Heritage Open Days: Powell-Cotton Museum (14)

Open 11am-4pm 

Quex House was built in 1812, and many of the passions and interests of its builder John Powell-Powell can still be seen today, including a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, a collection of naval canons and the distinctive boat-shaped curve to two of the publicly accessible rooms.

The house has been extensively remodelled in its lifetime, with the current layout largely reflecting the life of Percy Powell-Cotton and his family, who lived in the house in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Percy is perhaps best known as the founder of the Powell-Cotton Museum and an explorer, with his travels and enthusiasm for collecting reflected in the house. Many international influences can be found in the Drawing Room, for example, which features a beautiful papier mache ceiling decorated in a Persian-style pattern.

Quex Gardens span 7 acres and are the perfect space to stretch your legs after a long journey. You can enjoy a woodland walk, a walled kitchen garden, a croquet lawn, beautiful borders, and an ornamental fountain.

New for 2025! View the refreshed gallery interpretation in galleries 1, 2 and 3 featuring new stories and facts about natural history and redisplays of objects and photos from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Click here to find other events taking place at the Powell Cotton Museum

Entry Price

Free