Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
ENTRY
from £4
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
Bath
What it’s like
Free family workshops on science, art and family history alongside proper lectures for grown-ups, in a Bath institution that takes ideas seriously.
This is a lecture society first and foremost, but the Academy of Imagination side of things brings in free family activities that are a bit different from your usual soft play Saturday. Kids get stuck into science and art workshops built around "hidden structures", and there's a family history session where they build a digital biography of an ancestor, which is a genuinely nice way to make history feel personal rather than a worksheet.
The building itself is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and closed on Sundays and bank holidays, so this isn't a spontaneous rainy-Sunday rescue. Standard lecture admission runs £4 to £8 depending on the talk, and the Democracy Under Threat series is £4 to £10, so if you fancy sitting in on a proper lecture with the kids in tow, it won't break the bank. The still-life drawing workshop is a different proposition at £40 to £50, clearly aimed at adults or older teens rather than a family afternoon out.
Access is a mixed bag worth knowing before you go: the first floor has step-free access via a lift, but the ground floor exhibition space currently doesn't, which is a genuine faff if you've got a buggy or a wheelchair and want to see everything on one visit.
There's no booking link listed, so it's worth ringing ahead if you want a spot on one of the family workshops, since these sound like the kind of thing that fills up.
Facilities
Need to know
- Wheelchairs
- 1st floor has step-free access via lift
- Closed Sundays and bank holidays, so it's a weekday or Saturday plan
- Ground floor exhibition space lacks step-free access even though the first floor has a lift
- The still-life drawing workshop at £40-£50 is a different price bracket to the family activities
- No booking link is given, so ring ahead for the free family workshops
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Standard lectures are £4 to £8. The Democracy Under Threat talks run £4 to £10. The still-life drawing workshop is £40 to £50, which is really an adult or older-teen price.
Are there free things to do with kids?
Yes, the Academy of Imagination runs free family and school activities, including science and art workshops and a family history session where kids build a digital ancestor biography.
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. It's shut on Sundays and bank holidays, so plan around that.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking link given, so your best bet is calling ahead, especially for the workshop activities.
Is it accessible with a buggy or wheelchair?
The first floor has step-free access via a lift, but the ground floor exhibition space currently doesn't, so check which bit you need before you turn up.
Are there toilets on site?
Toilets are listed among the facilities.
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