Swanage Museums

(Swanage, Dorset, England, UK)

Within the Swanage area there are a number of local museums, which are likely to be of interest to families and history buffs alike. In the town itself, the Swanage Museum and Heritage Centre should always be your first port of call and is overflowing with information about this part of Dorset.

Located in nearby Bovington and less than a 30-minute drive from central Swanage, the Bovington Camp Tank Museum was founded in the 1920s and is always a dependable attraction for families, regularly drawing visitors from throughout Dorset and beyond. Also likely to be of interest is both the nearby Wareham Town Museum and the surprisingly extensive collection of regional artefacts at the Langton Matravers Museum.

Swanage Museum and Heritage Centre

Address: The Square, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 2LJ, England, UK
Tel: +44 01929 421
A popular cultural attraction standing just off the lower High Street and alongside the seafront, the Swanage Museum and Heritage Centre is home to everything from coastal paintings, historical quarrying tools, WWII memorabilia and information about locals John Mowlem and George Burt, who are known to have paved many of the street of London with none other than Purbeck stone. There are also numerous excellent fossils on display here, discovered from around the Old Harry Rock area and other parts of the famous Jurassic Coast. The Swanage Museum and Heritage Centre is happy to assist with local family history investigations and features its own Local Studies Centre, which is sited nearby at the Marine Villas on the pier.
Open hours: March to May and October, daily - 10:30 to 16:30; June to September, daily - 10:00 to 17:00; November, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 15:00
Admission: free

Wareham Town Museum

Address: East Street, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4NN, England, UK
Tel: +44 01929 553448
The Wareham Town Museum is to be found just outside of Swanage and in the nearby town centre of Wareham. Filled with information about local history from as far back as pre-historic times, the Wareham Town Museum also features an interesting section dedicated to Lawrence of Arabia, who actually lived next door in Bovington between 1923 and 1935. Popular displays include Roman pottery excavated close by, exhibits related to the regional geological and mineral resources, an Iron Age pole lathe featured on Channel 4's Time Team programme, and photographs of bygone days.
Open hours: April to October, Monday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00
Admission: free, donations happily accepted

The Tank Museum

Address: Linsay Road, Bovington (near Wool), Dorset, BH20 6JG, England, UK
Tel: +44 01929 405096
Home to approximately 300 different vehicles from no less than 26 countries worldwide, the Bovington Camp Tank Museum contains the largest and most extensive private collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in existence anywhere on the planet. Highlights here include some very historical tanks, such as a British World War I Mark I and also a German Tiger I tank.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge,discount available for seniors, disabled people, and children under 16 years old, children four years old and under are free

Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum

Address: Norden Park and Ride, near Corfe Castle, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5DW, England, UK
Tel: +44 01929 481461
The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum Group (PMMMG) was created to exhibit a variety of artefacts related to the past ball clay mining industry in Dorset, which always had strong connections with the growth of the Swanage Railway. Mainly an outdoor facility of an educational nature, the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum is situated between the railway's park and ride car park and Norden Station, and is maintained by a team of keen volunteers. Guided tours take visitors around the remains of the historic Clay workings, which date from the 1860s and lasts approximately two hours.
Open hours: late March to early November, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 16:30
Admission: free, donations happily accepted

Langton Matravers Museum

Address: St. George's Close, Langton Matravers, England, UK
Situated in the village of Langton Matravers and right next to its Church of St. George, the Langton Matravers Museum stands on the very outskirts of Swanage. Onsite is a vast collection of local artefacts, which now number approximately 25,000 in total and document endless aspects of regional history. An audio-visual introduction in on-hand and gives visitors an insight into the local stone industry and the unique geology that Purbeck has become famous for.
Open hours: April to September, Monday to Saturday - 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 top 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts for students and children, children ten years old and under are free