List of museums in East Sussex facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Welcome to a list of awesome museums in East Sussex, England! Museums are special places where cool stuff from the past, amazing art, science discoveries, or historical items are kept safe. They let you explore and learn about these collections. This list also includes art galleries that are open to everyone. Get ready to discover some fantastic places to visit!

Explore East Sussex Museums

This table lists many exciting museums in East Sussex. You can click on the arrows at the top of each column to sort the list alphabetically!

Name	Town/City	Region	Type	What you'll find there
1066 Battle Of Hastings, Abbey & Battlefield	Battle	Rother	History	Explore the ruins of the abbey, a visitor centre, and the famous battlefield where the Battle of Hastings happened.
Alfriston Clergy House	Alfriston	Wealden	Historic house	This is a beautiful 14th-century house with a thatched roof, looked after by the National Trust.
Anne of Cleves House	Lewes	Lewes	Historic house	A 15th-century house showing local history, furniture, and decorations from different time periods.
Bateman's	Burwash	Rother	Historic house	The 17th-century home of famous author Rudyard Kipling, with a working watermill. It's run by the National Trust.
Battle Museum of Local History	Battle	Rother	Local	Discover the history of Battle, from prehistoric times to the 17th and 18th centuries, including local industries like iron and gunpowder.
Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum	Halland	Wealden	Multiple	See a grand mansion with old furnishings, an automobile museum, beautiful gardens, and a wildfowl reserve. There's even a miniature steam train!
Bexhill Museum	Bexhill-on-Sea	Rother	Multiple	Learn about local history, natural history, fashion, dinosaurs, ancient Egyptians, and British motor racing.
Bluebell Railway	Fletching	Lewes	Transport	A heritage railway with museum displays at Sheffield Park railway station, showing old trains and railway history.
Bodiam Castle	Robertsbridge	Rother	Historic house	A stunning 14th-century moated castle, now in ruins, where you can sometimes see living history demonstrations. It's run by the National Trust.
Booth Museum of Natural History	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Natural history	See amazing displays of British birds in their natural settings, butterflies, British fossils, and animal bones.
Brede Waterworks	Brede	Rother	Technology	Visit a former waterworks with working steam engines, showing how water used to be pumped.
Brighton Fishing Museum	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Maritime	Explore the history of the local fishing industry and see old fishing boats.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Multiple	A large museum with art, decorative items, natural history, puppets, fashion, world cultures, Egyptian artifacts, and local history.
Brighton Toy and Model Museum	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Toy	Discover a wonderful collection of toys, dolls, model trains, puppets, and old penny arcade games.
British Engineerium	Hove	Brighton and Hove	Technology	A Victorian pumping station with huge beam engines, showing amazing engineering from the past.
Charleston Farmhouse	Firle	Lewes	Historic house	The country home of the famous Bloomsbury group artists, with beautiful interior decorations by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell.
De La Warr Pavilion	Bexhill-on-Sea	Rother	Art	A modern arts centre that hosts exciting contemporary art exhibitions.
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft	Ditchling	Lewes	Art	See local art, crafts, and applied art, celebrating the creative history of the area.
Eastbourne Heritage Centre	Eastbourne	Eastbourne	Local	Learn about the history of Eastbourne, run by the Eastbourne Society.
Eastbourne RNLI Museum	Eastbourne	Eastbourne	Maritime	Discover the brave history of lifeboat rescues in the area, run by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Fabrica	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Art	Located in a former church, this space hosts amazing contemporary visual arts exhibitions.
Farley Farm House	Chiddingly	Wealden	Art	The home of photographer Lee Miller and Picasso's biographer, Roland Penrose, featuring Surrealist and Modern art.
Firle Place	Firle	Lewes	Historic house	An 18th-century country estate with beautiful art, furnishings, and gardens.
Flower Makers' Museum	Hastings	Hastings	Textile	See original tools, machines, and fabrics used to make artificial flowers.
Glynde Place	Glynde	Lewes	Historic house	A grand Elizabethan manor house with lovely gardens.
Grange Museum & Art Gallery	Rottingdean	Brighton and Hove	Multiple	Explore local history and art in this charming museum.
Great Dixter	Northiam	Rother	Historic house	A medieval timber-framed manor house with beautiful Arts and Crafts style gardens.
Hastings Fishermen's Museum	Hastings	Hastings	Maritime	Learn about the local fishing industry, see old boats, and discover the history of The Stade.
Hastings History House	Hastings	Hastings	Local	A museum dedicated to the local history of Hastings, run by the Old Hastings Preservation Society.
Hastings Lifeboat Station	Hastings	Hastings	Maritime	Visit the centre to watch a film and see the lifeboats up close.
