Hampshire Cultural Trust
You'll find some of the most engaging, fun and educational museums in the UK here in South East England. Whether you're looking to discover more about the stars or cars, dinosaurs or boats, country or town life, there is a museum here for you. You'll find many free museums, making them a great addition to a budget-busting day out that doesn't break the bank. So if you haven't been to a museum in years, you may be interested to hear that museums in England have been transported into the 21st century.
Prepare yourself for a surprise as the South East has some of the most fun museums in England, with hundreds across the region. In place of stuffy rooms and wardens shushing for quiet, you'll find inspirational and interactive spaces with engaging and accessible exhibits from retro cars to animatronics, the chance to journey to the stars and the worlds beyond, get hands-on with history and walk in the footsteps of famous characters in history. Whether you're into heritage, art, science, maritime, or wildlife, you're bound to find something right up your street.
The featured museums are located in the counties of South East England and demonstrate the sheer variety of interest on offer. A more detailed list can be located through the map at the bottom of this page.
Car enthusiasts won’t want to miss the world-famous National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire’s New Forest. See one of the largest car collections held by any of the museums in England, with 250 cars of every age including land speed record-breakers Golden Arrow and Bluebird. Whisk your way along to Milestones Museum, Basingstoke, where you can see an array of vintage vehicles including Hampshire's three big manufacturers.
Hampshire Cultural Trust are guardians of 2.5 million objects that relate to Hampshire’s rich and internationally important cultural heritage. Managing 23 attractions across Hampshire, including the brand new 878 AD which opened in the autumn of 2022 in Winchester, and the recently refurbished Gosport Museum and Art Gallery where you'll find museums and art galleries that explore Vikings, Victorians, Natural Sciences, Archaeology and much more.
The South East is also home to world-famous Bodleian Libraries, Oxford. Not a museum in the traditional form, but the libraries are the oldest in Europe, and are the 2nd largest in the UK, only second to the British Library. Together, they hold over 13 million printed items and today offer the chance to visit and explore them, marvel at their exquisite architecture and dive into their fascinating history with a guided tour.
The D-Day Story and the LCT7074 landing craft, Portsmouth, is the only museum in the UK dedicated to the Allied Invasion in June 1944. Whilst Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is home to not only the world famous Mary Rose but also HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship. Discover Portsmouth's rich maritime history onboard some of the most famous war ships in British Naval history and find out what life was like for sailors in years gone by.
Use the 'Map View' button below to find museums near you in South East England including dozens of local museums showcasing their town's proud history. Check individual listings to see which museums are open today.
Number of results: 90
, currently showing 61 to 80.
Museum
Dover
The collection traces the history of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment through four and a quarter centuries of service to the Crown.
Museum
MAIDSTONE
Maidstone Carriage Musuem is home to a unique collection of horse-drawn vehicles & transport curiosities. More than 60 vehicles displayed, from grand carriages & ornate sleighs to antique sedan chairs & Victorian cabs, even an original ice
Museum
Bexhill-on-Sea
It’s curious, it’s quirky, it’s packed to the rafters with diverse objects with a surprise in every cabinet and around every corner.
Museum
Dover
Dover Museum, the district's largest and most varied museum, has a range of fascinating real objects, models and original pictures showing the history and archaeology of Dover, along with the Dover Bronze Age Boat, the world's oldest known seagoing…
Historic House / Palace
Milton Keynes
Once Britain’s Best Kept Secret, today Bletchley Park is a heritage site and vibrant tourist attraction. Open daily, visitors can explore some of the iconic WW2 Codebreaking Huts and Blocks and marvel at the astonishing achievements of the…
Industrial Archaeology
Bursledon
Come and be amazed at the authentic sights, sounds and smells of the last steam-driven Victorian brickworks in the UK.
Museum
Rowner, Gosport
A representational Hampshire village set in the year 1642. Timber and thatched buildings, occupants dressed and speak in 17thC style.
Museum
Paddock Wood
A collection of well-preserved Victorian oast houses, home to the Hop Story Museum and the famous grey and black shire horses. 'Decades experience,' Indoor adventure playground and nature trail.
Gallery
Eastbourne
Towner, the contemporary art museum, is Eastbourne's new art gallery and centre for the visual arts in the South East.
Museum
Rochester
Discover the history of Medway from pre-historic times to the present day at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester.
Museum
Brighton
Located in four Victorian cellars under Brighton Railway Station, the Brighton Toy and Model Museum will invoke many childhood memories and dreams.
Museum
Hove
Hove Museum is one of the most family friendly and accessible museums in the south east. It also houses one of the finest craft collections in the country.
Farm
Southampton
Traditional Hampshire farmstead - range of buildings, farm animals, machinery and equipment, pre-1950's farmhouse and 13thC church set for 1900 - living history site.
Museum
Maidenhead
Fly a Spitfire simulator at this local museum which covers local history from the Romans to Racing Cars!
Museum
Arundel
Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre is a 36 acre open-air site dedicated to preserving the industrial heritage of the south east.
Museum
Windsor
The jewel in the Royal Borough's crown, Windsor and Royal Borough Museum is a family friendly museum bursting with interesting facts and interactive displays of East Berkshire.
Arts Centre
Winchester
A vibrant and versatile gallery space hosting a changing programme of exhibits to celebrate the best of Winchester's thriving arts and heritage scene.
Museum
Brighton
This fascinating museum houses exhibits that include hundreds of British birds displayed in recreated natural settings, insects from butterflies to beetles, a killer whale skeleton and dinosaur bones
Museum
Portsmouth
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is the museum of and for the people of Portsmouth, featuring exciting and varied displays.
Museum
Winchester
Five splendid military museums on an historic site with Visitor Centre, café displays and activities to interest all the family.
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