Getting Here
The Cole Museum is on the ground floor of the Health and Life Sciences building on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus.
Follow signs for Health and Life Sciences – there are currently no dedicated signs for the museum.
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If you’re greeted by Norman the elephant, you’re in the right place!
Parking on campus is limited, so we encourage visitors to use alternative methods of transport to get to the museum.
There is a pay and display (£1.50 per hour or £10 for all day) car park for museum visitors at the Shinfield Road entrance to Whiteknights campus. Click here for Google Maps directions.
Please be aware it is a 10-15 minute walk from the car park to the museum. Click here for walking directions.
Car park address for sat navs:Car Park 1AQueen’s DriveReadingRG2 7BW
There are four accessible parking bays at the front of the museum building, in car park P12.Sat nav details: P12, Reading, RG6 6EX
Reading’s mainline station has recently undergone a major refurbishment, making travelling to the town by train easier and more enjoyable. Reading is easily accessible by regular, fast trains from London Paddington, as well as via London Waterloo. It is well connected by routes from the North, South and West via Bournemouth, Bristol, Oxford, Guildford and Basingstoke.
Reading Buses operate very regular services which stop at the Whiteknights campus. Routes Claret 21 and 21A depart from outside the railway station, at stop EJ.
From the station and Reading town centre:
Routes Claret 21 and 21A depart from outside the railway station, at stop EJ. The closest stop to the Museum is Pepper Lane, just outside the University campus.
You will need the correct change to pay the bus fare in cash, alternatively you can pay by card.
Visit Reading Buses for details of timetables, routes and fares.
We have plenty of secure bike stands near the main entrance to the museum, and there are cycle routes throughout the University campus.
The museum is about a 45 minute walk from Reading train station – click here for directions.