The Marble Museum
Step into one of the most unique and fascinating museums you’re likely to encounter on your travels. Our Marble Museum showcases an extraordinary collection of marbles spanning the ages – from early examples crafted from clay and stone to some of the oldest known glass marbles ever discovered, each with its own fascinating story to tell.
Be sure not to miss our Games Garden, a place where you can interact with the spectacular giant floating marble suspended on a bed of water. And wherever you wander in the House of Marbles, keep your eyes open – delightful surprises and quirky features can be found around every corner, inviting you to engage and explore!
The Beginning
Although glass is the material most commonly associated with marbles today, it was a later development in the production of marbles. In earlier times, glass was less accessible to the average family and likely more expensive to produce. Remarkably, even before marble as we know it existed, the Romans are believed to have played marble-like games using nuts as game pieces.
Glass eventually gained popularity due to its durability and aesthetic appeal. Unlike clay or even nut-based alternatives, glass marbles could withstand rough play and offered far greater possibilities for intricate and colourful designs.
End of the Day
The earliest glass marbles were known as “end-of-the-day” marbles. Glassmakers would gather the leftover scraps of glass from their work at the end of the day and shape them into colourful balls – beautiful yet straightforward creations they would take home for their children to play with.
Types of Marbles
There are countless styles of marbles, with Cat’s Eyes being among the most familiar to many. However, the most collectable marbles are often the rarer and more unusual ones.
These include promotional marbles produced by companies like Coca-Cola, as well as marbles that contain unique sulfide figurines – miniature figures encased within the glass. Several fascinating examples of these can be seen on display in our museum.
Marble Runs
In addition to showcasing at least one of every marble ever produced by House of Marbles, the Marble Museum also features a variety of fascinating exhibits.
Highlights include a striking trio of oversized marbles made from actual marble stone and an impressive collection of bespoke marble runs, handcrafted exclusively for us by renowned Swiss artisan Alex Schmid.
25 Years of Snooki
If you explore a little further beyond the Marble Museum, you’ll come across one of our most impressive creations – Snooki, the giant marble run found in the upstairs shop. It’s named Snooki because it’s so massive; it doesn’t use marbles at all, it runs on full-sized snooker balls!
First built in 2000, this larger-than-life exhibit is proudly celebrating its 25th year, and it’s just as mesmerising today as it was when it first amazed visitors.
Recognised Venue
We have been recognised by a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Awards in consecutive years from 2014 - 2019, and the new Traveller’s Choice Award in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023!
