collection.

Celebrate the technologies, processes and people that have shaped the South West’s visual and audio-visual heritage in the Media Lab. More than 1,000 images and moving images, along with 300 objects from our social history, archive and moving image collections have been brought together for this fascinating space.

The Box also has an ambitious exhibition programme running throughout the year.

‘Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters’ is an award-winning exhibition curated by the National Museum of Australia. The show is touring internationally and Plymouth is the only UK venue. On display until 27 February 2022, it uses contemporary art, multimedia, performance and song to transport you to places deep in the desert.

Central to the exhibition are the Seven Sisters Dreaming stories – ancient creation sagas of the Australian continent – and the aim to preserve them for future generations.

Visitors have been swept away by the scale and content of the exhibition which is displayed across a number of galleries, an immersive dome and The Levinsky Gallery at the University of Plymouth.

Come and experience ancient stories from the world’s oldest continuing culture told through more than 300 paintings and objects by over 100 different artists. Take an epic journey the crosses three states and three deserts as it travels from west to east.

These exciting permanent galleries and exhibitions combined with great food and drink, a shop, a public square and a vibrant events programme make The Box an incredible place to visit.