List of museums in Suffolk facts for kids

Suffolk is a county in England with many interesting places to visit, especially museums! A museum is a special place where cool objects from the past or about nature, art, and science are kept and shown to people. It's like a treasure chest of history and amazing facts. This list will help you discover some of the best museums in Suffolk.

Awesome Museums to Explore

Aldeburgh Museum

Located in Aldeburgh, this museum is inside a really old building called a moot hall from the 1500s. It tells the story of local history, culture, and how people used to work and live in the area.

Alfred Corry Lifeboat Museum

In Southwold, you can find the "Alfred Corry" lifeboat, which was once used to save lives at sea. This museum shows you what life was like for brave lifeboat crews and shares stories of maritime history.

Amber Shop and Museum

Also in Southwold, this unique museum is all about amber. Amber is fossilized tree resin, often with ancient insects trapped inside! You can see beautiful amber carvings, jewelry, and learn how it's formed.

The Apex

Found in Bury St Edmunds, The Apex is a place for performing arts. It also has the Apex Art Gallery, where you can see modern art exhibitions.

Bardwell Windmill

Visit Bardwell to see an old tower windmill from the early 1800s. It's a great way to imagine how people used wind power long ago.

Bawdsey Manor

In Bawdsey, this manor has a special "Transmitter Block" and "Magic Ear" exhibit. It teaches you about RAF Bawdsey and how radar was used during World War II and the Cold War.

Beccles & District Museum

This museum in Beccles shares the local history and culture of the area.

Bentwaters Cold War Museum

Near Woodbridge, this museum tells the story of RAF Bentwaters during World War II and the Cold War. It's a fascinating look at military history.

Brandon Heritage Centre

In Brandon, this centre focuses on the local history and culture of the town.

Bungay Museum

The museum in Bungay explores the local history and culture of the area.

Buttrum's Mill

Located in Woodbridge, Buttrum's Mill is a tower windmill from the mid-1800s.

Christchurch Mansion

This grand house in Ipswich is a museum with beautiful art, fancy decorations, and rooms set up to look like they did in different time periods. It also has collections of old toys and dolls.

Clare Ancient House Museum

In Clare, this house from the 1300s-1400s shows local history and amazing archaeological finds.

Clifford Road Tunnels

These underground air raid shelters in Ipswich were used during World War II. You can see how people lived during air raids with period supplies and artifacts.

Dunwich Museum

The museum in Dunwich tells the sad but interesting story of how the town slowly disappeared due to coastal erosion. It also covers local history and culture.

East Anglia Transport Museum

In Carlton Colville, this museum has historic public transport vehicles like buses, trams, and trolleybuses. It even has a small railway!

Easton Farm Park

Located in Easton, this is a farm where you can learn about farm life and animals.

Euston Hall

In Euston, this 17th-century manor house has a collection of fine art. Its beautiful park was designed by famous landscape artists.

Felixstowe Museum

This museum in Felixstowe is inside Landguard Fort. It covers the military and social history of the area.

Flatford: Bridge Cottage

Operated by the National Trust, this 16th-century thatched cottage in Flatford has exhibits about the famous painter John Constable and his artworks of the area.

Framlingham Castle

Managed by English Heritage, this 12th-century fortress in Framlingham has fascinating exhibits about its long history.

Gainsborough's House

This is the birthplace of the famous artist Thomas Gainsborough in Sudbury. You can see his paintings, drawings, and prints, plus other art exhibitions.

Greene King Visitor Centre

In Bury St Edmunds, you can learn about the history of the Greene King brewery.

Halesworth Museum

Located in the old Halesworth railway station, this museum in Halesworth shares local history.

Haverhill Local History Centre

Found in the Haverhill Arts Centre in Haverhill, this centre focuses on local history.

Herringfleet Windmill

This early 19th-century smock windmill is located in Herringfleet.

HMS Ganges Museum

In Bures, this museum has items and stories from the training ships connected to the naval base HMS Ganges.

Ickworth House, Park & Garden

Run by the National Trust near Bury St Edmunds, this country house has amazing collections of paintings, furniture, and silver. It also has beautiful gardens and a park.

Ipswich Art School Gallery

This gallery in Ipswich showcases art.

Ipswich Maritime Trust Window Museum

In Ipswich, this museum has window displays that show the town's maritime history.

Ipswich Museum

The Ipswich Museum has collections on archaeology, including Roman Britain and Ancient Egypt. It also covers local history, natural history, and cultures from around the world.

Ipswich Transport Museum

This museum in Ipswich tells the story of transportation in the area. It has buses, trams, fire engines, bicycles, and even old prams and wheelchairs, many made locally.

Kentwell Hall

In Long Melford, Kentwell Hall is an Elizabethan stately home with old buildings, a rare breeds farm, and lovely gardens.

Landguard Fort

This historic fort in Felixstowe was used from the 1500s until the 1950s. It also houses the Felixstowe Museum.

Lanman Museum

Located at Framlingham Castle, this museum in Framlingham covers local history, the castle's past, farming, and social history.

Lavenham Guildhall

Run by the National Trust in Lavenham, this medieval guild hall has exhibits about the local cloth industry and farming.

Laxfield & District Museum

This museum in Laxfield focuses on military history.

