The Story Museum
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
The Story Museum firmographics
Firmographics- 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
The Story Museum industry classification
Industry- 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
Where The Story Museum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Story Museum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Galleries (Ages 5+) - Summer Savings |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Small Worlds (Ages 0-5) - Summer Savings |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Small Worlds Half-Price Sessions |
| Subscription | Annual | Story Pass (Annual Membership) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Suitcase Stories Performance |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Crick Crack Club Performance |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Venue Hire |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Story Museum product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use The Story Museum
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Story Museum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Feature4 records
The Story Museum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Wayland GamesminorWayland 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 SolicitorsminorK 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.
- SpektrixcoreSpektrix provides the museum's box office and theatre ticketing software. Customers can store card details with Spektrix for future transactions.
- ElavoncoreElavon (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 PressminorAndersen 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 JamminorMind 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 CompanycoreA 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
The Story Museum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- 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
The Story Museum social profiles
Digital presenceThe Story Museum compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Story Museum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Story Museum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Story Museum subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
The Story Museum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Story Museum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Story Museum
What does The Story Museum do?
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.
Is The Story Museum a public or private company?
The Story Museum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Story Museum founded?
The Story Museum was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Story Museum based?
The Story Museum is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Story Museum make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Charitable Support, venue Hire, retail Shop, café and Catering and story Passes and Gift Vouchers.
Who are The Story Museum's main competitors?
Polka Theatre is listed as an others. Direct peers are The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Discover Children's Story Centre, Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books and The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Broad incumbents are Ashmolean Museum, British Library and V&A East (formerly Museum of Childhood).
Does The Story Museum have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Story Museum.
What industry is The Story Museum in?
The Story Museum's product category is Family Cultural Museum / Children's Storytelling Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAF, Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film), with a secondary code of THAJADAE, Children’s Museums. Its NAICS code is 71211 and its SIC code is 7900.