Isles of Scilly Museum

Museum of Scilly's archaeology, wrecks and island life, closed since 2019 while a new museum and cultural centre is built in St Mary's Town Hall.

Temporarily closed

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Temporarily closed (expected until 2027). The Church Street museum has been closed since 2019. A new Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum is being built in the Town Hall on St Mary's. Until then, visits are limited to pop-up exhibitions (Museum on the Move) and the archives, which are open by appointment at Porthmellon Enterprise Centre.

About the museum

The Isles of Scilly Museum began after storms in 1962 uncovered Romano-British finds on the small island of Nornour. Islanders set up a display of them in the Wesleyan Chapel, and in 1967 a museum building was opened in Church Street, Hugh Town, on St Mary's. The museum is run by the Isles of Scilly Museum Association, a charity.

In 2019 the Church Street building was declared unsafe because of its ceiling, and the museum closed. Its collection was moved into storage and temporary arrangements were made, including a series of pop-up exhibitions called Museum on the Move on the five inhabited islands. The museum team now works from the Porthmellon Enterprise Centre, and the archives can be visited by appointment.

The museum is due to reopen as part of a new Cultural Centre and Museum in the former Town Hall on St Mary's, which is being restored and extended. The museum's website gives the opening as spring 2027, although another page on the same site says summer 2027. The new galleries are planned around maritime heritage, island spirit, island life and island nature, alongside a theatre and island hall.