West Somerset Rural Life Museum and Victorian School

About the museum

The museum occupies the old village school at Allerford, which was built in 1821, used for lessons until 1981 and reopened in 1984 as the West Somerset Rural Life Museum. The building is leased from the National Trust, and the museum is run by a committee of trustees as a self-supporting charity; all staff are volunteers.

The collection was started through the efforts of members of the West Somerset Archaeological Society and now holds several thousand objects, mostly from the Exmoor area and dating from the early 1800s to the late 1950s. They are shown in themed displays on domestic and trade life, such as cooking, laundry and tools, in the main hall of the old school.

The Victorian schoolroom keeps its original desks and benches, together with slates, text books, toys and pupils' work. Outbuildings behind the school hold the tools of rural trades, including a shoemaker's shop, a dairy and a blacksmith, with exhibits on forestry, cider making, thatching, carpentry and farming. An archive room houses around 60 albums of the West Somerset Photographic Archive, covering the 1880s to the 1960s.

Highlights

• Victorian schoolroom with original desks from 1821
• Dressing-up clothes, slates and period toys for visiting children
• Outbuildings with shoemaker, dairy, blacksmith and cider-making displays
• West Somerset Photographic Archive from the 1880s to the 1960s
• Farm tools, horse ploughs and seed drills

Permanent exhibitions

• Main Hall – Themed displays of domestic and trade social history, including cooking, laundry, tools and household items.
• Victorian School Room – The infant classroom with original long desks, toys, samplers and exercise books, and clothes for children to try on.
• Outside displays – Outbuildings with the tools of rural trades and agriculture, from a shoemaker and a blacksmith to cider making and thatching.

Founded

1984

Operated by

Allerford Museum trustees (registered charity 1065071); building leased from the National Trust

Admission & discounts

Adults £4.00, children £1.00.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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

The museum is in a Grade II listed building and is partially wheelchair friendly. It has a toilet, but the nearest fully accessible toilet is at the National Trust Bossington car park, 1.5 miles away. Dogs are welcome and a water bowl is provided. Volunteers are being trained as Dementia Champions, and visitors can call ahead to discuss specific needs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Visiting children can dress up in Victorian clothes, write on slates and play with period toys such as hoops, stilts and marbles in the Victorian schoolroom. There is an enclosed garden for picnics.

Getting there & parking

Allerford lies off the A39, five miles from Minehead and one mile from Porlock.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small shop selling memorabilia and ice creams, a toilet and a garden where visitors can picnic; the post office opposite has a tea garden.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit