Dartmouth Museum

About the museum

Dartmouth Museum was founded in 1949 by the town authorities in the former library on Newcomen Road, with the local historian Percy Russell as its driving force. In 1954 it moved to the Butterwalk, a terrace of four merchants' houses built around 1640 that originally stood on the quayside. Because the houses were built over river mud, the building has settled and twisted over the centuries, so that no floor is level and no wall is truly vertical. Russell also led the restoration of the Butterwalk after wartime damage.

In 1976 a museum on Anzac Street that held the collection of a late Victorian ironmonger, William Henley, closed, and its collection was passed to Dartmouth Museum. The Henley material is now shown as a re-created Victorian study.

The museum is a registered charity run by around sixty volunteer stewards under a board of trustees, and it has been an Accredited Museum since 2018. Its rooms present the maritime history of the port with ship models, including models in bottles, and a collection of working model steam engines connected with Thomas Newcomen, the engineer born in Dartmouth. Other displays cover the Mayflower, Dartmouth in the two world wars and its part in the D-Day landings in 1944. The Jesse Room has an unusual high-relief plaster ceiling showing the family tree of Jesus. Children can try the stocks, use microscopes and open drawers beneath the displays to find more objects.

Highlights

• Maritime collection with ship models, including models in bottles
• Model steam engines linked to Thomas Newcomen, born in Dartmouth
• Re-created Victorian study with the Henley collection
• The Jesse Room with its high-relief plaster ceiling
• Dartmouth and D-Day, with a tapestry and film
• Hands-on corners for children, including the stocks

Permanent exhibitions

• Maritime collection and ship models – Ship models, some in bottles, and displays on the maritime history of Dartmouth, including the Mayflower.
• Newcomen and the David Hulse collection – Working model steam engines with a focus on Thomas Newcomen, the engineer born in Dartmouth.
• Dartmouth at war and D-Day – Displays on the town in wartime, including its part in the D-Day landings in 1944, with a tapestry and a film.

Founded

1949

Operated by

Dartmouth Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Museum members are admitted free. Annual membership costs £15 for one person and £20 for a couple.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

Because of the historic building, wheelchair access is limited to the narrow street-level entrance lobby, where some objects are displayed. A virtual tour is announced as coming soon. Access questions can be sent through the contact page.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children can sit in the stocks, answer questionnaires, look through microscopes and open drawers beneath the displays to find extra objects.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Butterwalk on Duke Street in the town centre.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit