Dimbola Museum & Galleries
Museum in the former Freshwater Bay home of the Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, with photography galleries, an Isle of Wight Festival gallery and a tea room.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Dimbola was the home and workplace of the Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron from 1860 to 1875. The Camerons built a central tower to join two neighbouring houses and named the property after their coffee and tea plantations in Sri Lanka. Cameron is now seen as a pioneer of photography as art, and she made most of her work here, including some of the first photographic close-up portraits. Her home was a meeting place for the Freshwater Circle of artists, writers and poets, among them Alfred Lord Tennyson, G. F. Watts, William Holman Hunt, Ellen Terry and Lewis Carroll.
In 1993 a small group of volunteers and enthusiasts saved the house from partial demolition, and the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust was founded as a charity to preserve it. The trust later bought the house, built up its collections and redecorated the rooms to suit their Victorian origins.
Today Dimbola is a museum with permanent displays on Cameron and on the Isle of Wight Festival of 1970, which took place at Afton within sight and sound of the house, and with changing photography exhibitions. It also has a tea room and a gift shop. Because the house is a listed building, access is limited in places, and the trust hopes to improve it with a lottery bid.
Highlights
- Permanent exhibition on Julia Margaret Cameron and the Freshwater Circle
- Solo Isle of Wight Festival gallery on the 1970 festival, with posters, photographs and a Beatles glass mosaic
- Changing contemporary photography exhibitions and vintage cameras
- Memorial garden with a statue of Jimi Hendrix
- Tea room with homemade cakes and lunches
Permanent exhibitions
- Julia Margaret Cameron – A display on the Victorian photographer, her close-up portraits and the Freshwater Circle, drawing on the museum’s own collection.
- Solo Isle of Wight Festival Gallery – Posters, photographs and a panoramic view of the audience at the 1970 festival at Afton, plus posters from the festivals revived in 2002.
- Founded
- 1993
- Operated by
- Julia Margaret Cameron Trust (registered charity 1026339)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £7.60 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £7Seniors aged 60 and over and students with ID |
| Children & teens | £1.70free up to age 4 · Children aged 5 to 10 pay £1.70 and young people aged 11 to 17 pay £3.00. |
| Seniors | £7Aged 60 and over. |
| Students & apprentices | £7With student ID. |
| Groups | –Groups of 10 or more and coach parties must book in advance and receive a short introductory talk; group prices are available from the museum. |
| Young person aged 11 to 17 | £3 |
Gift Aid admission is £8.40 for adults and £7.60 for concessions and includes a 10% donation for UK taxpayers. Entry is free for under-5s, Friends of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust and National Art Pass holders.
Accessibility
- Partially 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
The building is only partly accessible. Step-free entry is through the tea room garden to the left of the main entrance, and the ground-floor tea room, gift shop and toilet are accessible. The upstairs galleries are reached by a stairlift, so wheelchair users must be able to transfer from their chair, and a wheelchair is available for use upstairs. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the tea room and museum. Visitors are asked to contact the museum in advance to discuss access needs.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The Needles Breezer (March to October), bus 12 and the FYT bus stop near Dimbola. Bus 7 stops in Freshwater, about a 15 to 20 minute walk away.
By car
Free parking · 3-min walk to the entrance
There is limited free parking at the front of Dimbola, and roadside parking may be possible when it is full. A pay and display car park in Freshwater Bay is about a 3 minute walk away.
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
The tea room serves breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas, homemade cakes and barista coffee. The gift shop sells gifts, books and cards, including items on Julia Margaret Cameron.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Coach groups receive a short introductory talk, and private groups can add talks tailored to their interests. School sessions include an outdoor Charles Darwin session on Freshwater Bay beach, a creative writing session and a loan box on Victorian life in Freshwater. |
