About

NB - Due to conservation building work at the house, Oak House and grounds won't be open until an estimate of early May 2024. However our visitor centre, Old Barn and playground will be open as usual from 31st March. Check back for updates or follow our social media @sandwellmuseums.

However you can now experience Oak House through our 3D tour

Oak House in West Bromwich is a delightful half-timbered yeoman farmer's house built about 1620 with further extensions in the 1630s and fashionable brick additions at the rear built in the 1650s as the family wealth and status grew.

The Turton family who are associated with the house at this time were yeoman (posh farmers) and nail makers; later expanding to be money lender, making loans to impoverished royalist gentry after the English Civil War.

This connected the family to gentry families and meant that John Turton was making far more money than ever before and even managed to find his daughter a husband amongst the gentry, propelling the family up the social scale.

You can find out more about the Turtons in the Old Barn with our talking barrels! We don't know how Oak House got its name - it certainly isn't due to the oak trees which grew around it as we know the timbers to build the Oak House came from at least 20 miles away. By the 1600s there were virtually no trees at all on Bromwich Heath and the area was probably pretty bleak. 

The Oak House Museum boasts some fine panelling and is furnished with 17th century furniture. The house is set in its own grounds with a children's playground on site which is available to visitors during the opening hours of the museum.

Entrance to Oak House

It is free to visit the Oak House in West Bromwich although there may be a charge for some activities and some events and activities. Entrance is via the barns visitor centre on Oak Road.

Find out how to get to Oak House via public transport

There is no public parking on site

Assistance dogs only inside Oak House and in the playground area. Well behaved dogs on leads are allowed in the Oak House grounds but all dog mess must be removed.

Fancy a cuppa?

Tea, coffee, cold drinks and basic snacks are available from our tearoom. You are also welcome to bring a picnic onto site (not alcohol).

Accessibility

Our barns visitor centre is accessible with accessible toilets and a lift to the classroom/event area, however unfortunately there is currently no disabled access to the first floor of the house itself. Most of the grounds are accessible.

There is no accessible parking on site but you could arrange to park on site before your visit on a day when we don;t ahve an event or school holiday activities. Drop off outside the gate is possible.

You can access our Visit England accessibility guide to Oak House

We are unable to accommodate pushchairs inside Oak House or in the first floor event space. Please leave them outside our front door in the courtyard or you can take them through to the playground area through the visitor centre.

We ask you not to wear stiletto heals inside the house due to the delicate historic flooring.

Events and activities

The museum has a lively programme of events and activities to enjoy for all ages throughout the year. Find out what's on at Sandwell Museums

Sandwell Museums go live!

Sandwell Museums has its very own youtube channel. Discover videos and information here

Creative learning sessions for schools and educational groups

We have hands on creative learning sessions for schools and other educational groups based around Tudors, Stuarts, the Great Fire of London, The Gunpowder plot as well as art and literacy sessions. Find out about our learning programme for KS1 and KS2.

Collections online

You can discover some of our collections at the websites below.

Find out about paintings and sculpture in public ownership at ArtUK

blackcountryhistory.org/

Find out more about our world famous Ruskin Pottery Collection