Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
Free educational charity centre on the Dorset coast with displays of local Jurassic fossils, a shop and guided fossil-hunting walks on Charmouth beach.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre was set up in 1984 on the upper floor of a building that began as a cement factory in 1854. The factory used local Blue Lias limestone to make fast-setting cement, stopped production by about 1870 and then fell into disrepair. Local councils, charitable trusts and volunteers funded the work that turned it into a visitor centre.
Over the years the centre added a theatre, an education room and better access with the help of grants and community fundraising. It is a small independent educational charity, and its aim is to explain and protect the geology, fossils and wildlife of this stretch of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. It has won several awards, including the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2016.
The displays show fossils found on the local coast, all on loan from the public and the local fossil-collecting community, and they are changed regularly so there is always something new to see. Staff and wardens identify finds, sell books, fossil-hunting kits and gifts, and lead guided fossil-hunting walks on the beach below. The centre also runs events, school sessions and loan boxes.
Highlights
- Changing displays of local Jurassic fossils on loan from collectors
- Guided fossil-hunting walks on Charmouth beach
- Free entry in a small charity-run centre
- Staff and wardens who help to identify finds
- Setting on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
Permanent exhibition
- Local fossil displays – Fossils from the local Jurassic Coast on loan from the public and local collectors, with displays that are changed regularly.
- Founded
- 1984
- Operated by
- Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (charity no. 1105386)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Guided fossil-hunting walk, adult | £14Booking in advance is required. |
|---|---|
| Guided fossil-hunting walk, child (0 to 17) | £8 |
Admission to the centre is free all year; the charity relies on donations. Fossil walks are charged and are not run every day because of tides and other events.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
There is step-free access at the side of the building, but this old entrance is only 77 cm wide. There are no toilets in the centre; the Dorset Council public toilets behind the building have disabled toilets open 24 hours. Only service animals are allowed inside the centre.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 60 min |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
Young children regularly join the fossil walks and find their own fossils, though the walk crosses rough ground on the beach. Baby changing is in the women's toilets of the council toilet block behind the building. The centre also holds a children's fossil competition and school events.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
St Andrew's Church (bus) · 10-min walk
The nearest railway station is Axminster, 6 miles away. The nearest bus stop is St Andrew's Church in Charmouth, a 10-minute walk away, on the X51 and X53 Jurassic Coaster routes, which also serve Axminster station.
By car
Paid parking
There are several car parks on the beachfront and a smaller car park off Lower Sea Lane at St Andrew's Drive, a 10-minute walk from the centre. Bring cash for parking because card and app payment signals can be poor. Caravans, campervans and minibuses are not allowed in the council car park by the beach, and buses must use St Andrew's Drive.
Charmouth is on the West Dorset coast about three miles from Lyme Regis. The centre is on Lower Sea Lane near the beach.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Museum shop
The shop sells fossil-hunting kits, geological hammers, books and gifts. There are two seasonal beach cafés on the sea front and picnic benches on the grass around the centre; food and drink are not allowed inside the centre.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | A quick look round takes about 10 minutes and a full visit about an hour. Fossil-hunting walks must be booked in advance and can sell out in school holidays; pushchairs are not suitable on the beach. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and dogs are not allowed in the centre. |
