North Devon Maritime Museum

About the museum

The North Devon Maritime Museum was founded in 1977 by a group of local enthusiasts who wanted to celebrate the maritime heritage of the area. It opened to the public that same year in Appledore, a village on the estuary of the River Torridge that has been a centre of shipbuilding and maritime trade since medieval times. A trust was formed to run it, and in 2017, as the museum marked its 40th anniversary, the trust was able to buy the building, Odun House on Odun Road. Today the museum is staffed by volunteers.

The displays follow the story of ships from early Viking craft and medieval vessels to sailing ships of the 19th century and modern powered craft. Local shipbuilding is a major theme, with wooden shipbuilders' tools, sail-making and rope-making, half-models of local ships and a model of a 19th-century shipyard. Replicas of the Golden Hinde and the Nonsuch were built in Appledore using traditional methods.

Other rooms cover navigation instruments, local wrecks and lifeboats, pirates, smuggling and emigration, and the limestone trade. A Second World War room looks at the preparations for D-Day, including the PLUTO pipeline under the ocean and specialised armoured vehicles. The museum has several hands-on exhibits, among them films, working models, a ship's wheel and a telescope, and it is suitable for all ages.

Highlights

• Model ships from Viking craft to modern vessels
• Shipbuilding tools, half-models and a model shipyard
• Bow sections of the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales
• Second World War room on D-Day preparations
• Navigation instruments, wrecks and lifeboats
• Hands-on displays with films, a ship's wheel and a telescope

Permanent exhibitions

• Development of Ships – Model ships from early Viking craft through medieval and sailing ships to powered vessels of the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Ship Building – Wooden shipbuilding tools, sail-making and rope-making, half-models of local ships and a model of a 19th-century shipyard.
• World War 2 – A war room with photographs and film about the preparations for D-Day, including the PLUTO pipeline.

Founded

1977

Operated by

North Devon Maritime Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

Individual visitors do not need to book. Card or contactless payment is preferred.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

Disabled access is limited to the ground floor. There is one toilet, on the ground floor. Well-behaved dogs are welcome inside the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The museum describes itself as suitable for all ages. Hands-on exhibits include working models, films, a ship's wheel, knot-tying, a sextant demonstration and a telescope.

Getting there & parking

Take the A39 to Bideford, and at the roundabout on the Bideford side of the Torridge Bridge follow the signs to Appledore. On the way down into the village, turn left at the brown museum sign. The postcode EX39 1PT can be used for satellite navigation.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Gift shop on site and a toilet on the ground floor.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit