Museums to visit in Kent

The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge (formerly the Royal Museum and Art Gallery with the Buffs Museum) is housed in the former Beaney Institute building on High Street, in the heart of Canterbury. This delightful Grade II listed Victorian building was founded by Dr James Beaney, a Canterbury physician who later emigrated to Australia where he became so rich he was known as 'Diamond Jimmy'.
18 High Street, Canterbury, Kent, England, CT1 2RA

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Canterbury Roman Museum contains excavated sections of the old Roman town of Canterbury, including sections of a Roman town house with a well-preserved mosaic. In addition, there are audio-visual aids and hands-on activities designed to give visitors a real feeling for how the Romans lived in Canterbury.
11a Butchery Lane, Canterbury, Kent, England, CT1 2JR

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Heritage Highlight: Remains of a Roman town house with a section of mosaic

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One of the few remaining gunpowder mills in the UK, Chart Gunpowder Mill was the home of English gunpowder manufacture for centuries, from its initial construction around 1560 until the 1930s. The current mill was built in the 18th century and provides a fascinating look into the painstaking production of explosives and gunpowder over time. Seasonal opening.
Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre, Stonebridge Way, Faversham, Kent, England, ME13 8NS

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The Cranbrook Museum is a museum of local history for Cranbrook and area, housed in a historic 15th-century timber-framed farmhouse. Collections include Cranbrook Town, Rural Industry, Agricultural Tools Kitchen and Scullery displays, Military history, historic costumes, and much more. The museum is set in attractive gardens.
Carriers Road, Cranbrook, Kent, England, TN17 3JX

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The Dover Museum traces the story of Dover from prehistoric times to the present day. Exhibits cover Dover town and port and include Roman history, Dover's role as a member of the Cinque Ports, Napoleonic and Victorian Dover, and the history of Dover during both World Wars.
Market Square, Dover, Kent, England, CT16 1PH

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Heritage Highlight: The Bronze Age Boat exhibit

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Finchcocks bills itself as the 'Living Museum of Music'. The Richard Burnett Collection of historic keyboard instruments is set in the lovely surroundings of a beautiful Georgian manor house in the Kent countryside. There are over 70 keyboards on display, with the majority dating from the late 18th and early 19th century. Among the collection is a piano owned by Prince Albert.
Goudhurst, Kent, England, TN17 1HH

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Chatham Historic Dockyard, on the River Medway in Kent, built warships from the time of Henry VIII. Restored vessels on display include HMS Gannet, the last sloop of Queen Victoria's Royal Navy, historic warship HMS Cavalier and the submarine Ocelot.
Chatham, Kent, England, ME4 4TE

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The Kent Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) covers 350 years of moving images from the invention of the magic lantern to modern cinema. See historical magic lantern projectors and Victorian optical toys, painted slides and iconic movie posters.
41 Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, England, CT14 6AD

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Heritage Highlight: 1890 triple-lens magic lantern projector

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The Maidstone Museum first opened its doors in 1858, but the location has a much longer history, for the museum is housed in Chillington Manor, a historic Elizabethan manor house that dates back to 1562. The Cloisters and Long Gallery date even further back to an earlier Tudor building. The manor was given to the town of Maidstone in 1855 by Thomas Charles, a successful surgeon and antiquarian.
St Faith's Street, Maidstone, Kent, England, ME14 1LH

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The stately home of Quex House is home to the Powell-Cotton collection of African artefacts and natural history. Over the years 1885 to 1939 Major Percy Powell-Cotton and his family amassed an amazing collection of oddments, from mammals to carvings, covering Africa, India, and the Far East. Most of the collection is on display in a specially built museum beside the early 19th-century house, but the house itself is bursting at the seams with curiosities gathered from all over the globe.
Quex Park, Birchington, Kent, England, CT7 0BH

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Heritage Highlight: Extraordinary collections of African and Asian cultural artefacts and animals

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