Museums
South East England has a great variety of facinating museums to discover. From entering the world of Charles Dickens, to experiencing life in the Royal Navy, there is plenty to learn and experience together. Here is a selection of some of the fantastic museums in South East England:
With the festive season fast approaching, Tourism South East has a novel suggestion - museum shops! Across the region there are nearly 350 different museums, with many selling much more than just souvenirs.
Click here for a taste of what’s available for those who want to hit the shops and absorb some local culture at the same time.
Canterbury Tales
Ever wondered what it would be like to step back in time and experience the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone era? Step into medieval Canterbury with Canterbury Tales, and accompany Geoffrey Chaucer’s colourful characters on their magical pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral. Along the way, their stories of love, romance, jealousy and trickery are vividly re-created with all the fun and excitement of Chaucer’s famous tales.
Chatham Historic Dockyard
The Historic Dockyard Chatham, in Kent, is a fascinating maritime destination with stunning Georgian and Victorian architecture and exciting maritime galleries and attractions. Here visitors can make rope in the Victorian Ropery; be gripped by stories of life aboard the three historic warships and be absorbed by the sights, sounds and smells of the dockyard of 1758 recreated in the Wooden Walls Gallery.
Portsmouth City Museum
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The City is the museum of and for the people of Portsmouth, and tells the story of the city. The museums is home to the exciting ‘A Study in Sherlock: Uncovering The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection’ exhibition.
Guildhall Museum
Colourful and informative in the Guildhall Museum in Rochester displays record more than 250,000 years of Medway history, including exhibits on the life and times of Charles Dickens.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Trace the footsteps of those who have played their part in over 800 years of maritime history and who made Britain the leading naval power in the world. Discover more about Admiral Lord Nelson, Henry VIII, World War veterans and Portsmouth dockyard workers. Learn about life on board three of the world’s most famous warships ever built, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860 and the Mary Rose, see, touch and smell the history of the Royal Navy at one of the UK’s leading maritime museums the Royal Naval Museum and complete the story by testing your own skill, bravery and brain power on the action-packed high seas adventure that is Action Stations.
Weald and Downland Museum
A trip to the Weald and Downland open-air museum is a delightful step back in time. Set in 50 acres of beautiful Sussex countryside, it has a collection of nearly 50 historic buildings dating form the 13th to the 19th century, together with farm animals and stunning gardens. The buildings have all been conserved and rebuilt to their original form. Staff dressed in traditional costume demonstrate traditional skills and interactively show how life really was in the past. The award-winning museum also offers unique day and short courses from ancient English longbow making to poultry husbandry or ploughing with heavy horses, to preserve the skills of a bygone era.
British Music Experience
The British Music Experience is Britain’s new museum of Popular music. It opened at The O2 on the Greenwich Peninsula in March 2009 and fills a void by acting as a cultural provider and giving people the opportunity to both learn and celebrate the history of British Popular music. The museum includes exhibition galleries, learning zones, a music studio, dance area, a live music venue, and immersive audio visual spaces.
Hampshire Museums (various across Hampshire)
Hampshire has a fantastic range of museums, from Rockbourne Roman Villa, to Hampshire's last working windmill in Burlesdon. There are also museums about local history, such as Eastleigh Museum and Westbury Manor in Fareham. Visit a working farm of a bygone age at Manor Farm, or discover the Iron Age at the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover.
Other Museums in the South East
For more museums, have a look at our interactive guide produced with Time Out.
For a full list of museums across the South East region, please visit our official guide to South East England.
