List of museums in Nottinghamshire facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Nottinghamshire, a county in England, is home to many interesting museums! Museums are special places where important objects are collected and looked after. These objects can be about history, art, science, or even everyday life from the past. Museums let you see these collections and learn amazing new things. This article will tell you about some of the cool museums you can visit in Nottinghamshire. We'll also include art galleries that are open to everyone.

Museums to Explore in Nottinghamshire
Defunct Museums
See also

Museums to Explore in Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire offers a wide range of museums, each with unique collections and stories. Here's a look at some of them:

History and Heritage Museums

These museums focus on telling stories from the past, from local life to big historical events.

Bassetlaw Museum

Located in Retford, the Bassetlaw Museum explores local history, art, and archaeology. You can see items related to farming, old costumes, and even the history of coal mining in the area.

Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre

Near Laxton, the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre teaches visitors about the Holocaust and other terrible events of genocide in the 20th century. It's a place for learning and remembering.

Dukes Wood Oil Museum

In Eakring, the Dukes Wood Oil Museum tells the story of the UK’s very first oilfield. You can learn how oil was discovered and extracted here.

Durban House Heritage Centre

Found in Eastwood, the Durban House Heritage Centre shows what life was like in the late 1800s. It also connects to the life of famous author D. H. Lawrence, who grew up in the town. It even has an art gallery!

Flintham Museum

The Flintham Museum in Flintham is like stepping back in time. It features a 20th-century period shop, showing what rural life was like in the past.

Galleries of Justice Museum

In Nottingham, the Galleries of Justice Museum is set in a historic courthouse and old prison. You can explore the cells and courtrooms and learn about law and order through the ages.

The historic building of the Galleries of Justice Museum.

Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard

This museum in Nottingham focuses on the social history of the city. You can see recreated rooms and shops from different time periods, a Victorian schoolroom, and learn about life during wartime.

Museum of The Horse

Located in Tuxford, the Museum of The Horse takes you on a journey through 2000 years of horse history. You can discover how horses have been important to people throughout time.

National Civil War Centre - Newark Museum

In Newark-on-Trent, the National Civil War Centre - Newark Museum is all about the British Civil War. It's a great place to learn about this important period in English history.

Newark Castle & Gilstrap Heritage Centre

Explore the ruins of the medieval Newark Castle in Newark-on-Trent. The heritage centre has exhibits about the castle's history and Newark's role in the English Civil War.

The ruins of Newark Castle.

The Workhouse

Operated by the National Trust in Southwell, The Workhouse is a 19th-century building. It shows what life was like for poor people who had to live and work there.

The entrance to The Workhouse in Southwell.

Ruddington Village Museum

The Ruddington Village Museum in Ruddington features recreated period shops, a schoolroom, and old farm tools. It's a fun way to see how people lived in the past.

Art and Culture Museums

These museums are perfect for those who love art, creativity, and modern culture.

Harley Gallery

Located at Welbeck Abbey in Welbeck, the Harley Gallery showcases modern arts and crafts. You can see amazing works by contemporary artists.

Lakeside Arts Centre

Part of the University of Nottingham, the Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham is a hub for performing and visual arts. It hosts various exhibitions and shows.

New Art Exchange

In Nottingham, the New Art Exchange is an art gallery that focuses on culturally diverse contemporary artists. It's a great place to see art from different backgrounds and perspectives.

Newark Town Hall Museum & Art Gallery

This museum in Newark-on-Trent has a collection of paintings, furniture, and ceremonial silver. It's a chance to see beautiful objects from the town's civic history.

Nottingham Contemporary

The Nottingham Contemporary is a modern art centre in Nottingham. It features exciting and thought-provoking contemporary art exhibitions.

The unique architecture of Nottingham Contemporary.

Special Interest Museums

These museums focus on specific topics, from technology to famous people.

British Horological Institute

At Upton Hall in Upton, the British Horological Institute has a collection of historic clocks, watches, and tools. It's a fascinating place for anyone interested in timekeeping.

Upton Hall, home to the British Horological Institute.

