Fleetwood Museum

About the museum

Fleetwood Museum began in the early 1970s as a local history collection in the old Dock Street Library. In 1982, during Maritime England Year, part of that library was converted into a museum with a focus on maritime history. In 1991 the museum moved to its present home at 6–7 Queen’s Terrace.

The building is the former Custom House of the planned seaside town, designed by the architect Decimus Burton, who laid out Fleetwood and its main buildings between 1836 and 1843. It later served as council offices and as the Town Hall once Fleetwood became a municipal borough in 1933. The mosaic floor in the entrance hall dates from its early years.

Since April 2018 the museum has been run by Fleetwood Museum Trust, a charity, on behalf of Lancashire County Council, with funding from Fleetwood Town Council and a large team of volunteers. The galleries cover deep-sea trawling and the risks of the North Atlantic, shrimping and cockling, the docks, the Royal Naval Patrol Service, a recreated salt mine, lifeboats, Victorian boarding-house life and the story of the Fisherman’s Friend lozenge. The Boat Hall holds the Fleetwood-built fishing smack Harriet.

Highlights

• Deep-sea trawling gallery with a trawler wheelhouse
• Fleetwood-built fishing smack Harriet in the Boat Hall
• Recreated salt mine and Victorian dining room
• Model of Fleetwood’s docks
• Lifeboat and Royal Naval Patrol Service galleries
• Story of the Fisherman’s Friend lozenge

Permanent exhibitions

• Deep Sea Trawling and Risk in the North Atlantic – Galleries on Fleetwood’s trawlers, with a trawler wheelhouse and displays on the dangers of working at sea.
• The Boat Hall – The Fleetwood-built fishing smack Harriet with other port and railway objects.
• The Story of Fleetwood – Snapshots of the town’s history from its founding to transport and entertainment, with a Victorian dining room and a recreated salt mine.

Operated by

Fleetwood Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

Access to the café and shop is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• 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 museum is in a listed building with no level access, ramp or lift: the entrance, reception, shop, café and ground-floor toilets are reached by steps with a handrail, and the first-floor galleries by staircases. An accessible unisex toilet is on the ground floor. Information panels are in large print, audio information is available and volunteers will read texts aloud. Seating is provided in the galleries, and visitors are asked to contact the museum before visiting. Assistance dogs are welcome; other dogs are not allowed inside. The Boat Hall is reached by steps and a narrow path. Free parking is available on Queen’s Terrace.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children are admitted free when accompanied. The displays include dressing up and toys, and quizzes and trails for children and families are available from reception. Holiday craft sessions and special events are listed on the What’s On page. The steps at the entrance and between floors make access with a pushchair difficult.

Getting there & parking

From the M55 (junction 3) take the A585 to Fleetwood and follow the brown signs. The museum overlooks the River Wyre.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Sir Peters Coffee House serves coffee, cakes, sandwiches and Lancashire crumpets. The museum shop sells local history books and children’s games, and a second-hand book shop is next door.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The coffee house can be booked for events; contact the museum.

Plan your visit