Downland Cafe in Vale of White Horse

Great, small museum, but with a lot of information related to the area, it's social and industrial identity through the years. Plus a great café for lunch. It's a free entry museum, but you feel happy to leave a donation as it deserves support for the great collections on display.

Great little museum! Today was a special workshop day with activities for children. Our 6 year old loved it. Lots of craft activities and an excellent storyteller. 90 minutes was time and space for the adults to explore some of the rest.

Have always loved coming here, with our children when they were young and still now for a nice coffee!

A hidden gem; giving you a comprehensive history of Wantage and the surrounding area. My little boy really enjoyed it too; especially doing the trails that are available ☺

Popped in here for a coffee. Very nice atmosphere. Coffee and cakes very good. We did not have time to look around the museum but it looks good with a children's trail.

The house staff were lovely But not I pressed with the meals meat hard cold soup lovely but for one that could not have Stilton and a reaction to cheese was not a good idea on the.nite we had it we were not told if contents of soup..So would be good to have it put on menu in future...But the Breakfasts were Excellent Top Knotch

Saturday morning visit, nice atmosphere, well presented displays and plenty of interactive items. An F1 car on the wall was a surprise. Very nice cafe with reasonably priced cakes and drinks. Very good for families.

Great museum and very family friendly. Welcoming and lots to do, we went with ages from 1-64 in our group and all had a great time. Interactive things for children, 5 year old really enjoyed the quizzes and clipboards, while 3 and 5 year old enjoyed the duck fishing game and the books.

This is a small place and perfectly formed. It has a really good community feel and the latest displays about King Alfred are very interesting. I do wish they could get a more modern Formula One car but seeing an old one in the flesh is still a treat. The cafe always does OK food and nice tea/coffee. Cakes is where it excels I would say. Its a good place to spend a couple of hours and learn about local history.

A fantastic little museum with history from fossils to a Williams F1 formula one car.As a Williams F1 fan I was especially pleased to see the Sir Patrick Head & Adrian Newey designed FW16B which Williams F1 which had won the 1994 constructor’s championship with & the various car race car parts from it, such as a brake disk, steering rack, brake cooling pod & brake & accelerator pedals, as well as Damon Hill’s race suit.Entry is free, plus there’s free WiFi and donations are welcome.The staff are very friendly & helpful, and there’s a lovely restaurant area too which serves hot & cold food, cakes, teas & various coffee’s, as well as cheap bottled & canned beers.I paid £2.30 for a 500ml can of Old Speckled Hen & £2 for a coffee, which is cheaper than many of the local establishments around Wantage.In addition to the nice little restaurant there’s a lovely little gift shop, which has a wide selection of new & second-hand books, and various other gifts. Some of which I found amusing & good gifts for family or friends.Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 0930-1600 (except Bank holiday’s).There is access for individuals with disabilities and a chair lift to the museum.There is car parking nearby at Portway, which is close to The Beacon.Parking chargeable Monday to Saturday.0-2 hours is free2-3 hours is £1.303-4 hours is £3.304-6 hours is £4.30Over 6 hours is £5.30The car parking is owned by the Vale of White Horse District Council.