American Museum in Britain
Claverton Manor
Bath BA2 7BD
Founded in 1961, the museum has the finest collection of American decorative arts outside the United States. Displayed in a series of period rooms, the collection illustrates how early Americans lived between the 17th and 19th centuries.
Bakelite Museum
Orchard Mill
Williton TA4 4NS
The largest collection of vintage plastics in Britain. Exhibits from the inter-war period and the smooth, stylish Art Deco styles that set the trends of the 20th century. Showcases hundreds of the domestic items which we all grew up with. Thousands of quirky and rare items on show, including spy cameras, monstrous perming machines and the Bakelite coffin. Housed within a historic watermill.
Barrington Court - National Trust
Barrington
near Ilminster TA19 0NQ
Discover the haunting echoes of the past at Barrington Court, a Tudor manor house free from collections and furniture. Explore using your imagination and your senses to discover a house full of memories, where light fills the rooms and you feel you can almost touch the past. The property was saved from ruin and restored by the Lyle family in 1920s, when the court house resembled a barn rather than the proud manor house that it is.
Bath Abbey
Bath
Bath Abbey stands at the heart of the city of Bath. During the past twelve and a half centuries, three different churches have occupied this site: an Anglo-Saxon Abbey Church dating from 757, pulled down by the Norman conquerors of England soon after 1066; a massive Norman cathedral begun about 1090; the present Abbey church founded in 1499, ruined after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by order of Henry VIII, and completed in 1611.
Bath Museums Education Service
Heritage Services, Pump Room, Stall Street
Bath BA1 1LZ
People learn at any age and at any time of their lives. The Heritage Services Learning and Programmes team enables this to happen in a range of fun, interactive and accessible ways.
Bath Postal Museum
27a Northgate Street
Bath BA1 1AJ
The Bath Postal Museum tells the history of 4000 years of communication from clay mail to e-mail. With colourful and frequently changing exhibitions, there is something for everyone. The story of Ralph Allen's revolutionary postal system and John Palmer's innovative mail coach organisation are told.
Beckford's Tower & Museum
Lansdown Road
Bath BA1 9BH
bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
Beckford's Tower was designed by Henry Edmund Goodridge in 1825 and completed in 1827 for William Beckford (1760-1844), one of the nation's most accomplished and interesting characters. The 120-foot neo-classical tower, which enjoys uninterrupted views of the countryside, was constructed as a study retreat and to house Beckford's precious collection of art and rare books. The tower is now home to a museum collection displaying furniture originally made for the tower, alongside paintings, prints and objects illustrating William Beckford's life as a writer, collector and patron of the arts.
Bishop's Palace, The
Wells BA5 2PD
More than simply an historic house and garden, this splendid medieval Palace has been the home of the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years. There are 14 acres of gardens including the springs from which the city takes its name. Visitors can also see the Bishop's private Chapel, ruined Great Hall and the Gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge beside which the famous mute swans ring a bell for food.
Blake Museum
Blake Street
Bridgwater TA6 3NB
From the earliest settlements in the archaeology gallery to the hustle and bustle of the port, and from the drama of the Monmouth Rebellion to the glamour of Bridgwater's annual carnival - there is plenty to interest the whole family.
Bruton Museum
The Dovecote Building, 26 High Street
Bruton BA10 0AA
This local history museum contains lots of historic artefacts from Bruton's past. On display is the table John Steinbeck wrote on when, close to Camelot, he started his book on King Arthur and his Noble Knights.
Building of Bath Collection
The Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, The Vineyards
Bath BA1 5NA
This unique collection interprets the rich architectural history of Bath and the men who transformed a provincial town into the world famous Georgian Spa. It demonstrates how classical design influenced the buildings and illustrates the construction of a house from the cellars to the rafters.
Castle Cary & District Museum
Market House, Market Place
Castle Cary BA7 7AH
The museum in Castle Cary is found in the historic Market House, a splendid mid-Victorian building in the centre of town. We have a large collection of domestic and agricultural implements, archaeological and historical information and artefacts. Displays include: our geology section showing that this area of Somerset was once under the sea; the life of diarist Parson James Woodforde; Douglas Macmillan, the founder of Macmillan Cancer Support; T S Donne's Rope and Twine Works; and John Boyd's Horsehair Weaving factory.