Calverton Folk Museum

The Calverton Folk Museum in Calverton shows period furniture and clothing. It also covers the history of framework knitting, a local industry.

Creswell Crags

Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge and caves near Creswell. It's an important archaeological site with flint tools and other artifacts from the Stone Age.

Church Hole Cave at Creswell Crags.

D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum

In Eastwood, the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum is the 19th-century working-class house where author D. H. Lawrence was born. It gives you a glimpse into his early life.

The D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum.

Framework Knitters Museum

The Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington is a complex of restored Victorian buildings. It shows the living and working conditions of framework knitters, who made stockings and other knitted goods.

A stocking frame at the Framework Knitters Museum.

Green's Windmill and Science Centre

Located in Sneinton, Green's Windmill and Science Centre is a restored 19th-century tower windmill that still works! It also has fun, hands-on science exhibits.

Green's Windmill in Sneinton.

Mr Straw's House

Operated by the National Trust in Worksop, Mr Straw's House is a family home kept exactly as it was in the 1920s. It's like a time capsule!

Mr Straw's House, preserved from the 1920s.

National Videogame Arcade

In Nottingham, the National Videogame Arcade explores the history of videogames, especially British videogame culture. You can play historic games and learn how they were made.

Newark Air Museum

The Newark Air Museum is located on part of a former World War II airfield near Newark-on-Trent. It has a collection of historic civilian and military aircraft.

A Meteor aircraft at the Newark Air Museum.

Nottingham Industrial Museum

The Nottingham Industrial Museum in Nottingham has a collection of important industrial objects from the region, including impressive steam and diesel engines.

Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre

In Ruddington, the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre is the northern end of the Great Central Railway heritage line. It has locomotives, carriages, buses, and other road vehicles.

Buses at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre.

Papplewick Pumping Station

The Papplewick Pumping Station in Papplewick is a Victorian water pumping station. It features amazing steam engines that used to pump water for the area.

The impressive Papplewick Pumping Station.

Tuxford Windmill

The Tuxford Windmill in Tuxford is an early 19th-century windmill. You can learn about how windmills work and their importance in the past.

Walks of Life

Also in Tuxford, Walks of Life has a collection of old handcarts and hand-powered farming machinery. It shows how people worked the land before modern machines.

William Booth Birthplace Museum

This museum in Nottingham is the birthplace home of William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army. You can learn about his life and the history of this important organization.

A statue of William Booth.

Wollaton Village Dovecote Museum

The Wollaton Village Dovecote Museum in Wollaton is set in a 17th-century dovecote (a building for doves). It has exhibits about local history.

Historic Houses and Estates

These places offer a glimpse into the grand homes and gardens of the past.

Holme Pierrepont Hall

Holme Pierrepont Hall in Holme Pierrepont is a medieval hall with beautiful gardens. It's open to the public on certain days.

Holme Pierrepont Hall.

Newstead Abbey Historic House & Gardens

Newstead Abbey Historic House & Gardens in Ravenshead was once the ancestral home of the famous poet Lord Byron. You can explore the medieval house and Victorian rooms.

Newstead Abbey, once home to Lord Byron.

Wollaton Hall & Deer Park

Wollaton Hall & Deer Park in Wollaton is a grand historic house. It also includes the Nottingham Natural History Museum and parts of the Nottingham Industrial Museum, showing textiles, transport, and technology from Nottingham's past.

Wollaton Hall, a grand historic house.

Multiple Focus Museums

Some museums cover a variety of topics, offering something for everyone.

Mansfield Museum

The Mansfield Museum in Mansfield covers art, local history, and culture, giving a broad overview of the area.

Nottingham Castle Museum

Nottingham Castle Museum in Nottingham has fine and decorative art, local history, archaeology, and a regimental museum about the Sherwood Foresters.

The gatehouse of Nottingham Castle.

Defunct Museums

These museums are no longer open to the public:

Lace Centre, Nottingham (closed in 2009)
Longdale Craft Centre, Ravenshead
Millgate Museum of Folk Life, Newark-on-Trent
Newark Millgate Museum (closed in 2012)
Vina's Doll Gallery, Cromwell (closed in 2015)