Museums in Somerset
With an emphasis on heritage and history museums
Built in 1820, Claverton Manor has housed the American Museum & Gardens for over 50 years. Eighteen period rooms document the development of American decorative arts from the 1680s to the 1860s. Among the items on display are examples of folk and Native American art, and an extensive collection of quilts. Over 200 quilts are on display, with pieces of traditional Shaker furniture, Native American art, and old maps of the New World.
Claverton Manor, Bath, Somerset, England, BA2 7BD
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Historic Claverton Manor is the setting for the only museum of Americana outside the US.
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
The world's largest collection of Bakelite and vintage plastic items is housed in a historic 18th-century mill. From bicycles to radios, cooking utensils to toys, the museum features a remarkable collection of nostalgic Bakelite items.
Orchard Mill, Bridge Street, Williton, Somerset, England, TA4 4NS
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
The museum traces the history of the postal service, including a recreation of a 19th-century post office. The museum not only traces the history of the post within Britain but looks at postal systems in ancient societies.
27 Northgate Street, Bath, Somerset, England, BA1 1AJ
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
Beckford's Tower is a striking neo-classical monument designed for William Beckford, a writer, collector, and patron of the arts. In 1825 Beckford called in architect Henry Goodridge to design a 120-foot high tower to house his collection of rare books and art, and to act as a writing retreat.
Lansdown Road, Bath, Somerset, England, BA1 9BH
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
A local history and archaeology museum in a historic house believed to be the birthplace of Admiral Robert Blake, Cromwell's General at Sea.
5 Blake Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, England, TA6 3NB
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
Old Post Office, New Bond Street, Bath, Somerset, England, BA1 2QH
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
The well-preserved Glastonbury Tribunal is thought to have been a 15th-century merchant's house and a residence for one of Glastonbury Abbey's officials.
9 High Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, England, BA6 9DP
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
The Haynes Motor Museum offers the largest collection of historic cars in Britain, featuring over 340 international vehicles dating back to 1886. There are eleven large halls of automobiles, with vehicles as diverse as a 1900 Clement, 1931 Duesenberg, and classic British motorcycles.
Sparkford, nr Yeovil, Somerset, England, BA22 7LH
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Vintage and antique vehicles
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts
It's impossible not to notice that Bath is a marvellous city for museums. This one is a treasure house of items from the collection of Sir William Holburne, including silver, Old Masters, Italian bronzes, porcelain, majolica, miniatures, and much more.
Great Pulteney Street, Bath, Somerset, England, BA2 4DB
Heritage Rating: ?
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The Jane Austen Centre is located on Gay Street, Queen's Square, only a short distance from the house where Austen lived briefly in 1805. The novelist was resident in Bath between 1801 and 1806, and the city features prominently in several of her works.
40 Gay Street, Queen Square, Bath, Somerset, England, BA1 2NT
Heritage Rating: ?
Nearest: Hotels - Self Catering - Bed and Breakfasts