List of museums in Dorset facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Dorset is a beautiful county in England, famous for its stunning coastline and rich history. If you love exploring new things, you're in luck! Dorset is home to many amazing museums. These places are like treasure chests, filled with cool objects that tell stories about the past, nature, art, and science. They collect and take care of these special items, then share them with you through exciting exhibits. Get ready to discover dinosaurs, ancient castles, historic homes, and even giant tanks!

Awesome Museums to Explore in Dorset
Defunct Museums
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Awesome Museums to Explore in Dorset

Here's a list of some of the fantastic museums you can visit in Dorset:

History and Local Life

Blandford Town Museum (Blandford): Learn about the history of Blandford, including its trades, archaeology, and even its railway past.
Bridport Museum (Bridport): Discover the local history of Bridport, from textiles and fossils to art.
Corfe Castle Town Museum (Corfe Castle): Explore the history of the village of Corfe Castle, its geology, and the local marble industry.
Dorset Museum (Dorchester): This big museum covers lots of topics! You can find out about local history, nature, art, archaeology, farming, and even famous author Thomas Hardy. They also have cool fossils and dinosaur displays.

The Dorset Museum in Dorchester.
Gillingham Museum (Gillingham): Dive into the local history of Gillingham, including its trades, geology, and industries.
Gold Hill Museum (Shaftesbury): Located near the famous Gold Hill, this museum shares the local history, culture, and industries of Shaftesbury.
Langton Matravers Museum (Langton Matravers): Learn about the local history, geology, and the important limestone industry of this area.
Lyme Regis Museum (Lyme Regis): This museum is packed with amazing things! See fossils, learn about the geology of the Jurassic Coast, discover connections to author Jane Austen, and explore local history and maritime heritage.

The Lyme Regis Museum.
Poole Museum (Poole): Find out about Poole's local history, its famous pottery, archaeology, and maritime stories.

The entrance to Poole Museum.
Portland Museum (Isle of Portland): Explore the local history, geology, and maritime heritage of the Isle of Portland.

An ammonite fossil, similar to those found in Dorset.
Priest's House Museum (Wimborne Minster): Step back in time as you explore rooms furnished from different historical periods. Learn about local history and archaeology.
Red House Museum, Dorset (Christchurch): Discover local and social history, natural history, geology, archaeology, and even historic costumes.

The Red House Museum in Christchurch.
Scaplens Court Museum (Poole): This medieval building hosts educational programs and shows how people lived in the past.
Sherborne Museum (Sherborne): Learn about Sherborne's local history, its trades, industries, and everyday household items from the past.

The Sherborne Museum.
Sturminster Newton Museum (Sturminster Newton): Explore the local history and culture of Sturminster Newton.
Swanage Museum (Swanage): Discover Swanage's local history, the geology of the Jurassic Coast, the stone industry, and how early radar was developed nearby during World War II.
Wareham Town Museum (Wareham): Learn about Wareham's local history, including its connections to T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and local pottery.

The Wareham Town Museum.
West Bay Discovery Centre (West Bay): This visitor center, located in an old chapel, tells the story of West Bay's history.

The West Bay Discovery Centre.
Weymouth Museum (Weymouth): Explore Weymouth's local history, culture, and maritime heritage.

Brewers Quay, where the Weymouth Museum is located.

Natural History and Science

Bournemouth Natural Science Society (Bournemouth): This place is open for special events and has amazing collections of preserved plants, birds, mammals, insects, fossils, rocks, minerals, and even an Egyptology collection!
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (Charmouth): Get up close with fossils and rocks from the famous Jurassic Coast! This is a great place to learn about dinosaurs and ancient sea creatures.

The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.
Dinosaur Museum (Dorchester): Love dinosaurs? This museum has full-size models and real fossils from the Jurassic Coast.

The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester.
Dinosaurland Fossil Museum (Lyme Regis): See local Jurassic marine fossils, learn about dinosaurs, and explore the geology of the Jurassic Coast.
The Etches Collection (Kimmeridge): This museum is dedicated to incredible fossils found in the local area.

The Etches Collection building.
Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium (Lyme Regis): See local fish and marine life from the Jurassic Coast and learn about the history of The Cobb harbour wall.

Historic Homes and Castles

Athelhampton (Dorchester): Visit a beautiful 15th-century manor house and its lovely gardens.

Athelhampton House.
Chettle House (Chettle): Explore an elegant 18th-century Queen Anne house and its gardens.
Clouds Hill (Wareham): This was the former home of the famous T. E. Lawrence (also known as "Lawrence of Arabia"). It's looked after by the National Trust.

Clouds Hill, T. E. Lawrence's former home.
Fiddleford Manor (Sturminster Newton): This medieval stone manor house is managed by English Heritage.

Fiddleford Manor.
Forde Abbey (Chard): Once a Cistercian monastery, this is now a grand house with beautiful gardens.
Highcliffe Castle (Highcliffe): Explore this stunning 19th-century castle with grounds designed by the famous Capability Brown.

Highcliffe Castle.
Kingston Lacy (Wimborne Minster): A magnificent 17th-century house managed by the National Trust. It's filled with fine art, Egyptian artifacts, and lavish rooms.