Chard & District Museum
Godworthy House, High Street
Chard TA20 1QL
Chard Museum has displays illustrating the history of Chard and its surrounding area. Highlights include displays devoted to pioneers of powered flight (John Stringfellow) and the development of artificial limbs (James Gillingham).
Cheddar Gorge - National Trust
Cheddar Gorge
Cheddar BS27 3QF
Cheddar Man Museum of Prehistory explores 40,000 years of British pre-history, with demonstrations of Stone Age survival skills and beautiful cave art.
Community Heritage Access Centre
SSDC Lufton Depot, 7 Artillery Road, Lufton
Yeovil BA22 8RP
Open by appointment the Community Heritage Access Centre houses the collection of the previous Museum of South Somerset. Major collections include gloving, firearms, textile and archaeology.
Crewkerne & District Museum
The Heritage Centre, Market Square
Crewkerne TA18 7JU
Newly opened in 2000, Crewkerne & District Museum is a small museum run by volunteers.It is contained in an historic house whose 18th century front conceals a much older dwelling behind. Many aspects of local history are explored in the museum - industries, commerce, religion, education and domestic life. Changing displays of photographs and other items from the collection or on loan are on view in the Exhibition Room.
Dunster Dolls Museum
Memorial Hall, High Street
Dunster TA24 6SF
The Dolls Museum in Dunster is situated in the Memorial Hall. Mrs Mollie Hardwick began collecting dolls in 1957 and these were gifted to the Hall committee on her death in 1970 so that her collection could form a museum.
Fashion Museum
Assembly Rooms, Bennett Street
Bath BA1 2QH
A world class collection of contemporary and historical dress. Located in the magnificent Georgian Assembly Rooms, the Fashion Museum offers more than 150 figures dressed in original garments on display. Collections: The collection at the Fashion Museum includes over 30,000 items of fashionable dress for men, women and children from the late 16th century to the present day.
Fleet Air Arm Museum
Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton
Ilchester BA22 8HT
The Fleet Air Arm Museum houses a very large and well presented collection of aircraft and memorabilia. Four display halls portray the development of naval aviation from World War I to the Gulf War.
Frome Museum
1 North Parade
Frome BA11 1AT
Frome Museum aims to provide a modern museum with an industrial focus. It is housed in an elegant Italianate building in the centre of Frome.
Glastonbury Abbey
The Abbey Gatehouse, Magdalene Street
Glastonbury BA6 9EL
Extensive ruins set in 36 acres of parkland in the centre of the town of Glastonbury. The abbey is believed to be one of the earliest recorded Christian foundations in the land, and the burial place of King Arthur as well as three Saxon Kings.
Glastonbury Lake Village Museum
The Tribunal, 9 High Street
Glastonbury BA6 9DP
The fascinating story of the Glastonbury Lake Village can be viewed in the Tribunal, the 15th century merchant's house in Glastonbury High Street, that also houses the Tourist Information Centre. The Lake Village Museum presents an insight into everyday life in an Iron-Age settlement, dating from around 2000 years ago, when much of Somerset's landscape was covered by marshy sea.
Haynes International Motor Museum
Haynes Motor Museum
Sparkford BA22 7LH
Haynes International Motor Museum is Britain's biggest car collection with over 400 cars and motorcycles, dating from 1886 to the present day. Also a collection of memorabilia displayed in spectacular style.
Helicopter Museum, The
The Heliport, Locking Moor Road
Weston-super-Mare BS24 8PP
This unique collection of over 70 helicopters and autogyros forms the world's largest dedicated rotorcraft museum and the only one in the United Kingdom.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
19 New King Street
Bath BA1 2BL
bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
The Herschel Museum of Astronomy celebrates the achievements of William and Caroline Herschel who were brilliant astronomers and talented musicians. It was from the garden of this house, using a telescope of his own design that William discovered the planet Uranus in 1781.
Holburne Museum
Great Pulteney Street
Bath BA2 4DB
This jewel in Bath's crown was once the Georgian Sydney Hotel, whose glittering society Jane Austen watched from her house opposite. It displays the treasures collected by Sir William Holburne: superb English and continental silver, porcelain, maiolica, glass and Renaissance bronzes. The Picture Gallery contains works by Turner, Guardi, Stubbs and others plus portraits of Bath society by Thomas Gainsborough.
