The Keep Military Museum

Today the Keep Military Museum is a striking landmark on the Bridport Road in Dorchester. Completed in 1879, it was designed to resemble a Norman Castle, and is built of Portland stone which gives it a white appearance. In 'British Barracks 1600-1914', James Douet explains that:

'The 'keep' or armoury at Dorchester was an unusually realistic interpretation of a medieaval castle, by the army's standards, which must have been in response to local sensibilities over the historic character of the town.'

The design did not find favour with everyone. Pevsner, in 'The Buildings of England" describes it thus:

'The monumental gatehouse is a knock-down affair. Two round towers to the front, the archway between. Three storeys of long slit windows. Rock faced with a vengeance.'

Today it is a grade 2 listed building. 

Schools

The Keep is pleased to announce the launch of a new Education Service, designed to support learning from KS 2 – “A” Level. Workshops are available either as museum visits or outreach in your school – see below for details.

WW1 – Trench Warfare

What was it like to be a British soldier in the trenches of the First World War? How dangerous was it? Where did soldiers sleep? What did they eat? What did they wear? Using a mix of original and reproduction uniforms, equipment, images and documents, this interactive workshop explores the life of soldiers of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiments on the Western Front.

Your Community at War, 1914-1918

An outreach session that first gives students a glimpse of life in the trenches through the use of artefacts and images and links with looking at evidence from war memorials, war graves and the local area. Can include an excursion to your local war memorial, followed by a research session using Keep Museum archive materials and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

World War II – the Home Front

Look at the role played by the County of Dorset during World War II from the County Council Air Raid Map, showing every bomb dropped on Dorset and looking at the roles of Wardens, Observers and the ladies of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Also includes the story of the Creech Barrow Seven – the Home Guard’s own Special Forces!

World War II – a Soldier’s Experience

The War from the perspective of the British Soldier. Using original uniforms and equipment, we trace the story of the war from defeat in 1940 through the Western Desert and the jungles of Burma to the D Day landings.

Victorian Britain, at Home and at War

A joint workshop with the Dorset County Museum, this session gives children the chance to experience life both in Victorian Dorchester at the County Museum and as a Victorian soldier at The Keep. Would you prefer the joys and delights of Moules' earth closet and life as a Dorset farm labourer or risk life as a soldier abroad in the Empire on which the sun never set?

The Development of Warfare, 1790 to the Present

Explore the effect that technology has had on the battlefield from the Napoleonic Wars to the post Cold War era. A practical(ish!) workshop looking at weapons and equipment from The Keep’s extensive collection.

Outreach Experiences also available