The Secret Museum Postponed until 2021
Torquay Museum
When: 20 June 2020 to 05 September 2020
Where: Pengelly Hall
Time: 10.00 am - 4.30 pm
Cost: Free with a Museum Entry Ticket
Suitable for: Any age
There's more hidden away than there is on display...
Torquay Museum has exceptionally large and varied collections for a town museum. 175 years of collecting has created an enormous resource of specimens and objects, some local, some national and many items from all over the world.
The stores are a secret museum where 99% of the collections are preserved, held in trust for future generations to study and enjoy. There are many reasons why the Museum cannot and sometimes does not display the items it holds. The Museum does not have space to display everything, some items are too large or are difficult to move, some are too fragile and require expensive conservation, some are too valuable and can cause security problems and others have ethical issues which require careful consideration. These reasons and many others create a resource in storage, often only seen by staff and visiting researchers.
This exhibition has been largely curated by the local community. Many local people have accessed the stores and chosen little known and forgotten objects for display. Sometimes they have researched these items or written interpretation based on what their choice meant to them. So delve into our Secret Museum and find treasures that will hopefully fascinate and inspire you.
Exhibitions & Projects
-
Digging Deeper: Celebrating volunteers in North Devon's archaeology
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
26 July 2025 to 04 October 2025
-
Treasures of North Devon
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
19 July 2025 to 11 October 2025
-
Six Weeks To Go
Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum
31 March 2025 to 31 October 2025
-
Kingsbridge 1939 1945 : The Image and the Place
Kingsbridge Cookworthy Museum
31 March 2025 to 31 October 2025
-
Battle of Britain Anniversary Exhibition and Talk Series
Exmouth Museum and Heritage Centre registered charity 291311
08 April 2025 to 01 November 2025
-
Jyll Bradley: Running and Returning
The Box, Plymouth
05 April 2025 to 02 November 2025
-
Coastal Threads: Textile Art
Fairlynch Museum Budleigh Salterton
01 May 2025 to 02 November 2025
-
Jyll Bradley: Life and Influences
The Box, Plymouth
05 April 2025 to 02 November 2025
-
Westward Ho! and Bideford Art Society Annual Open Exhibition
27 September 2025 to 02 November 2025
-
Earth Action North Devon: Explorers Create!
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
11 October 2025 to 22 November 2025
-
North Devon Innovates
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
25 October 2025 to 03 January 2026
-
Wild
Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery
26 July 2025 to 04 January 2026
-
Remember Respond Resist
The Box, Plymouth
04 October 2025 to 11 January 2026
-
Carolyn Lefley: Ancient Sea
Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery
29 July 2025 to 25 January 2026
-
This is me Call for entries: Documentary Photography Open 2026
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
01 December 2025 to 11 April 2026
-
Call for entries Young Digital Documentary Photography Open
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon
01 December 2025 to 11 April 2026
