Queenborough Guildhall Museum

About the museum

Queenborough Guildhall stands on the High Street. It was completed in 1793 in yellow brick and replaced an earlier guildhall of 1728. It served as the town’s municipal centre, with a courtroom on the first floor and a dungeon in the basement, until it stopped being the seat of local government in 1974.

The building was then turned into a local history museum, which is run with the Queenborough Society and its volunteers. Its displays tell the story of the town from a small Saxon settlement to a prosperous borough with a royal castle built by Edward III, and they highlight its Victorian industrial heritage.

A major theme is the Second World War, when more than a hundred minesweeping vessels were based at Queenborough. The museum keeps many photographs of naval vessels, ship models including the Richard Montgomery, documents and other objects. Visitors can see the Guildhall with its windows and portraits, the courtroom, which is said to be the first on the Isle of Sheppey, and the former dungeon.

Highlights

• Georgian Guildhall of 1793 with courtroom and dungeon
• Photographs and objects from Second World War minesweepers
• Model of the wreck ship Richard Montgomery
• Social history photograph albums
• Activities for children, including a quiz and a prison cell

Permanent exhibitions

• Queenborough minesweepers – Photographs, ship models and objects about the vessels based at Queenborough in the Second World War.
• Guildhall courtroom and dungeon – The historic courtroom, the first on the Isle of Sheppey, and the former dungeon with its prison cell.
• Queenborough through the centuries – Historic images and documents covering the town from its Saxon origins and Edward III’s castle to its Victorian industry.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Queenborough Society

Admission & discounts

Group bookings are welcome, and the museum can supply refreshments for groups.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum rooms are upstairs. Visitors who cannot climb the stairs can read a booklet with photographs and descriptions in the ground-floor museum, and volunteers will bring the social history photograph albums to them.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children enter free and can ring a ship’s bell, complete a quiz, colour a castle or ship, look for the cat-o-nine-tails and step into the prison cell. The museum takes part in the Wheels of Time scheme, where children collect badges at heritage sites.

Getting there & parking

The museum is signposted in the town.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

A small selection of souvenirs is on sale. Refreshments can be provided for group bookings.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit