Saxmundham Museum
Free volunteer-run museum on Saxmundham High Street with a street of shop fronts, a 1940s ticket office and a small cinema room.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Saxmundham Museum was founded in 2004 by members of the Saxmundham and District Local History Society and has been run by volunteers ever since. It stands at 49 High Street, in a building that was a bakehouse from the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. Entry is free and visitors are asked to leave a donation if they enjoyed the visit.
The displays tell the story of the market town and the nearby parishes. A street scene recreates shop fronts from the Victorian and Edwardian period, and a ticket office from the 1940s recalls the railway history of the town, with a model railway that has moving trains. A small cinema room, the Playhouse, shows historic film footage of Saxmundham in the style of the golden age of cinema. A reference room offers digital presentations of old photographs, videos and oral histories.
Further displays cover forgotten ale houses, the manufacture of cars in the 1970s, a Victorian mineral water works, the Suffolk Show and one of the oldest tennis tournaments in England. The museum opens for a season each year, and volunteer stewards are always needed.
Highlights
- Street scene of Victorian and Edwardian shop fronts
- Ticket office from the 1940s and a model railway
- Playhouse cinema room with historic film of Saxmundham
- Reference room with digital photographs, videos and oral histories
- Displays on old ale houses, a mineral water works and local sport
Permanent exhibition
- Saxmundham past and present – A recreated street of shop fronts, a 1940s ticket office, the Playhouse cinema room and a reference room with digital local history.
- Founded
- 2004
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Entry is free; visitors are asked to leave a donation.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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 available sources give no information about step-free access.
Kids & families
The museum publishes no family programme.
Getting there & parking
The museum is at the north end of the High Street.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum has a toilet. Gifts and souvenirs are on sale, according to the museum's 2022 news.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Digital presentations of old photographs, videos and oral histories are shown in the reference room. Monthly film evenings for a suggested donation have been held in the past. |
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