Clifton Park Museum

Clifton Park Museum stands in Clifton House, a Grade II* listed building designed by John Carr of York and completed in 1784 for industrialist Joshua Walker. The museum occupies the former country house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and forms part of Heritage Services which also runs the York and Lancaster Regimental Museum. The park around the house is Grade II listed and offers skate parks, rock gardens, memorial spaces and children’s play areas. Clifton House became a museum in 1891 after Rotherham Council bought the estate and opened the building to the public later that year. The site includes formal gardens, a fishpond and pleasure grounds, though most of the original layout has been altered over time. The museum is worth visiting for its fine collections and recent refurbishment. In 2003 it closed for a £3 million upgrade partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, reopening in 2005 with new displays and improved facilities. The York and Lancaster Regimental Museum inside holds uniforms, equipment and guns spanning the regiment’s history. The main museum displays cover local archaeology, social and industrial history, natural sciences, coins, medals and decorative arts. Notable items include Roman remains from Templeborough and a stuffed Cape Lion named Nelson. The Rockingham Pottery collection features one of only two surviving ‘Rhinoceros Vases’, made to showcase the pottery’s craftsmanship. Visitors find a Georgian country house interior restored to its 18th-century colour scheme, with a lift installed for full accessibility. A study room, cafeteria and gift shop provide modern conveniences alongside the historic setting. The park offers a bandstand, bowling green, tennis courts, mini golf and a weekly Parkrun. A new walled garden contains plots maintained by community groups and a memorial garden honours Rotherham’s Victoria Cross holders. Water features include a rock garden waterfall, ponds and a central fountain in the memorial garden. The park also has a landtrain, children’s play areas and a wet splash zone for younger visitors.