Felixstowe Museum

About the museum

Felixstowe Museum is housed in the Ravelin Block, completed by the Royal Engineers in 1878 as part of the Submarine Mining Establishment at Landguard Fort. It is described as the only surviving purpose-built Submarine Mining Establishment in the United Kingdom. Mines were connected, tested and stored here and moved on a narrow-gauge trolley way, and original rails that led to the riverside jetty can still be seen, with traces of another trolley way along the museum corridor. The Grade I listed building is part of the Landguard Fort site.

The museum is run by volunteers and tells the story of Felixstowe from its early beginnings, through its role in protecting the estuary, to the rise of the town as Britain's main container port. Its 14 exhibition rooms combine social history with military displays, and the collections cover maritime, military and local interest from the age of Henry VIII and Charles II, archaeology from the Palaeolithic to Roman and medieval times, and everyday life in Felixstowe in more recent periods.

There are seasonal temporary exhibitions and children's activities, and the Beehive Café is inside the building.

Highlights

• 14 exhibition rooms on Felixstowe's history
• Rare Victorian Submarine Mining Establishment, with original trolley-way rails
• Collections from prehistory and Tudor times to the container port
• Military and maritime displays, including seaplane and coastal forces stories
• Beehive Café and children's trail

Permanent exhibition

• Felixstowe Museum collections – Fourteen rooms with maritime, military, archaeological and social history collections, from the Palaeolithic and Tudor times to the container port.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Landguard Trust

Admission & discounts

Tickets are bought at the museum ticket office. No ticket is needed to visit the Beehive Café. The annual ticket does not cover special events with their own tickets.

Accessibility

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

The museum is in a Grade I listed Victorian building. All exhibits are on the ground floor, but there are some slight bumps into rooms and some doors are 70 cm wide; ramps and alternative routes avoid steps where possible. Blue Badge holders can park free outside the museum by telling staff on arrival. There are no toilets in the museum; the nearest, including accessible toilets, are at Landguard Fort (ticket needed) and the View Point Café (free for all Landguard Point visitors). Assistance dogs, and all other dogs, are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The museum describes itself as family friendly, with seasonal children's activities and a children's trail for 1 pound. Families with pushchairs can generally be accommodated, though at busy times pushchairs may need to be left elsewhere in the museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on View Point Road between Landguard Fort and The View Point at the port. Sustrans Route 51 ends at Landguard for cyclists.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The volunteer-run Beehive Café serves sweet and savoury snacks, cakes, and hot and cold drinks, with outdoor seating; it does not serve hot food and is open to non-visitors. The museum shop is in the café and features local artists. There are no visitor toilets in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit