Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum

The Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum stands in Rugby’s town centre, just by Rugby School. The building itself dates from 1842 and once belonged to Gilbert, the firm that made rugby footballs. William Gilbert and his nephew James ran the company, and later Rodney Webb, a former England international, turned the site into a museum. It opened in April 1987 after he decided Britain needed a dedicated rugby museum. Inside are rugby treasures such as a Gilbert ball shown at the Great Exhibition in London. There is also Richard Lindon’s original brass hand pump, the inventor of the rubber bladder for rugby balls. The museum still produces traditional handmade rugby balls on site. Visitors can see how the game’s equipment evolved over time. The surroundings include Rugby School, where William Webb Ellis is said to have created the game. The museum’s displays bring the sport’s history to life through objects and stories. It offers a quiet space to explore rugby’s past without crowds. The building itself, with its long ties to the sport, adds to the visit’s atmosphere.