Ashmolean Museum Tour - by Uncomfortable Oxford™
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 15 minutes
Mobile ticket
Explore the ‘uncomfortable’ side of the Ashmolean Museum.
This tour highlights the contentious histories within museum spaces, bringing forward discussions about colonial origins, object transferal networks, and requests for repatriation. It encourages critical thinking and engagement with the Ashmolean Museum, its collections, and its displays. Delving into the intricate layers of history behind the exhibits, this tour will provide insight into the imperial connections that led to the development of the first public museum in England.
Through the questioning of labels, displays, and exhibits, this tour asks participants: What is the purpose of a museum?
All our tours are led by university researchers who have completed our official Uncomfortable Oxford training programme. Our guides combine expert knowledge and performance, ensuring each tour is a fun and educational experience.
The tour has been developed in collaboration with the Ashmolean Museum staff and curators.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
Take a full guided tour of the Ashmolean Museum with one of our Uncomfortable Oxford™ trained guides. Meet at the Statue Gallery, near the Main Entrance.
Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
We begin our tour in the Ashmoelan Story Gallery, discussing the historical origins of the museum and the legacies of early colonial collecting practices.
Options
Private tour - up to 6 people
Private Tour
Public Tour
Public Tour
What‘s Included
Uncomfortable Oxford™ Trained Guide
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
9 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A deeper understanding
AlanJ186361,Dec 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00As someone who has lived in Oxford and a member of the Ashmolean and visited many times I found the tour give me a deeper understanding of the museum as did the related tour of the National History tour Alan Jenkins
This was an excellent...
Charlotte F,Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was an excellent tour. The tour guide had an open and friendly approach and provided interesting and relevant information. We had a stimulating discussion, which was most enjoyable.
A new and thought-provoking way to visit Oxford's Ashmolean museum.
judyrG7690MQ,Sep 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An interesting and engaging tour with an excellent guide who sparked great conversation in our small group. I recommend to anyone who wants to understand more about how and why some of the exhibits made their way to the museum and the dilemmas facing modern curators.
Highly recomended!
H2644XPjg,Jan 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a really informative, and engaging, tour. It provides critical insights into the origins, curation, and mission of the museum. Our guide, Devika, did a great job of encouraging reflection and discussion. I would highly recommend it to all.
Knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide makes this a visit not to be missed.
suegJ5098ER,Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I know the Ashmolean well, but the guide Jonathan really made it come to life and taught me many new things about the exhibits, the curation of the museum and its history. He was incredibly knowledgeable, but more than that, his love of the subject really came through. The tour was more like a conversation where all views were accepted and discussed. I recommend this tour very highly for anybody who wants to think about museums and the provenance of objects in a different way.
This tour makes you look critically at how museums display & label items in their collections & how you feel about that
U3427OWameliaw,Jan 30, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was the third Uncomfortable Oxford tour I did and it certainly lived up to the other 2! I had been finding myself feeling more conflicted about museums but this tour brought up things I had not considered yet. The tours encourage discussion among participants and this really added to the experience as it was fascinating to see how different people responded to the items we looked at. The tour made me see how much labelling is dedicated to the money - the people who paid for various exhibits are often more prominently labelled than what the item is and where it is from! It was especially interesting to be discussing marble sculptures and casts given the conversation around the Parthenon Marbles was in the news that very week. I will definitely be visiting museums with an even more critical eye in the future. Thanks so much to Charlotte and Georgia for being such great tour guides.
The amazing knowledge of...
Michael G,Nov 19, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00The amazing knowledge of the tour guide...The beautiful way everything was presented. The ambience of the Museum.🌟🌟🌟
An engaging tour!
47hiteshd,Jul 6, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a very informative and interesting tour. I saw a museum I have been to many times in a completely new light. This is an interactive tour, where the participants were encouraged to discuss the questions raised by the guide, and I found this a really helpful way to engage with some of the more debated elements of the museum and its collection.
Unique Tour That Welcomes Participation and Discussion
Pathfinder477211,Mar 15, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00A fascinating and intellectually stimulating tour of the Ashmolean. We were a very small group -- just two of us aside from the guide, Anja (who did a great job on her first tour!) -- which allowed for plenty of participation, discussion and friendly debate. This makes you feel much more involved and engaged than you do on a typical tour. A really interesting experience that's made me keen to check out what else Uncomfortable Oxford has to offer.
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