The museum has display galleries, a resource library and a refreshment area. It also has a growing programme of outreach activities.

The Balfour Museum
Red Cross House
Winnall Close
Winnall
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 0LB

Map

Telephone: +44 (0)1962 891672
Fax: +44 (0)1962 869 721

Email: BalfourMuseum@redcross.org.uk

Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Not open Bank Holidays

Group visits welcomed by appointment

Admission free

Limited free parking is available.
We have wheelchair access, a shop and light refreshments.

We have an exhibition commemorating 100 years of the Red Cross in Hampshire on display at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke from April until September 2009, after which parts of the exhibition will tour various venues in the county.

Our services and activities currently include the following:

• oral history archive
• school loans service
• special commemorative projects
• travelling exhibitions and displays
• group visits, talks and presentations.

Oral history archive

Where possible, we interview and record personal testimonies about people’s experiences of the Red Cross, including our volunteers, members of the public and those who have received humanitarian aid. These individual memories enhance the presentation and interpretation of our history.

If you have any stories or memories you would like to share, please contact us.

School loans service

Being able to touch original objects to interpret history is incredibly valuable. Working with local schools, we have developed a loans box service. These are also used by disabled groups, particularly those with impaired vision or learning difficulties, so they can engage with history on a more personal level.

If you are interested in using our loan boxes, please contact us.

Special commemorative projects

We have a programme of projects commemorating the anniversaries of events that hold a particular relevance to the Red Cross. This can include events that have international as well as local significance.

In recent years we have commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian refugee crisis and the 70th anniversary of the Basque refugee crisis.

Travelling exhibitions and displays

We loan out exhibitions and displays containing interpretive material, together with original objects and items from the collection. These are also frequently used by the museum and other Red Cross services at conferences, shows and events.

If you are interested in learning more about how to borrow our exhibitions and displays, please contact us.

Group visits, talks and presentations

The Balfour Museum takes its name from Miss Elizabeth Balfour OBE, who was director of the Red Cross’ Hampshire Branch between 1946 and 1991. During her time as director, she realised that the Branch’s history and work should be preserved and commemorated with the creation of a museum.

With the help of a small team of volunteers, we started gathering material and the planning process. Building work began in 1993. After completing alterations and improvements to the Branch headquarters in Winchester, a new museum building – together with a range of supporting facilities and a commemorative garden – was opened in 1994.

The collections grew rapidly with archival material, photographs, medals, uniforms and precious mementoes generously donated by members and friends. 

The Balfour Museum today

Today the museum has display galleries that tell the story of the Red Cross. There is also a resource area containing books, an audio archive, and film and research material.

The Balfour Museum is a member of the Association of Independent Museums and an institutional member of the Museums Association. It has a part-time manager/curator and is supported by a small team of volunteers.

Find out more about the Red Cross' history 

Visit our national museum and archives page