491 Museums to Explore in England

Chelmsford Museum is a majestic museum which will take you through Chelmsford's history, from the Ice Age, right through to the present day. From the chance to see a mammoth, or watch a princely Anglo-Saxon buriel, to finding out what used to be on your street, the museum has something for everyone.

Cheshire Military Museum is situated in the former barrack block of Chester Castle. Designed by Thomas Harrison and completed in 1810. It houses objects relating to the soldiers of Cheshire, in particular, those Regiments which have a long association with the city of Chester; the Cheshire Regiment, Cheshire Yeomanry, 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, and the 3rd Carabiniers. The building is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

Chiltern Open Air Museum has an eclectic collection of over 30 rescued and reconstructed historic buildings that were the workplaces or homes of ordinary people. Within the Museum’s collection are WW1 and WW2 Nissen huts, 1940s post-war prefab with a Dig for Victory allotment, Victorian toll house, replica Iron Age roundhouse, tin chapel, blacksmith’s forge, vicarage, earth cottage, medieval barn, and lots more.

The Churchill Archives Centre (CAC) is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. The Churchill Papers served as the inspiration and the starting-point for a larger endeavour – the creation of a wide-ranging archive of the Churchill era and after, covering those fields of public life in which Sir Winston played a personal role or took a personal interest.

The museum comprises the Cabinet War Rooms, a historic underground complex that housed a British government command centre throughout the Second World War, and the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring the life of British statesman Winston Churchill.

The City of Norwich Aviation Museum is located on the northern edge of Norwich International Airport and is reached by road through the village of Horsham St. Faith. There is a good collection of aircraft including an Avro Vulcan B.2 which flew into the airport after its retirement from service in 1983. The museum welcomed its newest exhibit in October 2020 when it received EL-RJN this aircraft is 21 years old and is an Avro RJ85.

The Classic Boat Museum has been telling visitors and Islanders its wonderful maritime story since 1996. It has an extensive collection of artifacts, models, photographs, and uniforms. It is located on the Isle of Wight at two separate sites on either side of the River Medina; The Boat Collection in Cowes, and The Gallery in East Cowes.

Cliffe Castle was originally the home of Victorian millionaire and textile manufacturer, Henry Isaac Butterfield. Completed in the 1880s the building was funded by the Butterfield family’s industrial empire which included wool textile mills and a shipping business that took British goods to Europe, America and China. The completed house was a showpiece of international art and French decoration. It was the scene of many glittering social events.

Clifton Park Museum is located close to the centre of Rotherham in South Yorkshire. The building dates from 1783 and was originally the home of the Walker Family, a local firm of iron founders. It tells the story of Rotherham from earliest times to the present day. Exhibits include Roman artefacts from the local Templeborough Fort; the renowned Rockingham ceramics collection from nearby Swinton, including the 1.2 metre tall Rhinoceros Vase which, when it was fired in 1826.

A majestic castle perched above the town of Clitheroe where it has dominated the skyline for 800 years. This majestic house tells the story of the town, the formation of the landscape 350 million years ago and why the Ribble Valley is a haven for Lancashire's wildlife. Moving through the galleries,

Clitheroe Castle Museum is housed in the listed steward’s house on the picturesque site of the Grade I listed Castle Keep and Scheduled Monument. Its intriguing galleries will take you on a journey through 350 million years of history, heritage and geology of the local area. Younger hearts may take an adventure kitted out with rucksack, map and magnifying glass.

The Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron in Shropshire is one of the ten museums that make up the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Coalbrookdale changed the world forever. The museum shows you how with trails galleries and interactive displays. This is also the location of the Darby furnace where ground breaking technology was used to smelt iron with coke resulting in the construction of the worlds first Iron Bridge.

he Coalport China MThe Coalport China Museum is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums administered by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. It was home to the famous firm until 1926 and is filled with the finest examples of their work. The factory's unusual buildings contain colourful displays depicting a history of china-making, as well as demonstration workshops where, during school holidays, you'll be able to have a go yourself.useum is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums administered by t

The Combined Military Services Museum holds a nationally important collection of military artefacts. The Museum tells the story of the British fighting force from the English Civil War to the present day with unashamed pride. Spread over three floors the Museum offers the visitor the opportunity to discover our military history in their own time. The collection includes medals, uniforms, firearms, swords and one of the finest displays of Special Forces equipment anywhere in the country.

The Corinium Museum in the Cotswold town of Cirencester in England has a large collection of objects found in and around the locality. Its collection consists of the highly significant finds from the Roman town of Corinium. The museum will take you on a journey through time and charting the development of the Cotswolds from its prehistoric landscape to the modern day.

The Cotswold Motoring Museum is a museum in the Cotswolds village of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England. It features the motoring history of the 20th century. The Museum has seven galleries - overflowing with vintage and classic cars, caravans, precarious-looking motorcycles, original enamel signs, a unique toy collection and an intriguing array of motoring curiosities. The museum's toy collection includes pedal cars, bicycles, toy cars, buses, aeroplanes and other vehicles.

Coventry Transport Museum houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles on the planet and tells the story of a city which changed the world through transport. It houses the largest collection of British-made road transport held in public ownership. It is located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry and the birthplace of the bicycle. There are more than 240 cars and commercial vehicles, 100 motorcycles, 200 bicycles.

The Cowper and Newton Museum is a museum in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, in the Borough of Milton Keynes. This museum is housed in 'Orchard Side', the former home of 18th-century writer and poet William Cowper. The museum contains exhibits illustrating the life and times of the two men.

Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum portrays the fascinating story of this historic establishment from its early days as a Royal Naval Air Service base to the current day. It includes interactive exhibits including a Jet Provost flight simulator, Vampire T11 Cockpit, exhibitions and artefacts. There is also a courtyard area with Jet Provost aircraft on display.

Crawley Museum is a local history museum, which tells the history of the town through objects and their stories. It has an active programme of events and temporary exhibitions which reflect various aspects of the town and the local area. It is a place where you can find out about the history of the town and the surrounding areas. They tell the history of Crawley through objects and and exhibits along with the stories associated with them.