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

Oban War & Peace Museum contains a fascinating collection of artefacts and photographs depicting the rich cultural history of the busy port town and its people.

This award-winning museum is situated in the conservation village of Port Charlotte. The exhibitions illustrate life and work on the island from pre-historic times to the early part of the 20th century, together with items from the many shipwrecks found around Islay’s shores.

Small museum crammed with informtation about the history of Mull and its people – geology, standing stones, castles, Spanish Armada galleon, crofting emigrants, schools and World War II naval base. Open Easter to October. Library and archive by appointment. 

The Collection tells the story of working and domestic life in the Highlands and Islands

Miss Hope MacDougall, daughter, sister and aunt to three successive chiefs of the Clan MacDougall started her collection with a single wooden spoon in the 1950s and amassed thousands of items before her death in 1998.

A stunning ecologically friendly building, opened in March 2007, housing a museum charting island life throughout the ages

Experience Gaelic culture at the award winning Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre’s museum, library and historical archive.

Come visit our fascinating new exhibition about the Life and Work of the Women on Lismore throughout the ages, which opens on the 29th of March 2015.

We have a unique gift shop with local crafts & a café with beautiful panoramic views. Free WiFi.

Kinneil Museum is located in the 17th century stable block of Kinneil House and acts as an interpretative centre for Kinneil Estate.

The exhibition 2,000 Years of History tells the story of the park from Roman times to the present day.

Antoninus Pius, St Serf, Mary, Queen of Scots and James Watt are among the many historical characters associated with the estate.

Kilmartin Glen, in the heart of Mid Argyll, is one of Scotland’s richest prehistoric landscapes. Over 800 historic monuments, cairns, standing stones, stone circles and rock art dating back over 5000 years have been recorded within this area.

The Trust has a comprehensive range of photographs and artefacts from Grangemouth's past

The Trust has a comprehensive range of photographs and artefacts from Grangemouth’s past. There is a 12 × 8 ft model of Grangemouth Airport with facts and books of World War II. Slide shows are arranged by the Trust historian for local organisations.

Castle House Museum, a B-listed building, displays the story of Cowal through geology, archaeology and artefacts

Castle House Museum, a B-listed building, displays the story of Cowal through geology, archaeology, Celts and clans. There are special displays of Clyde steamers and the Clyde in two World Wars. Four rooms, parlour, kitchen, study and nursery show life in Victorian times. Video area. Full disabled access.

A charming, small museum with a warm welcome

A charming, small museum with a warm welcome. Opened in 1943 and run entirely by volunteers, the original museum was known as the Cathedral Museum and was housed in the Deans House (built in 1624). Now extending into 8 small rooms, the museum has an eclectic mix of artefacts relating to the history of Dunblane and its Cathedral.

This small local history museum has a comprehensive collection of photographs of the Devon Valley...

This small local history museum has a comprehensive collection of photographs of the Devon Valley Railway, and much reference material on Dollar Academy and on Lavinia Malcolm who was the first Lady Provost in Scotland. Free entry. 

A small showcase for the treasures of Clackmannanshire

The collection is stored in the former Liberal Club, Mar Street, Alloa, a fine building of 1904.

Museum holds material pertaining to local social, industrial and natural history along with geology and much, much more

Campbeltown Museum offers a unique insight into Campbeltown’s ancient and more modern past. With a fascinating and nationally important Archaeological Collection, the museum describes the creation of the natural landscape of Kintyre and how its first peoples came to Kintyre to farm the area’s fertile lands.

Callendar House dates from the 14th century. It is set in the nationally-important historic designed landscape of Callendar Park, which also contains a section of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site.

Experience the archaeology, history and natural history of the Island in the Bute Museum

Bute Museum is an independently run museum where visitors can explore the Natural and Historical Heritage of the Isle of Bute. The History & Archaeology Gallery has displays covering aspects of Bute's History from Mesolithic and Neolithic times through to the closing years of the 20th century. The Natural History Gallery allows visitors to explore the geology, plants, animals and birds

Cydebank Museum and Art Gallery is situated beside the now demolished John Brown shipyard where many of the famous liners of the Clyde were built. The Museum and Art Gallery showcases an exciting temporary exhibition programme featuring fine art and touring exhibitions and has small permanent displays relating to the shipbuilding industry and the Singer Sewing Machine Collection.

On the upper floor of the town’s library, this small local museum illustrates the history of Kilsyth from the 17th to 20th centuries. Of particular note to researchers is the map and photographic archive. There are also microfilm readers with data from local censuses, registers and other sources. 

A small local museum, within Colzium House, illustrating the history of the house and the estate and also providing information / displays on the history of the Kilsyth area and the famous Battle of Kilsyth.

Colzium House is not normally open to the public, unless by prior appointment.

Situated within the town’s main library, the museum tells the story of Cumbernauld and surrounding area from pre-history to the Romans and on through the 19th century, to the development of the new town in the 1960s. A studies area allows for more in-depth research or browsing of photograph albums.

Admission free.

Fine Art

The museum is based in historic buildings that were once part of the Duke of Hamilton's estate

Low Parks Museum is housed in beautiful and historically significant buildings which were once part of the Duke of Hamilton’s estate. The 18th century Assembly Room, with its original plasterwork and musicians’ gallery, forms a striking centrepiece to the buildings.

A four star visitor attraction, Motherwell Heritage Centre features Technopolis, an award-winning interactive experience on the area's past

Housed in a stunning modern building at the top of Hamilton Road, just opposite the station, Motherwell Heritage Centre features Technopolis, an award-winning interactive experience on the area’s past from the Romans to the great days of heavy industry.

The heritage centre is within the town library. Displays focus on the area’s strong 17th century covenanting heritage and the rise and fall of local heavy industries in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Social History

These collections are wide ranging in most aspects of social history:

With the reopening of the museum there are a host of new and exciting displays and activities for you, including re-displayed period reception rooms featuring sparkling, restored chandeliers and new historic light fittings, and a new Dining with the Butterfields display which will give you a glimpse into how the family would have wined and dined their important guests.

Bolling Hall offers visitors a fascinating journey through the lives and times of the Bradford families for whom it provided a home over five hundred years.

Situated just a mile from Bradford city centre and situated in a quiet, leafy garden, Bolling Hall was for many years the seat of two important land-owning families, the Bollings and the Tempests.

The UK's only China Clay Museum and Country Park. It's a blast at Wheal Martyn!

Set in 26 acres of woodland, on the outskirts of St Austell, the UK's only china clay museum and country park provides a fascinating day out for all the family. The park is set in the grounds of two former working china clay pits and provides visitors with a fascinating insight into china clay.

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