Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

About the museum

Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life tells the story of the county’s infantry regiments and the soldiers who served in them. Its roots go back to the late 1930s, when the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment began to collect military objects. The museum opened in its present home, the Alma Block inside Carlisle Castle, in 2014 and is run by the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Museum Trust.

The collection covers the period from 1702 to the present and follows the 34th and 55th Regiments of Foot, the Border Regiment, the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment and today’s Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (King’s, Lancashire and Border). It holds about 20,000 items, of which around 3,000 are on display. Uniforms, medals, weapons and silver are the main object types, and the displays also use personal stories of soldiers and their families and some interactive exhibits.

The museum also runs learning programmes for schools and community groups, offers a research enquiry service for family historians, and hires out two rooms on the first floor for meetings and events. It shares the castle site with English Heritage, which runs the castle itself.

Highlights

• About 300 years of Cumbrian infantry regiments
• Uniforms, medals, weapons and regimental silver
• Personal stories of soldiers and their families
• Hands-on displays, including a Morse code machine
• Located inside Carlisle Castle

Permanent exhibition

• Permanent galleries on Cumbria’s regiments – About 3,000 objects, including uniforms, medals, weapons and silver, tell the story of Cumbria’s infantry regiments from 1702 to the present.

Founded

2014

Operated by

King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

Free entry for English Heritage members, children under 5 and serving members of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. Joint tickets with Carlisle Castle are sold by English Heritage; for the museum only, pay at the museum front desk, without going through the English Heritage gatehouse.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The main collections are on the ground floor and the entrance has no steps. A stairlift serves the upstairs rooms used for temporary exhibitions and events; visitors with limited mobility who want to go upstairs should contact the museum beforehand. Blue Badge holders can park in the castle’s outer ward.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

A gallery trail is available at the front desk and children receive a reward when they complete it. The galleries have hands-on displays, including a Morse code machine. Free drop-in craft workshops are held on Wednesdays during school holidays and are included in admission. The museum and café can be used with a pushchair, there are breastfeeding-friendly spaces, and picnic tables are outside.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies on the north side of Carlisle city centre. By car, use M6 junctions 43 or 44 from the north, east or south, or the A595 from the west. There is an area for securing bicycles.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The shop sells souvenirs, books, toys and local food and drink. A café run by John Watt & Son, serving local produce and coffee roasted in Carlisle, is open daily from April to October.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 80 guests.

Two first-floor rooms can be hired: Imphal (up to 50 people theatre-style) and Kohima (up to 80 people theatre-style). Hire includes audiovisual equipment, Wi-Fi and museum admission, and evening parking and a licensed bar are available. Suitable for receptions, parties, meetings, conferences and training.

Plan your visit