Grosvenor Museum
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Grosvenor Museum
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| Location | Grosvenor Street, Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°11′14″N 2°53′33″W / 53.1873°N 2.8924°WCoordinates: 53°11′14″N 2°53′33″W / 53.1873°N 2.8924°W |
| OS grid reference | SJ 404 659 |
| Built | 1886 |
| Built for | Chester Society for Natural Science, Literature and Art |
| Architect | Thomas Lockwood |
| Architectural style(s) | Free Renaissance |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 6 August 1998 |
| Reference no. | 1376261 |
 Location in Cheshire
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Grosvenor Museum is a museum in Chester, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Its full title is The Grosvenor Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, with Schools of Science and Art, for Chester, Cheshire and North Wales. It takes its name from the family name of the Dukes of Westminster, who are major landowners in Cheshire. The museum opened in 1886, it was extended in 1894, and major refurbishments took place between 1989 and 1999. Its contents include archaeological items from the Roman period, paintings, musical instruments, and a room arranged as a Victorian parlour.
Grosvenor Museum was founded in 1885, largely due to the inspiration and work of the Chester Society for Natural Science, Literature and Art. This society had been founded in 1871 by Charles Kingsley, who was at that time a canon of Chester Cathedral. In 1873 it joined forces with the Chester Archaeological Society and the Schools of Science and Art to raise money to build the museum. A sum of £11,000 (£880 thousand in 2017) was raised, which included a donation of £4,000 (£320 thousand in 2017) from the First Duke of Westminster. The Duke also gave a plot of land in Grosvenor Street.Thomas Lockwood was appointed as architect. The foundation stone was laid on 3 February 1885 by the Duke, and the museum was officially opened by him on 9 August 1886. A major extension was built in 1894. The first curator was Robert Newstead, who served in this position from 1886 to 1913 and again from 1922 to 1947. Newstead later became Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Liverpool University and was made a freeman of Chester. In 1915 the City of Chester took over the administration of the museum, and in 1938 the authority took full control of the collections and displays.
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