Photo: Darrin Antrobus · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maryport Maritime Museum

Local maritime museum for the Cumbrian harbour town, moving into the restored Christ Church on King Street; its opening date is not yet published.

Temporarily closed

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Temporarily closed. The museum has left its old building on Senhouse Street and is moving into the restored Christ Church on King Street. It is not yet open to the public and no opening date has been published.

About the museum

Maryport Maritime Museum tells the story of the Cumbrian harbour town and its seafaring past. For many years its collection was cared for by volunteers and displayed in a former pub on Senhouse Street, where the exhibits were packed into a small space from the mid-1970s.

The council has now bought Christ Church, which dates from 1872 and stands on the harbourside. The church appears in paintings by L. S. Lowry and his protégé Sheila Fell. It is being converted into the museum's new home as part of a regeneration programme for the town that is funded by the UK Government and Cumberland Council. A mezzanine floor with a crow's nest feature has been planned to house the existing collections and future displays.

In late 2025 the council and the Maryport Maritime Heritage Trust agreed a new management partnership. The council takes on day-to-day running of the museum, while the Trust and its volunteers continue to support visitors and share local knowledge. The old Senhouse Street building has been reopened as a separate venue, the Shipping Brow Gallery. At the time of research the museum's website still said that the new museum was opening soon, and no date had been published.