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Mr Straw's House
An Ordinary house, an extraordinary home
5-7 Blyth Grove, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S81 0JG
Book a visit
Important notice
Please note that bookings for Mr Straw's House can be made 4 weeks in advance.
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Admission 2024
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £8.00 Child £4.00 Family £20.00 1 adult, 2 children £12.00 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Assistance dogs only
Plant shop
Cacti grown in the greenhouse at Mr Straw's House are available to purchase.
Bookshop
Tea-room
There is a limited food & beverage offer at Mr Straw's House. Visitors can purchase hot & cold drinks and pre-packaged snacks.
Car park
Free parking in the orchard.
Toilet
The toilet is outside in the original privy space. There is a step up into the toilet. No accessible toilet.
Several flights of steep stairs inside both houses. Steps to access back gardens and greenhouse.
Braille (guide or menu)
Braille guide available.
Large print (guide or menu)
Large print guide available.
Designated parking
Parking is in the Orchard opposite the house.
Narrow corridors
Drop-off point
It is possible to have a drop off on the street in front of the property if required, before parking in the car park.
Steps/uneven terrain
Several flights of steep stairs inside both houses. Steps to access back gardens and greenhouse.
By road
Follow signs for Bassetlaw Hospital. Blyth Grove is a small private road off the B6045 Blyth Road, just south of Bassetlaw Hospital entrance. Out of courtesy to local residents, please park only in the car park.
Parking: Free car park in the orchard opposite the house. Please come to reception at 5 Blyth Grove on arrival.
On foot
Approximately 20-30 minutes walk from Worksop town centre. Follow signs for North Nottinghamshire College and Bassetlaw Hospital. Blyth Grove is a small private road north of the college and south of the hospital off the B6045 Blyth Road. Please come to reception at 5 Blyth Grove on arrival.
By train
Worksop ½ mile with regular services from Sheffield, Lincoln and Nottingham. Turn left out of the train station. Follow signs for North Nottinghamshire College and Bassetlaw Hospital. Blyth Grove is a small private road north of the college and south of the hospital off the B6045 Blyth Road. Please come to reception at 5 Blyth Grove on arrival.
By bus
Stagecoach services 22/25 between Worksop and Doncaster and 42/43 between Worksop and Retford and TM Travel service 34 between Worksop, Retford and Tuxford stop on Blyth Road close to Blyth Grove. Please come to reception at 5 Blyth Grove on arrival.
By bicycle
NCN6, ¾ mile. Blyth Grove is a small private road off the B6045 Blyth Road south of Bassetlaw Hospital entrance. Please come to reception at 5 Blyth Grove on arrival.
Highlights
The house
Preserved 1920s period home of a grocers family, virtually unchanged since the Straws moved here in 1923. See over 30,000 treasured possessions exactly where their owner's left them.
Theme for 2024
In 2024, the display theme is 'A Simpler Life at A Slower Pace: the Straws, their hobbies & technology'. Learn more about how the Straw family lived without many of the new technologies we take for granted and how they spent their leisure time without it.
The garden & greenhouse
The lovingly tended back garden offers visitors a quiet oasis and features a greenhouse housing Walter Straw's cacti collection.
Monthly Worksop Walk
Join us on the last Friday of the month for a guided walk through Worksop, the town the Straw family called home, and discover the places where the Straws worked, worshipped and wandered. Booking required.
Things to see and do
Article
The garden and beyond at Mr Straw's House
Find out about the great outdoors both near and far through the Straws’ love of cacti and homegrown produce, and their interest in walking through town and the local rights of way.
Top trails
Trail
Worksop walk from Mr Straw's House
Walk through Worksop from Mr Straw's House, taking in the places the Straw Family walked, worshipped and worked.
Places to stay
Carburton Lodge South
A restored gate lodge with after-hours access to Clumber Park.
Kitchen Garden Cottage
Tucked away in the heart of Clumber Park, between the walled garden and the cricket ground, Kitchen Garden Cottage is the perfect base from which to explore this country estate.
4 Stable Yard Cottage
Stay on the Hardwick estate in a restored stableyard building.
Upcoming events
Sorry, there are no upcoming events at this place
About Mr Straw's House
Step back in time to the 1920s and discover how a grocer's family lived in a Midlands market town through their furnishings and household objects.
The modest semi-detached house at 7 Blyth Grove has remained virtually unchanged since the Straws moved here in 1923. For over 60 years, they threw little away and chose to live without many of the modern comforts we take for granted today.
Treasured possessions and ordinary domestic items can still be seen exactly where their owners left them in No.7, while No.5 provides space for a reception area, tea room and rooms displaying objects normally hidden inside drawers and cupboards.
Outside, the lovingly tended garden and orchard includes a greenhouse housing Walter Straw's cacti collection and various fruit trees once used by the family to make preserves and other recipes.
Latest news
News
See the house in BBC TV’s Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
Mr Straw’s House will be one of the central stories when Hidden Treasures of the National Trust returns to the BBC for a second series. The programme will reveal the compelling stories about the work going on behind the scenes to conserve incredible objects and properties.
Article
Volunteers' Week at Mr Straw's House 2024
To celebrate 40 years of Volunteers' Week, we've asked some of our volunteers to talk about their experience and share what they love about their role at Mr Straw's House. Read all about them here.
History
Article
The history of Mr Straw's House
Find out more about this unassuming red-brick semi which, once inside, reveals a house frozen in time filled with a treasure chest of objects and memories from inter-war Britain.
Article
Meet the Straw family
Meet the Straws; not hoarders, nor recluses - not even very odd - just people of their time, long after their time had passed.
Art and collections
Article
Collection highlights at Mr Straw's House
Discover more about some of the collection highlights from Mr Straw’s House, a house frozen in time and containing a mix of treasured possessions and ordinary domestic items.
Our work
Article
Our work at Mr Straw's House
From daily cleans to deep cleans and knitted slippers to coal bags, find out how the team care for the 30,000 objects squeezed into this ordinary house, but extraordinary home.
Support us
Article
Volunteer opportunities at Mr Straw's House
Find out more about volunteering at Mr Straw’s House and how you can play your part in caring for this little gem in the heart of Worksop.
PDF
PDF
Mr Straw's House Commemorative Giving Brochure 2024
Commemorative giving is an important way for people to connect with Mr Straw's House, by donating to celebrate and remember. This pack contains information about the opportunities from which you can choose to make your gift to the house.