Bankfield Museum is a stone-built Grade II listed historic house museum  built in an Italianate style.  The magnificent entrance consists of a grand staircase which is surrounded by walls and ceiling painted in exquisite detail with motifs  inspired by the Roman freschi at Pompeii and Herculaneum.  The mansion was developed from a smaller Georgian house by Edward Akroyd (1810-1887) who purchased it before his marriage.  The present-day mansion was constructed around the original 18^th century house which was then faced in dressed stone.

Inside the building, the ceilings are painted, sculpted and gilded in a neo-classical style.  The floors are covered with original Victorian encaustic tiles  by Maw & Co of Staffordshire.   The library has its original splendid Victorian carved oak bookcases which are now used to display historical artifacts.  The museum houses an internationally important textile and costume collection, some of which is displayed in rooms decorated with William Morris wallpapers. The museum has been open to the public for over a century and the house is surrounded by its original garden which is now known as Akroydon Park.

Ceiling

Detail of marble fireplace

Floor tiles detail