The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock has won the Sandford Award for heritage learning, valid to 2031, one of 29 sites in the UK and Ireland this year.

The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock has won a Sandford Award, the leading quality mark for heritage learning in the UK and Ireland. Oxfordshire County Council, which runs the museum, announced it on 29 September.

The award recognises the museum’s learning programme. That covers curriculum-linked workshops for schools and informal learning for families and visitors. Woodstock is about eight miles north-east of Witney.

What the award is

The Sandford Award is run by the Heritage Education Trust, in partnership with Lincoln Bishop University. It began in 1978. Sites apply with supporting evidence, and an assessor then visits in person.

The key facts from the county council’s announcement:

  • the Heritage Education Trust named 29 Sandford Award winners in 2026, and the Oxfordshire Museum is one of them
  • the award is valid until September 2031
  • it will be presented at a ceremony at Kensington Palace on 17 November
  • the assessor’s report praised the quality of the museum’s learning provision, and set out priorities for future development

The Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum paid for the application. Edward Dowler, chair of the Friends’ trustees, said the charity was “delighted that the application was successful”.

Councillor Neil Fawcett, the county council’s deputy leader, called it “fantastic recognition” for the museum’s team. He said the council looked forward “to welcoming even more schools and visitors to Woodstock.”

It is the museum’s second national mark this year. Earlier in 2026 it gained the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom’s Quality Badge, for its educational visits and its risk management.

What it means for you

  • It is free. Admission to the museum costs nothing, according to its visitor page.
  • Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 2pm to 5pm. It is closed on Mondays, and last admission is 4.45pm.
  • Check access before you go. The museum says the lift to its first and second floors is currently unavailable.
  • For teachers: the museum runs workshops on site or in your school, and lends boxes of artefacts to schools. Details are on its schools page.

Looking for something to do with the children over the break? Our October half-term guide for Witney lists what is on nearby.

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