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
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Heritage Highlight: Historic Claverton Manor is the setting for the only museum of Americana outside the US.
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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
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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
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The Bridgwater Museum (also known as the Blake Museum) covers the local history and archaeology of the Bridgewater region. The museum is located in a house believed to be the birthplace of Admiral Robert Blake, Cromwell's General at Sea.
5 Blake Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, England, TA6 3NB
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The Willows and Wetlands Centre explores the heritage of willow basket-making on the Somerset Levels. See every stage of willow production from riverside willow beds to drying and basket-making. There is an extensive museum with an eye-opening number of willow objects, many of them made locally.
P H Coate & Son, Meare Green Court, Stoke St Gregory, Somerset, England, TA3 6HY
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Heritage Highlight: Examples of traditional willow items
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Old Post Office, New Bond Street, Bath, Somerset, England, BA1 2QH
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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
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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
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Heritage Highlight: Vintage and antique vehicles
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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
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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
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