Little Hall Lavenham

This 14th-century Tudor house in Lavenham is a historic house museum.

Long Shop Museum

In Leiston, this museum tells the story of Richard Garrett & Sons, a company that made farm machines, steam engines, and trolleybuses.

Lowestoft Maritime Museum

This museum in Lowestoft has maritime artifacts, ship models, and art. It covers fishing, the Royal Navy in WW II, and tools used by shipbuilders.

Lowestoft Museum

In Lowestoft, this museum covers local history, including 18th-century Lowestoft Porcelain, fossils, maritime heritage, and local industries.

Lowestoft War Memorial Museum

This museum in Lowestoft focuses on the area's military history during World War I and World War II.

Martlesham Heath Control Tower Museum

Near Woodbridge, this museum tells the history of RAF Martlesham Heath.

Mechanical Music Museum at Cotton

In Cotton, this museum has a collection of automatic musical instruments and old cinema items.

Melford Hall

Operated by the National Trust in Long Melford, this stately home shows what family life was like over two centuries. It also has connections to the author Beatrix Potter.

Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum

Near Wetheringsett, this museum has a heritage railway with old locomotives and railway artifacts.

Mildenhall Museum

In Mildenhall, this museum covers local history, wildlife, the history of RAF Mildenhall, and replicas of the famous Mildenhall Treasure.

Mincarlo

This is a sidewinder fishing trawler in Lowestoft that you can explore as a museum ship.

Moyse's Hall Museum

In Bury St Edmunds, this museum has local history, old clocks and watches, costumes, art, and a gallery dedicated to the Suffolk Regiment.

Museum of East Anglian Life

Located in Stowmarket, this open-air museum shows the history of farming in East Anglia. It has old farm machinery, shops from the 1950s, a Victorian schoolroom, and even a working watermill.

Museum of Knots and Sailors' Ropework

In Ipswich, this museum (open by appointment) celebrates the art and skill of ropeworking.

National Horseracing Museum

In Newmarket, this museum tells the history of horse racing in Britain. It includes the British Horseracing Hall of Fame and a gallery of British sporting art.

Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum

In Flixton, this museum has historic aircraft and tells the story of RAF Bungay and aviation in the area, especially during World War II.

Orford Castle

Run by English Heritage in Orford, this medieval castle keep houses exhibits of local archaeological finds and the castle's history.

Pakenham Windmill

In Pakenham, this is a tower windmill from the mid-1800s.

Parham Airfield Museum

Near Framlingham, this museum tells the story of the airfield's role in World War II, especially with the 390th Bombardment Group.

Rougham Control Tower Museum

In Bury St Edmunds, this museum has a restored World War II control tower and a Quonset hut with exhibits and items from RAF Bury St Edmunds.

Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum

In Lowestoft, this museum covers the history of the Royal Naval Patrol Service and their activities in the area during World War II.

Saxmundham Museum

This museum in Saxmundham shares local history, with replicas of old shops and even a jail cell.

Saxtead Green Post Windmill

Operated by English Heritage near Framlingham, this is a 19th-century post windmill.

Smith's Row

In Bury St Edmunds, Smith's Row is a gallery for modern art.

Somerleyton Hall

Somerleyton is home to this beautiful Tudor-Jacobean stately home with lovely gardens.

Southwold Lighthouse

This lighthouse in Southwold is also a museum where you can learn about its history.

Southwold Museum

In Southwold, this museum covers local history, natural history, geology, industries, the railway, and maritime heritage.

Southwold Sailors' Reading Room

This unique place in Southwold has marine art, photos, models, and other items from local fishermen and sailors.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral

In Bury St Edmunds, this historic cathedral includes the Edmund Gallery for art and exhibits of religious treasures.

Sudbury Heritage Centre & Museum

This centre in Sudbury focuses on local history.

Suffolk Regiment Museum

In Bury St Edmunds, this museum displays uniforms, weapons, and items from the Suffolk Regiment.

Suffolk Underwater Studies Museum

In Orford, this museum focuses on marine archaeology, showing items found underwater.

Sutton Hoo

Operated by the National Trust near Woodbridge, Sutton Hoo is an amazing archaeological site. It has artifacts from the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and his treasures.

Thelnetham Windmill

In Thelnetham, this is an early 19th-century tower windmill.

Upthorpe Mill

In Stanton, Upthorpe Mill is a post windmill from the mid-1700s.

West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

In West Stow, this is an open-air museum with a recreated Anglo-Saxon village. You can see archaeological finds and learn about Anglo-Saxon life.

Woodbridge Museum

In Woodbridge, this museum covers local history, archaeology, trade, and how people lived, worshipped, and learned in the past.

Woodbridge Tide Mill

This is an old tide mill in Woodbridge that still works!

Woolpit Museum

Located in a 17th-century cottage in Woolpit, this museum shares local history, including the story of brickmaking.

Museums That Are No Longer Open

Sometimes museums close down. Here are a few that used to be in Suffolk:

• Sue Ryder Foundation Museum in Cavendish, which told the story of Sue Ryder.
• Suffolk Heavy Horse Museum in Woodbridge, which focused on the Suffolk Punch horse breed.
• William Clowes Printing Museum in Beccles.

See also

• Category:Tourist attractions in Suffolk