the back story

Rochester House is in Pembroke Street, just up from Modern Art Oxford and a stone's throw from Christ Church.

The site comprises three linked buildings and a courtyard: Rochester House itself is a Victorian building, part of which was a pub listed in the 1846 Oxford Directory. In 1899 Merton College bought the site from Magdalen College and developed it for residential accommodation, including the Master's lodgings.

In 1921 the site was sold to the Postmaster General for £6400. Additional buildings were constructed for a sorting office and other uses and, later on, a telephone exchange as well. A further three-storey building was added in 1934.

Merton bought the site back from Royal Mail in 2003, leasing it in 2006 to the Carlyle Group, as part of a larger retail development.

Then along came the Story Museum...

the next chapter

The property has been bought from the Carlyle Group on a 130-year lease (the freehold is still owned by Merton College). An anonymous private donor contributed £2.5m, which enabled the Story Museum to look for a property in Oxford and in early November the lease on Rochester House was formally signed.

The Story Museum team is now preparing for a major capital campaign, to be launched in 2010. Approximately £11m is needed to plan, refurbish and fully open the Museum by 2014. The site has the potential for 20,000 sq ft of usable space which will accommodate: galleries, public space, theatre, café, shop, education rooms, storyteller's studio, children's play house, offices and storage. A feasibility study will first be commissioned to investigate cost, phasing the development and how best to translate the Story Museum's imaginative vision into an exciting, world-class museum. The project has been welcomed by Oxford City Council and is part of its planning framework for the city centre.

The Museum hopes to attract 100,000 paying visitors a year, working alongside partner organisations to boost the important contribution made by cultural communities to the local economy.