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery	Hastings	Hastings	Multiple	A diverse museum with art, local history, artifacts from India, decorative arts, natural history, and Native American items.
Heritage Mill, North Chailey	Chailey	Lewes	Mill	An early 19th-century windmill that shows how grain was milled long ago.
Herstmonceux Museum	Herstmonceux	Wealden	History	An old electricity generating station, showing how power was made in the past.
Hove Museum and Art Gallery	Hove	Brighton and Hove	Multiple	See art, modern crafts, local history, toys, and artifacts from early cinema.
How We Lived Then	Eastbourne	Eastbourne	History	Step back in time with authentic Victorian shops, room settings, and displays covering 100 years of shopping and social history.
Jerwood Gallery	Hastings	Hastings	Art	A contemporary art gallery with a collection of British art from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Kent and East Sussex Railway	Northiam	Rother	Railway	A heritage railway where you can experience train travel from the past, accessed at Northiam railway station.
Lamb House	Rye	Rother	Historic house	An 18th-century house with strong connections to famous writers like Henry James and E.F. Benson. It's run by the National Trust.
Lavender Line	Isfield	Wealden	Railway	A heritage railway with exhibits, including a model railway, at Isfield railway station.
Lewes Castle	Lewes	Lewes	History	An 11th-century castle where you can explore the Barbican House Museum with archaeology and medieval life displays.
Mechanical Memories Museum	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Amusement	Have fun with working vintage penny slot machines and old arcade games.
Michelham Priory	Upper Dicker	Wealden	Open air	Explore a Medieval priory house with furnishings from different periods, a historic watermill, a rope making museum, and a replica Iron Age roundhouse.
Monk's House	Rodmell	Lewes	Historic house	The 18th-century cottage home of famous author Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard Woolf. It's run by the National Trust.
Newhaven Fort	Newhaven	Lewes	Military	A fort from the Napoleonic era with military artifacts, exhibits on local military history, World War I, and World War II.
Newhaven Museum	Newhaven	Lewes	Multiple	Learn about local history and see maritime artifacts, run by the Newhaven Historical Society.
Nutley Windmill	Nutley	Wealden	Mill	An early 19th-century windmill, showing how wind power was used.
Observatory Science Center	Herstmonceux	Wealden	Science	A fun science centre located at the Herstmonceux Castle estate, perfect for hands-on learning.
Old Police Cells Museum	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Law enforcement	Discover the history of the Sussex Police, located in the basement of Brighton Town Hall.
Ovenden's Mill	Polegate	Wealden	Mill	An early 19th-century windmill.
Paradise Park, Newhaven	Newhaven	Lewes	Natural history	Includes the Planet Earth Museum with dinosaurs, fossils, and geology exhibits, plus beautiful gardens.
Pevensey Court House Museum	Pevensey	Wealden	Local	Located in the old courthouse, you can see prison cells, an exercise yard, and displays of local history.
Preston Manor, Brighton	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Historic house	An Edwardian manor house from the early 20th century, showing life from that period.
Redoubt Fortress & Military Museum	Eastbourne	Eastbourne	Military	A Napoleonic-era fort with military artifacts, including collections from the Royal Sussex Regiment and Queen's Royal Irish Hussars.
Regency Town House	Hove	Brighton and Hove	Local	An 1820s townhouse focusing on the architecture and social history of Brighton & Hove from the 1780s to 1840s.
Royal Pavilion	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Historic house	A stunning former royal seaside retreat from the early 19th century, built in an amazing Indian-style with lavish decorations.
Rye Art Gallery	Rye	Rother	Art	A gallery showcasing various art pieces.
Rye Castle Museum	Rye	Rother	Multiple	Explore the Ypres Tower of the medieval castle and the East Street Site with local history exhibits.
Rye Heritage Centre	Rye	Rother	Local	Learn about local history through a sound and light show, and enjoy a collection of old pier amusement machines.
Seaford Museum	Seaford	Lewes	Local	Located in a Martello tower, this museum covers local history, military items, and maritime heritage.
Shipwreck Museum	Hastings	Hastings	Maritime	See artifacts from local shipwrecks, rocks, fossils, and learn about changes to the coast.
Stanmer Rural Museum	Stanmer	Brighton and Hove	Agriculture	Discover rural life artifacts, farm tools, wagons, and a reconstructed blacksmith's forge.
Stone Cross Windmill	Stone Cross	Wealden	Mill	A late 19th-century windmill.
Towner	Eastbourne	Eastbourne	Art	A contemporary art museum and gallery.
Volk's Electric Railway	Brighton	Brighton and Hove	Railway	A heritage electric railway that runs along the seafront of Brighton.
West Blatchington Windmill	West Blatchington	Brighton and Hove	Mill	An early 19th-century windmill.
Winchelsea Court Hall Museum	Winchelsea	Rother	Local	Learn about local history through maps, models, pictures, and items from daily life.
Windmill Hill Mill	Herstmonceux	Wealden	Mill	An early 19th-century windmill.