Dovery Manor Museum
Free, volunteer-run museum of Porlock and Exmoor local history in a 15th-century manor house with a medieval hall.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Dovery Manor is a Grade II* listed manor house in the Somerset village of Porlock. The present building dates from the late fifteenth century and stands on the site of an older house. Its oldest part, built around 1485, was a hall open from ground level to the roof, and a floor was added over the solar in the 1580s. The manor was held by local families, and in 1892 Sir Charles Chadwyck Healey bought it and had it restored. In 1893 it was converted into a reading room and a billiard and snooker club, and later it housed the village library and information centre.
Porlock Parish Council bought the building in 1981, and the museum opened in 1982. It is a registered charity run by volunteers, with a committee and a rota of stewards, and it depends on donations. A Heritage Lottery grant in 2006 helped to preserve the building and to develop the garden and orchard.
The museum shows the history of Porlock and the nearby Exmoor communities. The Great Hall holds paintings and objects about the area, including displays on the poets and painters who visited or worked here. A staircase is decorated with painted figures in sixteenth-century dress, and an upper room has a display on the Culbone potter Waistel Cooper. The barrel-roofed Solar is used for special exhibitions, talks and performances. The garden, with medicinal and culinary plants, is being redeveloped to reflect the manor's history, and the website has pages on topics such as Ada Lovelace, wartime and rural life.
Highlights
- Medieval Great Hall of around 1485
- Displays on Porlock village, Porlock Weir and Exmoor life
- Poets and painters connected with Porlock
- Painted figures in sixteenth-century dress on the staircase
- Display on the Culbone potter Waistel Cooper
- Free entry
Permanent exhibition
- Porlock and Exmoor local history – Displays in the Great Hall and upper rooms on the history of Porlock and nearby Exmoor communities, including poets and painters who worked here and the Culbone potter Waistel Cooper.
- Founded
- 1982
- Operated by
- Dovery Manor Museum (registered charity, volunteer-run)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free; donations are welcome and the museum is run as a charity.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- 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 is a 15th-century manor house, so access can be difficult for visitors with limited mobility. A small step leads from the entrance into the Great Hall, which is usable by some small wheelchairs. The upper floor is reached by a steep, narrow spiral stone staircase or by a long flight of shallow steps through the garden. Accessible toilet facilities are on the ground floor, reached without steps from the reception room. Stewards in the rooms can help.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bus no. 10 runs from Minehead. The nearest mainline station is Taunton, from where bus no. 28 runs to Minehead.
By car
Paid parking
Doverhay Car Park is directly opposite the museum (pay and display, maximum stay 2 hours: up to 1 hour £1.20, up to 2 hours £2.40). Blue Badge holders pay for the first hour and the second hour is free. Central Car Park, about 400 yards west through the village, is a long-stay option.
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
| Good to know | The museum is staffed by volunteer stewards. Exhibits and activities for children are being developed. |
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