Ilchester Museum
Town Hall and Community Centre, High Street, Ilchester
Yeovil BA22 8NQ
Ilchester has a small community museum in the Town Hall. It was a very important town in Roman times and this importance continued until the 19th century.
King John's Hunting Lodge - National Trust
The Square
Axbridge BS26 2WA
The museum aims to illustrate the history, geology and community of Axbridge and the surrounding area (the area of the old Axbridge Rural District Council, which included many neighbouring villages such as Cheddar, Wedmore, Mark and Winscombe).
Montacute House - National Trust
Montacute House
Montacute TA15 6XP
Magnificent Elizabethan stone-built house, with fine collections, garden and park. Built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips, Montacute glitters with many windows and is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets and other Renaissance features, including contemporary plasterwork, chimneypieces and heraldic glass.
Muchelney Abbey - English Heritage
Muchelney
Langport TA10 0DQ
Muchelney, the atmospheric and once-remote 'great island' amid the Somerset Levels, has many rewards for visitors. Beside the clearly laid out foundations of the wealthy medieval Benedictine abbey (and its Anglo-Saxon predecessor) stands a complete early Tudor house in miniature.
Museum of Bath at Work
Camden Works, Julian Road
Bath BA1 2RH
This is the fascinating story of a local family firm. Mr Jonathan Burdett Bowler started his business in Bath in 1872 He described his trade as engineer, brass founder, gas-fitter, lock smith and bell hanger.
Museum of East Asian Art
12 Bennett Street
Bath BA1 2QJ
The museum of East Asian Art located in the heart of Georgian Bath offers visitors of all ages a wonderful insight into the art and culture of China and East Asia. This unique museum houses a fine collection of ceramics, jades, bronzes and much more from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.
Museum of Somerset, The
Taunton Castle, Castle Green
Taunton TA1 4AA
An under-floor Plesiosaur, the largest collection of Roman coins ever discovered in Britain and a chilling recreation of the infamous Bloody Assizes - you'll find them all at the museum of Somerset. Set in the heart of Taunton, the museum of Somerset lies within the historic 12th century Taunton Castle. Collections: Amongst the treasures on display for the first time is the Frome Hoard, the largest collection of Roman coins ever discovered in a single container in Britain, and which was saved for the nation following a national fundraising appeal. A shrunken head from South America and Judge Jeffreys' medical bill are a few of the many other exhibits to be discovered in the museum.
Museum of South Somerset
CHAC, SSDC Lufton Depot, 7 Artillery Road, Lufton
Yeovil BA22 8RP
The building which housed the museum of South Somerset closed in 2011. The items in the museum have been moved to the Community Heritage Access Centre (CHAC) at SSDC Lufton Depot, 7 Artillery Road, Lufton, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8RP which is open by appointment. Collections: Includes archaeology from the many Roman Villa sites in South Somerset. Particular strengths of the collection are gloving and the Stiby firearm collection.
Radstock Museum
Waterloo Road, Radstock
Bath BA3 3EP
An award-winning museum that offers an insight into North Somerset life since the 19th century. Created and sustained by dedicated enthusiasts who live and work in the area, the museum is a gem for adults and children alike.
Roman Baths
Abbey Church Yard
Bath BA1 1LZ
Bath was founded upon natural hot springs with the steaming water playing a key role throughout its history. Lying in the heart of the city the Roman Baths were constructed around 70 AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex. Collections: Some of the best known finds from Roman Britain are to be found amongst the 50,000 objects in the Roman Baths Museum.
Sally Lunn's Historic Eating House & Museum
4 North Parade Passage
Bath BA1 1NX
A must visit - the unique taste of Bath's history is open every day and evening. Right in the centre of the city, experience the traditional hospitality of Bath's oldest historic eating house.
Shoe Museum, The
40 High Street
Street BA16 0EQ
IHeritage represents an important part of the Clarks brand and our extensive archive, spanning six generations of the family firm, has grown to reflect this. Now protected by the Alfred Gillett Charitable Trust, the archive preserves a varied assortment of objects and papers that remain a rich source of ideas and inspiration for the company, whilst acting as a resource to those interested in our business, economic, genealogical, local, religious or social history.
Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Museum
The Railway Station, Washford
Watchet TA23 0PP
The museum contains relics from the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, which ran from Bath to Bournemouth with branchlines to Highbridge, Burnham on Sea, Wells and Bridgwater until closing in 1966. Artefacts on show include station nameboards, lamps, tools, signalling equipment, tickets, photographs, handbills, rolling stock and steam locomotives.