Kingston Lacy House.
Lulworth Castle (East Lulworth): A unique 17th-century mock castle manor house.

Lulworth Castle.
Mapperton House (Beaminster): Discover an Elizabethan manor house and its beautiful gardens.
Max Gate (Dorchester): This was the home of the famous author Thomas Hardy, cared for by the National Trust.

Max Gate, Thomas Hardy's home.
Portland Castle (Weymouth): A 16th-century armed castle fort, managed by English Heritage.

Portland Castle.
Sherborne Castle (Sherborne): This 16th-century Tudor mansion and its gardens are managed by English Heritage.

Sherborne Castle.
Stock Gaylard (Sturminster Newton): A charming Georgian country house with gardens and an estate.
Thomas Hardy's Cottage (Higher Bockhampton): Visit the birthplace of the famous author Thomas Hardy, managed by the National Trust.

Thomas Hardy's cottage.
Tudor House (Weymouth): Step inside an early 17th-century merchant's house.
Wolfeton House (Charminster): An impressive early Tudor and Elizabethan manor house.

Military and Transport

Bournemouth Aviation Museum (Hurn): See real airplanes, engines, and even sit in cockpits! They even have a double-decker bus.

Aircraft outside the Bournemouth Aviation Museum.
Castletown D-Day Centre (Isle of Portland): Learn about the important role Portland Harbour played in the Normandy landings during World War II.
Grove Prison Museum (Isle of Portland): Discover the history of HM Prison Portland.
Keep Military Museum (Dorchester): Explore the history of the military regiments from Dorset and Devon.

The Keep Military Museum.
Nothe Fort (Weymouth): This 19th-century fort played a key role in World War II. See memorabilia and vehicles.

The entrance to Nothe Fort.
Royal Signals Museum (Blandford Forum): This is the national museum for army communications.

A Typex machine at the Royal Signals Museum.
Swanage Railway (Corfe Castle): Take a ride on a heritage railway and visit the museum located in the old Goods Shed at Corfe Castle railway station.

Corfe Castle railway station.
The Tank Museum (Wool): Get ready to see an amazing collection of tanks and armoured vehicles from around the world!

A panoramic view of The Tank Museum.

Art and Culture

Bournemouth University Atrium Gallery (Bournemouth): See artworks by both university students and other artists.
Blandford Fashion Museum (Blandford): Explore costumes and accessories from the 1730s all the way to the 1970s!
TheGallery at Arts University Bournemouth (Bournemouth): A contemporary art gallery showcasing modern art.
Museum of Design in Plastics (Bournemouth): This unique museum has a collection of plastic items, showing how plastic has been used in design throughout history and today.
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum (Bournemouth): This Victorian mansion is filled with beautiful fine art and Japanese art.

The exterior of the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum.
Sherborne House Arts (Bridport): An art gallery that is part of the Bridport Arts Centre.

Other Unique Museums

Anvil Point Lighthouse (Swanage): You can take tours of this working lighthouse located in Durlston Country Park.

Anvil Point Lighthouse.
Bennetts Water Gardens (Chickerell): This 8-acre garden has a beautiful collection of water lilies and also a local history museum.
Dorset Teddy Bear Museum (Dorchester): A fun museum dedicated to Teddy bears!
Mangerton Mill (Bridport): See a three-story watermill.
Place Mill (Christchurch): A restored Anglo-Saxon watermill that also houses an art gallery.
Poole Old Lifeboat Museum and Shop (Poole): Visit a former lifeboat station and see a historic lifeboat.
Portland Bill Lighthouse (Isle of Portland): Another lighthouse you can tour!

Portland Bill Lighthouse.
Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum (Corfe Castle): Located at the Norden railway station, this museum shows the history and equipment used for ball clay mining.
Shaftesbury Abbey Museum (Shaftesbury): See artifacts from the ruins of a 15th-century Benedictine nunnery.

The ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey.
Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre (Sherborne): See a restored 19th-century waterwheel that used to supply water to the town.
Shire Hall Dorset (Dorchester): Also known as the Old Crown Court and Cells, this place has a courtroom, cells, and stocks restored to look like they did during the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs in 1834.
Sturminster Newton Mill (Sturminster Newton): Visit a working watermill.
Sutton Poyntz Water Supply Museum (Weymouth): Learn about the history of water supply and the natural history of watersheds.
Terracotta Warriors Museum (Dorchester): See amazing replicas of the famous Terracotta Army warriors found in China.
Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum (Tolpuddle): Learn about the brave 19th-century English agricultural labourers who fought for workers' rights.

The Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum.
Town Mill, Lyme Regis (Lyme Regis): A restored working watermill that also has art galleries, craft studios, and a bakery.
Tutankhamun Exhibition (Dorchester): Experience a re-creation of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
White Mill, Sturminster Marshall (Sturminster Marshall): A restored watermill operated by the National Trust, part of the Kingston Lacy estate.

Defunct Museums

Some museums in Dorset have closed over time:

Discovery: This museum used to have interactive science exhibits.
Museum of Electricity (Christchurch): This museum closed permanently in 2012.
Timewalk: This museum, once located in Brewers Quay, showed 600 years of local history. It closed in 2010.