The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

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The official gateway to Devon museums

Find out about: The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

Our Next Event

James Ravilious Celebrations: Photographs of North Devon

When: 27 April 2013 to 22 June 2013
Where: Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon

Black & white images of celebrations and events in rural North Devon from the 1970s and 1980s captured by the renowned photographer James Ravilious.

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Our Collections

The Museum holds the collections of the North Devon Athenaeum and the old Barnstaple Town Museum, and uses them in exciting and innovative ways to tell the fascinating story of this beautiful part of Devon.

As well as social history, the museum holds archaeology, natural history, and decorative arts collections covering the whole of North Devon.

 

The Tarka Gallery

Follow the otter's trail from river to sea, find out how you can help to encourage wild creatures into your garden, discover the local Culm Grassland areas or just take a look at animals, birds and insects close-up.

The Undersea World

The Undersea World includes turtles, fish and marine mammals from North Devon's coast and looks at the marine environment of this wonderful region. Beneath the ocean we reveal the underwater life of the turtles, dolphins, gulls, porpoises and ganets.

North Devon Art Pottery

The museum is home to the largest public collection of North Devon Art Pottery. Building on the established tradition of sgraffito decoration, the three potters Brannam, Lauder and Baron produced some very distinctive work.

Shapland & Petter Furniture

The Shapland & Petter collection is based on the archive and furniture donated by the company and is gradually being built up. We are always interested to hear from anyone who has items of furniture we could record for the archive.

Geology, archaeology and pre-history

Discover the how our ancestors lived in Devon, Through amazing objects like the whale bone fishing spear from Westward Ho! this gallery will let you in on the pre-historic secrets hidden in our landscape.

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Audio Files

Museum Videos

• Mr David Morrish
• Colin Allbrook and Alan Dodd
• The Olympic Torch in Barnstaple
• Ingrid Allen talks about The Queens Theatre
• Amba and Alec Oakley Remembering the Queens Hall/Queens Theatre

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• Find us

  
  Click on the map above to view the Museum location in Google Maps
  Museum and Tourist Information situated in detatched red-brick Victorian building on town-side of the old stone bridge.
  
  3 minute walk from Bus Station, 8 minute walk from Train Station. Public car parking at Belle Meadow, 3 minute walk.

• Get in touch

  Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon
  The Square
  Barnstaple
  EX32 8LN
  
  T: 01271 346747
  E: museum@northdevon.gov.uk
  W: www.devonmuseums.net/barnstaple

• Museums nearby

  1.
  (Distance: 1 to 5 miles)
  
  

• Nearby Attractions

  
  1. Barnstaple Heritage Centre
  
  2. Barnstaple Local Studies Library
  
  3. Barnstaple's historic Pannier Market
  

• Other information

  Apart for the Christmas/New Year week and Sundays, we are open throughout the year, including Bank Holidays. There is full wheelchair access to the ground floor and a stairlift to the first floor displays. We offer an object identification service and particularly welcome reports of archaeological finds in northern Devon. A different Kid's Quiz each month and FREE PLAY activities - details can be found on this website.
  
  We also have a new Tearoom serving speciality coffees and a delicious selection of homemade cakes. Cold drinks and ice creams available too.