Somerset Brick & Tile Museum
East Quay
Bridgwater TA6 4AE
The museum is dedicated to the local industry of brick and tile making, one of the many labour-intensive coal based industries once found in Somerset. The core of the museum is the only remaining tile kiln in Bridgwater. It used to be one of six at the former Barham Brothers' Yard at East Quay.
Somerset County Museums Service
Taunton Castle, Castle Green
Taunton TA1 4AA
What we do: Collect, conserve, research, communicate and exhibit material evidence of human activity and the natural environment. Offer facilities at our museums in Taunton, Glastonbury and Bridgwater for visitors to discover, learn about and enjoy Somerset's fascinating history and heritage. Many of our collections are on public display whilst more are available for study by appointment.
Somerset Cricket Museum
7 Priory Avenue
Taunton TA1 1XX
Somerset Cricket Museum is located inside a medieval barn - one of the last remaining buildings of Taunton's Augustinian priory. It has exhibitions and displays about the history of Somerset County Cricket Club, Somerset cricket and cricket in general.
Somerset Military Museum
Taunton Castle, Castle Green
Taunton TA1 4AA
The Somerset Military museum is located within the Museum of Somerset in Taunton Castle in the centre of the County Town. The museum features: The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's); The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry; The West Somerset Yeomanry; The North Somerset Yeomanry; Somerset Militia, Rifle Volunteers and Territorials; The Light Infantry and its successor regiment, The Rifles.
Somerset Rural Life Museum
Abbey Farm
Glastonbury BA6 8DB
somersetrurallifemuseum.org.uk
The Somerset Rural Life Museum is located on the outskirts of Glastonbury, not far from the famous abbey ruins, and was established in the 1970s to tell the story of rural life in the county. The museum is based at what was one of the principal dairy farms in the area and includes the magnificent 14th-century Abbey Barn, one of only four surviving barns which belonged to Glastonbury Abbey. The museum tells the story of Victorian domestic life, the farming year and local crafts and industries. The grounds contain a traditional cider apple orchard which is home to rare breeds of sheep and chickens. The museum is currently closed to the public for refurbishment.
Victoria Art Gallery
Bridge Street, Pulteney Bridge
Bath BA2 4AT
Wonderful display of British oil paintings from 17th century to the present day including works by Gainsborough, Barker and Sickert. Over 1,500 decorative arts treasures.
Watchet Boat Museum
Harbour Road
Watchet TA23 0AQ
In the museum can be seen many different types of flatner, plus nets and other items associated with their use. There are displays of maps, knotwork and boards showing the various uses of withy. The museum is housed in the historic Old Goods Shed, built in 1862 when Watchet was the terminus of the West Somerset railway.
Watchet Market House Museum
Market Street
Watchet TA23 0AN
The museum houses many documents and artefacts charting Watchet's history through the ages. The museum also develops studies on more detailed themes for those with a deeper interest in history.
Wells & Mendip Museum
8 Cathedral Green
Wells BA5 2UE
Wells & Mendip Museum is the home of Wells City Archives. The society was founded in 1888 to encourage the practical study of natural history, archaeology and kindred subjects in Wells and the surrounding countryside.
West Somerset Rural Life Museum
The Old School, Allerford
Minehead TA24 8HN
The Rural Life Museum is housed in the old Village School leased from the National Trust. It was a school from 1821 to 1981 and opened as the Rural Life Museum in 1983.
Weston-super-Mare Museum
Burlington Street
Weston-super-Mare BS23 1PR
Family friendly museum featuring galleries of archaeology, social and natural history. The Seaside Gallery and unique Clara's Cottage make up the static displays. Collections: archaeology of North Somerset, including Worlebury Iron Age hill fort. Social history of North Somerset: local industries including royal potteries, seaside holidays, costume and domestic life.
Westonzoyland Pumping Station
Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum, Hoopers Lane, Westonzoyland, nr Bridgwater, Somerset
Westonzoyland TA7 0LS
Westonzoyland Pumping Station is one of Somerset's smallest and most isolated museums, housing a fascinating collection of stationary steam-powered engines including a restored and working 1861 Easton & Amos land drainage machine. The original pumping house is a Grade 2* listed building, built in 1830 and still in need of restoration. The museum holds steaming days every month during the tourist season.