Dalbeattie Museum
A volunteer-run museum in a former grocer’s shop in Dalbeattie with a period shop, a Victorian kitchen and displays on granite and the Titanic.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Dalbeattie Museum opened in 1993 and is run by volunteers. It is housed in a renovated nineteenth-century grocer's shop on the High Street, with memorabilia from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries spread over five rooms on two levels. The museum is a registered charity, receives no local or central government funding and relies on donations from visitors.
The displays help to explain the history of the town, which began in 1781 when George Maxwell and Alexander Copeland started to feu their land. A bridge over the River Urr at Craignair followed in 1797. The power of the Barr burn, local mills and above all the granite industry shaped Dalbeattie, and its port was known as the Dub o'Haas.
Among the exhibits are a period shop, a Victorian kitchen, the granite industry, cameras, the two world wars, motoring, costumes and dolls, tools and scientific instruments, and medicine. A display covers the local hero William McMaster Murdoch, first officer of the RMS Titanic.
Highlights
- Period shop and Victorian kitchen
- Dalbeattie granite industry
- RMS Titanic display on First Officer William McMaster Murdoch
- Costumes, dolls, cameras and curios
- Admission by donation
Permanent exhibition
- Museum displays – Rooms on a period shop, a Victorian kitchen, the Dalbeattie granite industry, the RMS Titanic, the two world wars, cameras, costumes and dolls, tools, medicine and other curios.
- Founded
- 1993
- Operated by
- Dalbeattie Museum Trust (volunteer-run charity)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
There is no fixed admission price. The museum is funded by visitor donations, which cover running costs such as the building, insurance, heating and lighting.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- 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 museum does not publish access details on its website; a Doors Open Days listing mentions a toilet and limited access.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Maxwell Arms Hotel bus stop
Bus route 501 runs from Dumfries (Whitesands) and Castle Douglas and stops opposite the Maxwell Arms Hotel; route 372 runs from Southerness and the Colvend Coast and stops at the Maxwell Arms Hotel. Trains run to Dumfries.
By car
Free parking
Free public car parks are found behind the Town Hall, on Mill Street and on Alpine Street, and there is on-street parking.
The museum is on the High Street, close to car parking and the shops. Use postcode DG5 4BT for satnav. From Dumfries take the A711, from Castle Douglas the A745 and from Southerness and the Colvend Coast the A710.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
No facilities are described on the museum website.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
