Museums

Museums

What are they and what do they involve?

Museums are venues with the primary purpose of exhibiting items of interest, often of a historical nature. The exact focus of a museum will vary, but they always offer educational insights into their artefacts and can include extra activities such as workshops and guided tours! Nationally-recognised museums dominate the school trip agenda and often feature amongst the most visited venues in Britain.

Incredibly there are museums for pretty much everything you can think of in the UK - from Prams to Anaesthetic, Radar to Pencils, Locks to Lawnmowers, Mustard to Surfing, Straw to Dog Collars (the canine kind), Teapots to Gas, or Magic to Embroidery. Search our list of venues for topics these fantastic, quirky places feature and you'll be surprised what pops up! It might inspire a new approach to a curriculum topic or a different slant on your locality.

What are the benefits?

A museum can be a highly educational place, especially for those with prior interest in the subjects on display. Taking a student group that have been covering a specific historical event or time period to a relevant museum will enable them to really connect with the subject and create an extra dimension to their education.

What students is it suitable for?

Provided the content of the museum is suitable for the age group, all students can benefit from a trip to a museum!

Costs?

Some museums are free for the public to access but there are some venues that have admission costs due to the specific nature of the exhibit – make sure to thoroughly check out the prices of museums in your area.

Safety Implications?

Museums can be quite large and confusing venues, so make sure your group of students is properly supervised to ensure nobody gets separated from the group!

Accreditations?

There is a national accreditation scheme in operation for museums - find out more HERE about Accredited Museums.

Venues for this Category

This museum houses the agricultural and social history collections of Craigavon Museum. There are displays on domestic life in rural areas, blacksmithing, haymaking and local industries. The collections on display include the tools of a local blacksmith as well as items illustrating the area's links with the linen industry, apple growing and rose growing.

Restored to its Edwardian glory, Bantock House is a hidden treasure set within 43 acres of parkland and surrounded by delightful formal gardens.

Bankfield Museum is housed in an imposing Victorian Mansion, set within an attractive park, less than a mile from the centre of Halifax.

Banbury Museum is a great museum full of local interest with a range of activities for kids of all ages.

There are prize trails for all ages, plus Drawing for All, activity backpacks for 3 to 5 year olds and Craft Activities through the ArtCart.

This popular museum attracts thousands of visitors each year from across the world. The permanent exhibition contains remarkable and unique artefacts associated with the colourful history of this region.

The Ballycastle museum is housed in the 18th century courthouse and market building. The Collection includes the very important and fine Irish Homes Industries Workshop which was part on the Arts and Crafts Revival in Ireland. Much of this material was displayed in the Irish Pavilion at the St Louis World Fair in 1904 through F.J. Bigger and R.J. Welch.

Derbyshire Museum of the Year

Step back into Bakewells long and rich history. A 1 hr walk from the river Wye to the Old House led by knowledgable and enthusiastic guides. Discover hidden facts, myths and legends on this enlightening and entertaining tour.  

Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery is a people’s Museum, where fascinating stories of the past are told about the town and district of Alnwick. A historic building in the town’s Castle Quarter, which was previously a church, provides a calm and beautiful setting in which to celebrate our distinctive heritage, hold exhibitions and host events.

Schools

Explore the World at Bagshaw Museum. A Victorian former mill owner's house set in 36 aces of parkland and ancient woodland, the museum is host to a wide range of unusual and exciting collections of collections from around the globe.

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum is set in a Medieval Hall dating back to around 1451. This fascinating grade I listed building includes exhibitions, displays and educational opportunities for all to enjoy.

There's always something going on at Ayscoughfee, whether it's concerts, theatrical performances, craft sessions or art exhibitions.

The Auld Kirk Museum is located on one of the oldest sites in Kirkintilloch. 

The museum houses a rich collection of objects of local, national and international significance, interpreted in an innovative, exciting and educational way for visitors of all ages and abilities.

A museum capturing the history of Malmesbury

Malmesbury’s pretty old; archaeological digs have shown there was a Neolithic fort here around 2,500 BC so people have lived here for four and a half thousand years! So Malmesbury may be the oldest town in the country.

It claims as well to be the oldest borough as King Alfred (you know, the king that burnt the cakes) granted a charter to the town in 880 AD.

In the heart of the village of Astley Green stands Astley Green Colliery Museum which, but for the foresight of Lancashire County Council and several leading figures within the community, would have suffered the same fate as the other collieries in the area, total demolition. It was the uniqueness of the 3,300 hp twin tandem compound steam winding engine that brought the demolition to a halt.

The Ashwell Village Museum contains all manner of wondrous curiosities relating to the village of Ashwell, Hertfordshire.

The Ashmolean Museum is packed full of archaeology and art works from all over the world. Families can discover mummies in ancient Egypt, find coins from ancient Greece, and travel through time to find modern paintings, statues and more.

Housed in a 17th century Grade II listed building, the museum is located close to Ashford town centre and features exhibits associated with Ashford's history.  

The Zouche and Hastings Gallery retells the history of Ashby de la Zouch from ancient times up to the present day.

Ashby Museum is commemorating the Fallen of the area during the Great War in a sobering exhibition in the Loudoun Gallery.

In 1285 by a Charter of Edward 1st Ashburton became a Stannary Town - one of four in Devon. 

Tin Mining has played a great part in the development of the town as has the Woollen Industry.

Ash Museum is in the Cemetery Chapel, Ash Cemetery, Ash Church Road, Ash. We are open 3rd Sunday each month 2.00pm - 4.30pm.

This hand pulled funeral bier, which continued in use until c.1977, forms a central exhibit in the museum.

Arundel Museum is more than a museum – it’s an experience!

The Museum is almost exclusively run by volunteers who have a passion for the history of the town and its people.

The Exhibits have been arranged to tell the story of this historic town, from the first pre-Roman settlements to the present day.

Founded by Poets, Artists and Writers as the Quintessence of the Cultural Lake District

Explore the life of Beatrix Potter one of the most iconic and influential figures of the Lake District at the Armitt Museum.

The oldest county museum in Ireland is set in Armagh's beautiful Georgian tree lined Mall. Its collections capture centuries of stories relating to the people who lived, worked and had connections with this famous city and historic county.

Exhibitions, events and a café and bar right on the water's edge, plus video, touchscreen, hands on exhibits and our working boat restoration projects. TV’s Dick Strawbridge guides you through the evolution of boats, propulsion, navigation and so much more. 

Arbeia Roman Fort once guarded the entrance to the River Tyne. The excavated remains, stunning reconstructions and finds discovered at the site combine to give a unique insight into life in Roman Britain.

The striking chequerboard flint and Caen limestone facade is part of one of the oldest Norman buildings in Sussex

The museum tells the story of Shoreham’s maritime and local history from prehistoric to medieval times.

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