Photo: Jim Linwood · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Keep Military Museum

Regimental museum in the 1879 Keep at Dorchester telling the story of the Dorset and Devon regiments; closed throughout 2026.

Temporarily closed

Website Directions

Temporarily closed (expected until 2026). The museum is closed and its website says it will remain closed throughout 2026. No reopening date has been announced, and talks about transferring the building from the Ministry of Defence to the charity are still open.

About the museum

The Keep Military Museum stands in the former county barracks at Dorchester, a site that served the Dorsetshire Regiment and other units. The keep itself was built in 1879 and is, in the museum's words, as historic as its collection. The barracks ceased to be used in 1958 and most of the site was redeveloped in the 1960s, but the keep stayed in Ministry of Defence hands and became a regimental museum.

The museum is run by the Dorchester Keep Military Museum Trust, a registered charity. Its displays cover the Dorsetshire Regiment, the Devonshire Regiment, the Devonshire and Dorsetshire Regiment, The Rifles, the Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry and the Dorset Yeomanry. The building has a rooftop terrace with views across Dorchester.

The museum has been closed unexpectedly, and its website says it will stay closed throughout 2026. The cost of replacing the roof led to talks with the Ministry of Defence about transferring the building to the charity, and nothing has yet been settled. A heritage resilience project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund is under way.

Highlights

Museum of the Dorset and Devon regiments in a Victorian barracks keep
Collections on six regiments including the Rifles and the Dorset Yeomanry
Rooftop terrace with views across Dorchester
Evening talks and learning programme for young people

Permanent exhibition

Regimental collections – Displays on the Dorsetshire, Devonshire, Devonshire and Dorsetshire regiments, The Rifles and the Dorset yeomanry. The museum is currently closed.

Founded: 1877
Operated by: Dorchester Keep Military Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The learning programme has included a Young Historians club and children's craft sessions in the school holidays.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Dorchester West · 10-min walk

Dorchester West station (Bristol line) is about a 10-minute walk and Dorchester South (Waterloo line) about 20 minutes; both have taxi ranks. Buses to and from Weymouth stop nearby and at the Dorset County Hospital entrance, and several lines stop on Trinity Street in the town centre.

By car

Free parking

Free car park for museum visitors; if it is full, the Top of Town car park is directly across the road.

The museum is on Barrack Road (B3150), about 10 minutes on foot from the town centre.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

The museum shop is online only.

Events & venue rental

Spaces for rent
Private parties
Corporate events

Up to 30 guests.

The Library, with a fully equipped kitchen and private toilets, holds about 25 to 30 people for small meetings, parties and evening or after-hours events. Prices are on request; ask the museum whether hire is possible while it is closed.

Inquiries & details