Beaminster Museum

Beaminster Museum Beaminster Museum is a fascinating small museum about the history of this part of West Dorset, with plenty to see and do for all ages.

Admission free - donations welcome! See website for latest info

Thank you to for organising Talent in the Town last Saturday, we had a very good time and had some great conversations...
23/06/2026

Thank you to for organising Talent in the Town last Saturday, we had a very good time and had some great conversations. One of the younger visitors to our stand even produced a hand axe of his own, which is now in the museum, by the relevant poster in our prehistory section.

We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completely volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.


Come to the cool place .... this morning when everything started to swelter, the museum was a haven of cool. So if you ...
22/06/2026

Come to the cool place .... this morning when everything started to swelter, the museum was a haven of cool. So if you are looking to escape the heat this Tuesday or Thursday, try Beaminster Museum!

NB downstairs is cooler than upstairs (as usual!) but downstairs is where you will find the 2026 display on Fire Flood and Frost - just watching the video from winter 62-63 will cool you down!

We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

This is your first notice of a Finds Day at Beaminster Museum, on Saturday 11th July. Bring your finds from the fields, ...
17/06/2026

This is your first notice of a Finds Day at Beaminster Museum, on Saturday 11th July. Bring your finds from the fields, your garden or your loft. In previous years our county's Finds Liaison Officer Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevathen has identified coins, metal objects, pottery and just plain bits of stone. It's all useful to build a picture of the past in our area. So bring it in!

For all other visits, we are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

The Eight Bells Inn on the corner of Church Street with St Mary Well Street has seen some changes through the years. The...
09/06/2026

The Eight Bells Inn on the corner of Church Street with St Mary Well Street has seen some changes through the years. The property has been here since the 17th century and its life as a pub started under the name of The Five Bells - mirroring the number of bells in St Mary's church. It was renamed after the bells were recast in 1765, but when the number of bells increased to 10 in 1973, the pub’s owners decided against changing the name again. It closed for good in 1997.

The town was home to 14 pubs in the early 1900s; we are lucky that we still have four bars to choose from.

Thanks to Rob Kemp for some of. the pictures and information.

Beaminster Museum collects information and artefacts from the local area and we keep it all for future generations. Come along and see for yourself this summer.

We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

Did you know that this week (1st -7th June) is Volunteers' Week?It is a week for to say a big thank you to all the lovel...
01/06/2026

Did you know that this week (1st -7th June) is Volunteers' Week?

It is a week for to say a big thank you to all the lovely volunteers at Beaminster Museum who contribute to keeping the museum as an invaluable asset for Beaminster and the wider community.

It is also an ideal opportunity for you to come & pop into the museum to see if you would like to be part of our amazing team - or contact us on [email protected].

We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm

Entry is FREE but as a completely volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

We are open for the summer season with a wonderful exhibition for this summer only of the impact of fire, flood and fros...
21/05/2026

We are open for the summer season with a wonderful exhibition for this summer only of the impact of fire, flood and frost on the local area. We also have new exhibitions of fossils* and of prehistoric finds in West Dorset, plus all our other social, agricultural and industrial history displays

We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

*Hence the "170 million years in the making", in case you were wondering.

As the apple blossom fades for another year, it has reminded us that Dorset has a long and deeply rooted cider-making tr...
18/05/2026

As the apple blossom fades for another year, it has reminded us that Dorset has a long and deeply rooted cider-making tradition, especially in the orchards of west Dorset where cider once formed part of everyday farming life and local trade. For centuries, small farmhouse producers supplied villages and farm workers rather than large commercial markets, giving Dorset cider a distinctly local character. Areas such as Netherbury were particularly well known for their orchards and cider makers, including the Warren family, preserving old methods well into the late twentieth century. Although many orchards disappeared over time, Dorset has seen a revival in recent years through artisan producers helping to keep the county’s orchard heritage and farmhouse cider culture alive.

Pictures from Beaminster Museum, except the landscape of apple trees in blossom (c) Isaac Cider

Find out more about the agricultural heritage of West Dorset at Beaminster Museum. We are open at the following times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Entry is FREE but as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

Thanks to Rob Kemp for the information in this post.

Have you thought about Beaminster Museum shop as the place to get your good-value crafty gifts? No? Then think again - b...
15/05/2026

Have you thought about Beaminster Museum shop as the place to get your good-value crafty gifts? No? Then think again - beautiful hand-crafted items made by volunteers at very giftable prices. Cards by local artists too!

The shop is open whenever the museum is open.

Opening times times:
Tues, Thurs, Sat, Bank Holidays: 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sun: 2:00pm to 4:30pm

And if you also want to look around the museum, entry is FREE , though as a completer volunteer-run museum with no council support, donations are always welcome.

Address

Beaminster
DT83NB

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:30am - 4pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4pm
Saturday 10:30am - 4pm
Sunday 2pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441308863623

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Beaminster Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Beaminster Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category