The Bobeam Tree

The Bobeam Tree invited visitors to discover a magical world of interactive discovery for 0–5-year-olds and their grown-ups.

The Bobeam Tree was a magical tree, which – as the story goes – grows when surrounded by children’s curiosity, play, thoughts and feelings. This special Tree flourished at the Millennium Gallery in summer 2026 thanks to your imagination and curiosity. Visitors immersed themselves in a world of wonder as they played, learned and explored together through stories and activities inspired by Sheffield’s museum collections.

The Tree began as a special trail opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2025 and continued to grow in different museums and galleries around the UK. In each setting, interactive exhibitions and experiences around the Tree helped babies and young children connect with museum and gallery collections, and nurture social and emotional skills.

At the Millennium Gallery young imaginations were sent soaring by over 70 objects from the city’s collection, including artworks spanning people, animals and places by Gillian Ayres, Patrick Caulfield and Godfrey Sykes. Visitors also had the chance to discover unusual birds and animals from the city’s Natural Science collection, as well as clothes, toys and other objects from across the decades.

The Bobeam Tree came to Sheffield in partnership with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and the National Portrait Gallery.

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