.jpg&action=MediaGallery)
New Forest
If you haven't been to a museum in years for fear of drab venues and broken pots in glass cases, 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. Whether you're into heritage, art, science, maritime, or wildlife, you're bound to find something right up your street.
The featured museums in the counties of South East England demonstrate the sheer variety of interest on offer and a more detailed list of museums in South East England can be located through the map at the bottom of this page.
The South East is home to two brilliant Dockyards: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in Hampshire and The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent. Discover 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.
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.
Many of Britain’s best-loved authors lived in the South East and found the region inspirational for their work. Explore the Jane Austen's House in Hampshire, the house where Jane Austen wrote some of her famous novels, and visit the many locations in Kent that tell of the life and works of Charles Dickens.
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: 122
, currently showing 1 to 20.
Science Centre
Morn Hill, Winchester
Winchester Science Centre is more than a day out. It’s a chance to spark your children’s curiosity in science which could lead them on an exciting journey for life! Situated in the stunning South Downs National Park, this exciting family destination…
Museums & Galleries
Eastleigh
Take a tour through Eastleigh's past and discover what life was like in the 1930s; displays include recreations of a local engine driver's home.
Museum
Sandwich
Museum telling the story of Sandwich from early medieval times. There are many illustrative panels relating to the town’s history with artefacts dating back to the early 13th century.
Museum
Petworth
Welcome to this Leconfield estate-worker's cottage once the home of Mrs Cummings, a seamstress at Petworth House. Furnished as in 1910 it has a ground floor scullery and sitting room, with a kettle boiling on the coal-fired range.
Historic House / Palace
Alton
Chawton House Library is an internationally respected research library with a unique collection of early English women's writing from 1600 to 1830. Access to the Library's collection is for the benefit of academics, scholars, students and the general
Gallery
Eastbourne
Towner, the contemporary art museum, is Eastbourne's new art gallery and centre for the visual arts in the South East.
Heritage / Visitor Centre
RYE
Housed in a converted Victorian sail loft at the foot of Mermaid Street, Rye Heritage Centre is the home of the unique ‘Story of Rye’ Town Model Sound and Light Show- a delightful scale model of the town that plays a 20 minute show bringing the…
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.
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
Arundel
Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre is a 36 acre open-air site dedicated to preserving the industrial heritage of 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
Winchester
Displays of campaigns over five continents, including a magnificent diorama of the Battle of Waterloo.
Farm
Waterlooville
Butser Ancient Farm, nestled within the Southdowns National Park, is a wonderful outdoor space showcasing Ancient Britain through experimental archaeology.
Windmill
Bursledon
Bursledon Windmill is currently closed for restoration until November and so not currently open to the public.
Museum
Reading
The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) is England’s most extensive museum dedicated to farming, food, craft, rural life and countryside issues.
Abbey / Priory
Canterbury
This great Abbey, marking the rebirth of Christianity in southern England, was founded in AD 597 by St Augustine.
Museum
Gillingham
There is something for all the family. Zulu War items, Boer War, World Wars I and II, planes, trains, tanks, bridges, bombs, 25 galleries.
Museum
Rolvenden
Unique collection of Morgan 3-wheel cars, eleven from 1913-1935, plus 1904 Humber Tricar, 1929 Morris van, 1929 Ford model A, 1936 Bampton caravan, early cycles, motorcycles, toy and model cars and motoring memorabilia.
Museum
Sandown
In a spectacular pterosaur shaped building on Sandown’s blue flag beach walk back through fossilised time and meet life sized replica dinosaurs
Historic Ship
HM Naval Base, Portsmouth
HMS M.33 is not only the sole remaining British veteran of the bloody Dardanelles Campaign of 1915-1916, but also of the Russian Civil War which followed. The ship is one of just three British warships from World War I still in existence.
© Visit South East England 2020. All Rights Reserved
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
