Newton Abbot Museum

About the museum

The museum began as a small, informal collection kept on the top floor of the town library. Newton Abbot Town Council, newly formed in 1989, employed a part-time curator, and the museum opened in July 1990 in a single room in the Town Hall at Devon Square. Volunteers helped it grow through events, publications and travelling exhibitions, and a railway room was added in 1991. It drew between 1,200 and 6,000 visitors a year, but its out-of-the-way location and poor access held it back.

In 2016 the Town Council bought the former St Leonard’s Church, a Grade II listed building that opened for worship in 1836 and closed in 1997. After years as an antiques centre and then empty, it was conserved in a £2.2 million project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and local donations. The museum moved to the new Newton’s Place in early 2020, where it shares the building with the Town Council offices and community spaces.

The collection now holds more than 17,000 items, from ancient tools to Victorian trade and twentieth-century migration. Popular areas include the railway section with working signals, the early history area and the Your Space area for community collections, together with more than 20 interactive and digital displays. The museum also manages St Leonard’s Tower, which opens seasonally.

Highlights

• Railway section with working signals
• Collection of more than 17,000 items on the town’s history
• More than 20 interactive and digital displays
• Restored Victorian church of 1836 as the museum building
• Free entry and an audio guide

Permanent exhibitions

• Railway section – A popular section on the railways of Newton Abbot, with working railway signals.
• Early History – Finds and stories from the town’s early past, including items lost in the River Teign 3,500 years ago.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Newton Abbot Town Council

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free, and no advance booking is needed for individual visitors. School and group visits must be booked in advance.

Accessibility

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

The building is wheelchair accessible, with a lift, ramps and automatic entrance doors, and a transit wheelchair can be borrowed; some mobility scooters may not fit in the lift. There is an accessible toilet with a hoist and an adult changing table on the ground floor and another accessible toilet on the first floor. A hearing loop is at the Welcome Desk, and all videos have subtitles. A tactile map, braille and large-print booklets and audio guide handsets are available. Registered assistance dogs, including those in training, are welcome. Relaxed visits with lower sound levels, sensory bags and ear defenders are offered at set times, and a visual story is available. Visitors wearing a Sunflower lanyard are supported. The nearest car park, Newfoundland Way, has disabled parking.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The museum has hands-on activities and interactive displays for children and families, free Toddler Tuesdays with booking recommended, and drop-in family sessions in school holidays. The building is pushchair accessible, and the accessible toilet has a pull-down baby changing table.

Getting there & parking

Use postcode TQ12 1JQ. The museum’s website gives driving directions from Exeter, Plymouth, Totnes and Torbay.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

A small shop sells gifts, books, cards and souvenirs; card payments need a £5 minimum. A drinks machine on the first floor takes £1 coins.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit