Devon social history
Find out more about the social history of Devon at these museums. Select a museum to find out more, including their opening times (which may be seasonal), how to find them and what else is in their collections.
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Axe Valley Heritage Museum
Seaton
The museum concentrates on the lower Axe Valley and also includes the adjacent villages of Beer, Axmouth, Branscombe, Colyton and Colyford.
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Bill Douglas Centre
Exeter
Founded in memory of the British film-maker Bill Douglas in 1994, this museum on Exeter University campus contains an enormous collection relating to the history of film and optical entertainment.
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Bampton Heritage and Visitor Centre
Tiverton
Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre is located inside the town's Grade 1 listed St Michael and All Angels church.
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The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
Barnstaple
The museum tells the stories of the people and landscapes of North Devon.
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Kents Cavern Prehistoric Caves
Torquay
Step into the Stone Age! Kents Cavern is one of the most important Stone Age sites in Europe and one of Britain's best showcaves! On your visit you'll go back to a time when the cave was home to ancient humans, sheltering from extreme weather, making fires, shaping tools and hunting Ice Age animals.
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Fairlynch Museum Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton
Fairlynch Museum and Arts Centre is one of the very few thatched museums in the UK.
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Coldharbour Mill Working Wool Museum
Cullompton
Coldharbour Mill, built between 1797 and 1799 as Fox Brothers' first spinning mill in the South West, preserves a collection of Victorian spinning frames for the worsted process, and Hattersley looms are still in use to weave knitting yarns, tartan cloth, rugs and stair runners.
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Dartmouth Museum
Dartmouth
Dartmouth Museum is a small, fascinating and interesting museum housed in an atmospheric old merchant's house, built in approximately 1640.
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Topsham Museum
Topsham
Museum Opening Delayed Topsham Museum, Tea Room and Garden will be closed for several months while it undergoes large repair works.
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Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall
Tavistock
The Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall is a registered charity engaging visitors with the policing history of the region.
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Holsworthy Museum
Holsworthy
The museum is housed in part of a building which is in itself a museum piece; a small manor house dating from the 17th century which was used as a parsonage in 1724.
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Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum
Kingsbridge
In the Old Grammar School you find an historic building, a range of collections and a local history archive.
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Lyn and Exmoor Museum
Lynton
A charming small museum with collections of agricultural and domestic tools from Lynton and Exmoor.
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Newton Abbot Museum
Newton Abbot
The museum now lives inside Newton's Place, a beautifully restored and adapted nineteenth century church.
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Teign Heritage Centre Home to Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum
Teignmouth
Teignmouth and Shaldon are beautiful.
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Torquay Museum
Torquay
Torquay Museum is temporarily closed for important maintenance until Spring 2025.
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Totnes Museum
TOTNES
Totnes Museum is housed in a Grade I listed authentic Elizabethan Merchant's House, built in 1575 and located on Fore Street in the heart of Totnes.
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Whimple Heritage Centre
Whimple
In the heart of Devon cider country, the Whimple Heritage Centre celebrates the history of a Devon cider village.
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Museum of British Surfing
Braunton
The Museum of British Surfing is an award-winning visitor attraction in Braunton, near the North Devon coast.
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Axminster Heritage Centre
Axminster
OPEN FROM AUGUST 1st Temporary CV19 measures have been introduced so guests can visit us safe in the knowledge we are diligently following the Government and museum sector recommendations.
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Ottery St Mary Heritage Museum
Ottery St Mary Heritage Museum opened in August 2018 in the Victorian Old Town Hall and opposite historic St Mary's Church, one the finest churches in Devon.
