The MAD Museum

The MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) Museum is the only specialist attraction of its kind in the UK. Based in Stratford upon Avon, the museum was launched in March 2012 and showcases the world’s finest pieces of Kinetic Art and Automata from pioneering artists from all over the world. 

Best described as a mixture of Wallis and Gromit, Heath Robinson and Scrapheap Challenge; the museum offers the whole family a chance to experience and interact with fantastic machines. Marble runs, high-tech robots, witty design and mind-blowing intricate moving contraptions, with a bit of physics in action thrown in for good measure! 

The MAD Museum can be found on the heart of the town on Stratford upon Avon’s most thriving street, Henley Street and is perfect for little kids and big kids alike:

For the young ones: Dancing lasers, rolling ball machines and whirligigs all with lots of buttons to press! The MAD Museum offers an exciting visit with an educational bias, relevant to curriculum modules such as Design & Technology and Science.  We give children an experience that is worthwhile, educationally beneficial and also a lot of fun! 

For those a little older: The MAD Museum offers a chance to experience an extraordinary hand-crafted assortment of both modern and old fashioned, yet highly innovative machines with a bit of physics in action! Release your inner inventor! The museum is extremely popular with all ages and anyone interested in creative and sophisticated design. 

The MAD Museum’s Gift Shop – The museum’s art work is supported by a wacky shop which holds gifts ideas for all occasions. Pick from an eclectic assortment of wind-up toys, sound machines, marble runs, bubble robots, IQ tests, weird science experiments and much more! Great for little kids and big kids alike, whether you’re shopping for birthday presents or party gifts; The MAD Museum’s shop is full of quirky gadgets and games to help inspire creativity, encourage building and make science fun! 

Last entry is 45 minutes before closing time. The museum is open 7 days a week, all year round (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day). On New Years Eve and New Years Day the museum is open from 10:30am until 4:00pm.

Occasionally the museum has to shut for maintenance reasons, please check their website before visiting.