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

Once Britain’s Best Kept Secret, today Bletchley Park is a heritage site and vibrant tourist attraction. Open daily, visitors can explore some of the iconic WW2 Codebreaking Huts and Blocks and marvel at the astonishing achievements of the Codebreakers whose work is said to have helped shorten the war by two years.  

Market Hall Museum is an historic museum operated by Heritage and Culture Warwickshire.

Built in 1670, the Market Hall originally contained arches on all four walls (later converted to windows), to provide under-cover space for stalls. 

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country. Phallology is an ancient science which, until recent years, has received very little attention in Iceland, except as a borderline field of study in other academic discipl

The Society was incorporated as a City Livery Company in 1617. Its Hall (dating from 1668-72), archives and artefacts also record and reflect its activities as a major centre for manufacturing and retailing drugs (1671-1922), founder of Chelsea Physic Garden in 1673 and medical examining and licensing body from 1815.

The purpose of the Cromwell Museum is to interpret Oliver Cromwell's life and legacy through portraits, documents and objects associated with Cromwell. Impressively impartial!

The Museum of Eton Life tells the story of the foundation of the College in 1440 and provides a glimpse into the world of the Eton schoolboy past and present.

This unique museum is situated in Nay, between Lourdes and Pau, in the heart of the Bearn.

It gives an insight into the history of beret manufacturing, from the earliest times to the present day.

The Royal College of Nursing Library and Heritage Centre is home to Europe’s largest nursing specific collection.

In 2013 we opened an exciting new space which includes public exhibitions, a cafe and a shop within the Library space.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is the oldest medical college in England. Its collections relate to the history of the College, and to the physician's profession.

The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre at the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was founded from a donation by A Charles King but has since embraced numerous contributions. The collection encompasses the entire history of anaesthesia, from Morton's demonstration of ether inhalation in 1846 to modern anaesthetic machines and appliances still in use today.

The Medical and Chirurgical Society of London was founded on 22nd May 1805 with the aim of bringing together physicians and surgeons in order to further scientific, professional and social communication. This body eventually became the Royal Society of Medicine.

The Museum of the Order of St John tells a unique and fascinating story — the story of the Order of St John.

The Hunterian Museum in London exhibits collections which have been brought together over four centuries by a cast of colourful characters including the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter (1728-1793).

Bethlem Royal Hospital was founded in 1247 and was the first institution in the UK to specialise in the care of the mentally ill. The hospital continues to provide in-patient care as part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and has been based since 1930 in the outer London suburbs.

The British Red Cross runs a museum containing a variety of materials from its beginnings in 1870 to its modern activities. The collections include posters, photographs, badges worn by Society members, medals awarded to Society members, medical equipment and fundraising materials and contain a fascinating portrait of our humanitarian work.

Great Torrington Heritage Museum and Archive now has a new home, 14, South Street and also the Grade 2* listed property, The Market House, which is just above the Pannier Market.

Find out the origin of the terms:

Shank´s Pony´ 
Crickets ‘In the Slips’. 
‘Money for old rope’.

See:

Discover the history of London and its people.

The Museum of London documents the history of Londonfrom prehistoric to modern times. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 1970s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb-damaged area of the City of London.

Scotland Street School is a must-see for fans of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and tells the story of education in Scotland from the late 19th century to the late 20th century.

Dynasty Death and Discovery

More than 500 years after the death of the last English king to die in battle, the story of one of history’s most controversial monarchs has been brought to life once again in a stunning new visitor centre.

David Attenborough described the Museum as "A delightful and remarkable museum, a jewel."

The Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet. The building has great idiosyncratic charm. Built in 1900-01 by Thomas Philpot, it was restored and extended in 1991.

An important Dickens collection, based in the author’s only surviving London house, decorated in Victorian style. See some of his possessions, plus other memorabilia.

School Visits

Contact us for full details and to plan your trip.

Key Stage One

Each visit includes:

St Fagans is one of Europe's leading open-air museums and is Wales's most popular heritage attraction. The museum stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle and gardens, a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth.

The Gallery is a modern exhibition space designed to display material from the most important galleries, museums and private collections in the country.

Visitors can trace the story of the Cotswolds from Prehistory to the late 19th Century, with hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and a wealth of precious artefacts. There are animated and practical games, and audio-visual screens to bring the past to life for everyone from schoolchildren to grandparents.

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