Photo: Chris Andrews · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Liskeard and District Museum

Free, volunteer-run local history museum in the former Foresters Hall in Liskeard, with galleries on mining, toys and photography.

Opening hoursFree admission Partially accessible

Website Directions

About the museum

Liskeard & District Museum grew out of a display of local memorabilia staged in the town's Guildhall in the early 1980s. With the backing of the Town Council, a one-room museum was set up in the Public Hall under two local historians, both former mayors, and it was officially opened on 13 May 1985.

As the collection grew, the museum outgrew the room. In the late 1990s the Town Council bought the derelict nineteenth-century Henry Rice building on Pike Street, known locally as Foresters Hall, and converted it with the help of Heritage Lottery funding. The museum opened there in spring 2002 and was officially opened on 6 June 2002 by Prince Charles, then Duke of Cornwall. The reception area and shop are shared with the town's Tourist Information Centre.

Today the museum is run by volunteers and a part-time manager and is supported by Liskeard Town Council and public donations. Its rooms are named after local figures, among them the architect and surveyor Henry Rice, the wool merchant John Allen, the self-taught stargazer Daniel Gumb and the photographer John Rapson. Displays cover geology and mining, toys, early twentieth-century clothing and changing exhibitions, and there is a programme of school sessions and family workshops.

Highlights

Geology and mining exhibition in the Henry Rice Room
Toy collection with model vehicles and dolls in the John Allen Room
Photography gallery named after Liskeard studio photographer John Rapson
Children’s activity area in the Daniel Gumb Room
Sensory backpacks for families with SEND
Online exhibitions such as The History of Coins in Cornwall

Permanent exhibition

Geology and mining (Henry Rice Room) – The Henry Rice Room holds the museum’s geology and mining exhibition and is named after the architect and surveyor who designed Foresters Hall.

Founded: 1985

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free. The museum is run by volunteers and a part-time manager and relies on funding from Liskeard Town Council and on public donations. Some workshops for children are ticketed separately (for example £2 to £5 per child).

Accessibility

Partially wheelchair accessible
Elevator
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 on a steep hill, which can make the approach difficult. A lift beside the Tourist Information Centre at the entrance serves the first floor (Daniel Gumb Room and John Rapson Gallery) and the second-floor research room. The walkways are wide. Two disabled parking bays are at the entrance to Westbourne Car Park. Sensory backpacks and ear defenders can be borrowed. Dogs on leads are welcome, with a water bowl at the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Family workshops and half-term sessions are held throughout the year (for example archaeology and Cornish folklore sessions at £2 to £5 per child). The Daniel Gumb Room includes a children’s activity area. Sensory backpacks for families with SEND are free to borrow against a returnable £5 deposit and contain ear defenders, a squishy ball, a magnifying glass, a glitter tube, a fidget loop and feelings cards.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Barras Street bus stops

The nearest bus stops are on Barras Street, just around the corner, outside the Post Office and outside Domino’s Pizza. Liskeard railway station on Station Road is a 15-minute walk or a four-minute bus ride away.

By car

Parking available · 3-min walk to the entrance

Westbourne Car Park, off West Street, is about a three-minute walk. Two disabled bays are at the entrance on the right in the first row, with more further down towards the Co-Op.

Accessible parking

Liskeard town centre is about five minutes’ drive off the A38. What3words: elbowing.drones.surviving.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Museum shop

The museum shop shares the reception area with the Tourist Information Centre; workshop tickets can also be bought there.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit

School programs	yes
Good to know	School groups are welcome; past sessions include Toys Through Time, Liskeard’s History, how the shops have changed, Transport through Time and Christmas Traditions. A donation of £30 per class per workshop is suggested from January 2026. The museum is small, so it recommends splitting classes into smaller groups. Home education sessions and work experience placements are also offered. A research room on the second floor gives access to the museum’s historical files on request.

School programs

yes

Good to know

School groups are welcome; past sessions include Toys Through Time, Liskeard’s History, how the shops have changed, Transport through Time and Christmas Traditions. A donation of £30 per class per workshop is suggested from January 2026. The museum is small, so it recommends splitting classes into smaller groups. Home education sessions and work experience placements are also offered. A research room on the second floor gives access to the museum’s historical files on request.