opening the door to the Story Museum’s future home

Tucked away behind Marks and Spencer and St Aldate’s Post Office is a secret space that has been closed to the public since the 1920s. This is the future home of the Story Museum, Oxford’s keenly awaited centre for storytelling and children’s literature, opening in 2014.

On 11th and 12th September the big wooden gates in Pembroke Street will creak apart allowing visitors to explore the site before major development work begins. As part of Oxford Open Doors weekend the Story Museum team is offering free half-hourly tours of the buildings, each with a history of their own, that once housed the city’s telephone exchange and postal sorting office as well as a public house and college lodgings.

“When we discovered them the buildings were like something out of Sleeping Beauty, with ivy climbing through the windows and pigeons roosting on the stairs” says Story Museum capital project director Tish Francis. “We’ve cleaned them up a bit since then but we thought people would like a peek inside before we wake the princess!”

The building will be open from 11am. Last tour at 5pm.

Ends

Note to editors:

Please contact Cath Nightingale 07798 665629 cat@studionightingale.com or Esther Browning 01855 821090; 07776 196967 esther@storymuseum.org.uk for more information, interviews and photo opportunities.

For existing pictures please visit http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/the-story-museum/news/press/press-images

For previous press release: http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/the-story-museum/news/press/press-archive/archive-18-nov-2009

The Story Museum exists to celebrate children's stories and to share 1001 enjoyable ways for young people to learn through stories as they grow. It takes story performances, exhibitions, activities and ideas to schools and communities. In 2014 it will open a unique world centre of storytelling and children's literature in central Oxford. The Museum's patrons are Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson. Its trustees include publisher David Fickling and children’s playwright David Wood OBE.

http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/

Oxford Open Doors 2010 is organised by Oxford Preservation Trust in partnership with the University of Oxford and is part of Heritage Open Days. It is a weekend all about Oxford with a chance to celebrate everything that makes the city so special - its historic, modern, green, urban and suburban spaces and most of all its people! There’s a chance to discover hidden gems and curious corners of the city with something to interest and inspire everyone and all free of charge. This event is in support of Heritage Open Days organised nationally by English Heritage.