The Story Museum

Name

The Story Museum

Legal name

The Story Museum

Website

https://storymuseum.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Cultural Museum / Children's Storytelling Venue

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Family museum attractions
• Immersive storytelling experiences
• Children's literary education
• Heritage charity museums
• Cultural venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The museum generates revenue through sale of all-day gallery tickets, Small Worlds sessions for under-5s, and individual event tickets for performances, workshops, and shows in the Woodshed theatre. Ticket prices vary by experience type and age group.
2. Donations and Charitable Support: As a registered charity (1107809), the museum relies on donations from visitors and supporters, with a stated need to raise over £800,000 annually. The museum also receives funding from Arts Council England, various trusts, foundations, and individual donors.
3. Venue Hire: The museum rents out its unique spaces (The Woodshed theatre, Magic Common Room, Alice Room, Link Room, Triangle, Whispering Wood, Courtyard) for meetings, conferences, weddings, parties, and events. Prices range from £135 half-day to £550 full-day hire.
4. Retail Shop: The museum operates a gift and book shop selling classic stories, latest releases, graphic novels, picture books, dyslexia-friendly section, board books, stationery, toys, and memorabilia. All proceeds support the museum's charitable work.
5. Café and Catering: The on-site café serves freshly-prepared homemade dishes with gluten-free and vegan options, using local suppliers and fair-trade/free range ingredients. Catering services are provided for venue hire events.
6. Story Passes and Gift Vouchers: Annual unlimited entry memberships (£50 per person, £25 for ages 1-4) providing unlimited gallery access plus 10% discount in shop and café. Gift vouchers valid 24 months for any value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Story Museum is a registered charity and family museum in Oxford that delivers immersive storytelling experiences through themed galleries, interactive exhibits, a dedicated under-5s play space, a theatre, a café, and a shop. It also offers educational programmes for schools, an online 1001 Stories digital collection, and hire of its venue for private and corporate events.

Product overview

The Story Museum is an award-winning family museum in Oxford offering immersive story experiences through a portfolio of gallery spaces and digital offerings. The core experience consists of The Galleries (all-day ticket) featuring The Portal, Whispering Wood, Enchanted Library, Treasure Chamber (Mystery Academy), and Story Arcade; alongside Small Worlds for under-fives and The Woodshed theatre for performances. The museum operates The Café and Gift & Book Shop as visitor amenities, offers annual Story Pass memberships, and provides venue hire for events. Digitally, the 1001 Stories online collection extends the museum's reach. Educational programmes include school visits, in-school sessions, and teacher CPD. The museum engages over 95,000 children and families annually and is a registered charity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Portal: The entrance to the Galleries - an information bureau for travellers between story worlds.
• The Whispering Wood
• The Enchanted Library
• The Story Arcade
• Mystery Academy: School for Young Detectives
• Small Worlds
• The Woodshed
• 1001 Stories
• Magic Common Room

Products and services

• Museum Admission and Gallery Experiences Ticketed entry to the museum's themed galleries, including interactive storytelling exhibits such as the Story Arcade and the Whispering Wood, targeted at families and children.
• Small Worlds (Under-5s Play Space) A dedicated immersive play and storytelling environment for children under five, located within the museum.
• Woodshed Theatre An on-site theatre space hosting live storytelling performances and shows for visiting families and school groups.
• Educational Programmes for Schools Curriculum-linked workshops and learning visits delivered to school groups visiting the museum.
• Venue Hire Hire of the museum's spaces for private and corporate events, parties, and celebrations.
• 1001 Stories Online Collection An online digital collection of stories available via the museum's website, extending the museum's reach beyond the physical venue.
• Museum Café and Shop On-site café and retail shop providing food and drink, and story-themed merchandise to visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 children and families served annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wayland GamesminorOthersWayland Games is Europe's largest independent retailer for tabletop hobbies and games. They are sponsoring the Mystery Academy: School for Young Detectives exhibition at The Story Museum.
• K J Smith SolicitorsminorOthersK J Smith Solicitors specialises in family law, Wills, Trusts and Probate with Platinum Accreditation as Investors in People. They are sponsoring the Mystery Academy: School for Young Detectives exhibition.
• SpektrixcoreTechnology or IntegrationSpektrix provides the museum's box office and theatre ticketing software. Customers can store card details with Spektrix for future transactions.
• ElavoncoreTechnology or IntegrationElavon (formerly Sage Pay) processes payment transactions for the museum's box office and donations. Operates in compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS).
• Andersen PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndersen Press partnered with The Story Museum to create the Elmer storytelling space in Small Worlds, marking the 35th anniversary of David McKee's beloved picture books.
• Mind JamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMind Jam partnered with The Story Museum on the Digital Dreamers programme, working with young designers to create video games from stories in the museum's Digital 1001 Collection.
• The Story Museum Trading CompanycoreOthersA subsidiary company (registration 5296271) that supports the charitable mission through trading activities including shop, café, and venue hire operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Polka Theatre: Polka Theatre in Wimbledon is a UK children's theatre dedicated to producing and presenting shows for young audiences, alongside creative learning programmes. It complements The Story Museum on the live-performance side (similar to the Woodshed theatre) and competes for the same family and school group customers.

Direct peers

• The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: The Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts is a non-profit museum dedicated to children's picture book art, with exhibitions, a library, and education programmes. It is the leading US analogue to The Story Museum in combining literary/illustrative storytelling exhibitions with family and educator audiences.
• Discover Children's Story Centre: Discover is a children's storytelling venue in Stratford, London offering immersive story spaces, author events, and creative learning for families. It competes for the same primary segment (families with young children) and uses a similar immersive-galleries-and-education model to The Story Museum.
• Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books: Seven Stories is the UK's National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle, focused on celebrating children's literature through exhibitions, author events, and creative learning. It is the closest direct peer to The Story Museum in mission, audience, and operating model as a dedicated children's literature museum.
• The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre: Based in Great Missenden, this museum is dedicated to a single children's author with storytelling, school programmes, and themed galleries. It overlaps directly with The Story Museum's literary/storytelling focus, family audience, and educational programming model.

Broad incumbents

• Ashmolean Museum: The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, located centrally in Oxford and serving as the city's flagship cultural attraction. It competes for the same Oxford tourist and family audience as The Story Museum but as a much broader art and archaeology institution.
• British Library: The British Library is the UK's national library, hosting literary exhibitions, family events, and learning programmes rooted in the UK's written heritage. It overlaps with The Story Museum on literary content and education audiences, but operates at significantly larger scale as part of a national institution.
• V&A East (formerly Museum of Childhood): V&A East in Stratford is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the UK's leading decorative arts and design institution, with a dedicated family and children's focus. It overlaps with The Story Museum on family audiences and creative learning, but operates as part of a much larger portfolio of collections and programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheStoryMuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/storymuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheStoryMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/thestorymuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-story-museum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Story Museum