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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

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Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life tells a 300-year story of courage, loyalty and service. A range of cakes, sandwiches and sausage rolls .

Cumbria‘s Museum of Military Life was founded in 1932 and tells the 300-year story of Cumbria’s army regiments through books, documents, photographs and artefacts. Having recently moved to the newly refurbished Alma Block in Carlisle Castle the Museum is full of new features including audio/visual displays, impressive graphics, interactive activities for young people and environments depicting lif

e in the World Wars. Our small on site Café serves freshly ground coffee, tea, cold drinks and Cream of Galloway ice cream. The Museum also offers research services for families looking to research those who served with The Border Regiment and it's successors. We also accommodate school groups and have a program of outreach services for schools, groups and clubs.

01/09/2026

🗣️ After a break for summer, there’s now just one week to go until our next Tuesday Talk! 🗣️

Join us on Tuesday 8th September for Dr. Maks Loth-Hill’s talk, ‘Occupied: Life in Poland under n**i rule’.

📍 Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, inside Carlisle Castle
🗓️ Tuesday, 8th September
⏰ Doors open at 5.30pm
🎟️ Tickets are £5 pre booked, or £6 on the door

You can purchase tickets online here: 👉🏻 https://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/product/occupied-life-in-poland-under-n**i-rule/

Or book by calling the Museum on 01228 532 774 - or pop in and see us at the front desk!

✨ We provide a fully licensed bar, and limited disabled access (for further information on this please contact the Museum) ✨

Love Carlisle Cumbria Guide Carlisle Castle

31/08/2026

🎉 Bank Holiday at the Museum!

It’s been a busy one at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life! 👋🏻

The whole castle grounds have been buzzing, and we’ve loved welcoming so many visitors through our doors this bank holiday weekend. From history enthusiasts to families exploring something new, there’s been plenty going on!

If you haven’t made it in yet, there’s still time to make a day of it - come and explore the Museum, discover the stories of the Border Regiment and beyond, and see what you can uncover 🪖

❤️ And if you have visited us this weekend… thank you for stopping by! ❤️

30/08/2026

👀✋🏻 Wait… we’re open on a Bank Holiday Monday?!

Yep, you read that right!

🙌🏻 While everyone else is enjoying a lie-in tomorrow, we’ll be here at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, ready to welcome you! 🙌🏻

So if you’re looking for something to do this Bank Holiday Monday, why not pop in and discover something new about your local military history?

No excuses - we’ll see you tomorrow!! 😉

29/08/2026

🪖 We take our gift shop merch modelling duties VERY seriously! 🪖

Looking for the perfect finishing touch to your historical adventure?

We’ve got kids’ military helmets available in the Museum gift shop (They’re also big enough for adult heads!)

Perfect for dressing up, imaginative play and generally looking like you’ve got VERY important business to attend to.

((Disclaimer: These are fancy dress helmets and are not protective headgear - please don’t try cycling in one!))

And yes… we did seriously consider wearing them all day. We take quality control seriously around here 👀

Pop into the gift shop next time you’re visiting the Museum and pick one up for your budding little recruit! 🪖

28/08/2026

✨ Struggling for bank holiday plans this weekend? Come and spend it with us! ✨

Looking for something a little more interesting than another bank holiday spent wondering what day of the week it is? 😂

Come and explore Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life and discover the stories that make up some truly exceptional local history.

And, as if that wasn’t enough… we’re inside Carlisle Castle! 🏰 So you can explore the museum and enjoy the unique setting that surrounds it.

Whether you’re a military history fan, bringing the family along, or just looking for somewhere different to spend a few hours - we’d love to see you.

📍 Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, inside Carlisle Castle
👉🏻 Open 7 days a week, 10am to 5pm

Make a day of it this Bank Holiday weekend - we’ll see you at the museum! 👋🏻

Love Carlisle Carlisle Castle Cumbria Guide

27/08/2026

🗓️ On This Day: A poem from the journey to Gallipoli.

On 27 August 1915, The Times published a poem written by Lieutenant Nowell Oxland of the 6th Battalion, Border Regiment.

Lt. Oxland wrote the poem while travelling with his battalion aboard the transport taking them towards the Mediterranean. His words offer a glimpse of the thoughts and experiences of the men making that journey towards Gallipoli.

You can discover more of Lt. Oxland’s poetry in Chasing the Phantom: The Lost Words of War Poet Nowell Oxland, available to buy in our museum gift shop.
The book brings together his surviving poems and explores the story of a young officer whose life and work were cut short by the First World War.

📜 Read his poem in the image below…

✨ Want to learn more about the Border Regiment at Gallipoli? ✨

Join us at the Museum on Saturday 3rd October for our Gallipoli Lecture Day, where we’ll explore the campaign and the experiences of those who served there.

📅 Saturday 3rd October
⏰ 10am to 5pm
📍 Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, inside Carlisle Castle
🎟️ £30 including lunch, refreshments and free entry to the Museum.

Grab your tickets online here: 👉🏻 https://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/product/gallipoli-lecture-day-2026/

26/08/2026

🪖 A helmet with a story to uncover 🔎

One of the best things about our Down to Brass Tacks Project is that you never quite know what you’re going to find…

👀 While working on the project’s collection inventory, volunteer Harriet came across this fascinating Kulah Khud helmet. Intrigued by the object, she did some research to find out more about it - and her work has now become the first object featured in our brand-new Spotlight Case.

The Kulah Khud was a type of helmet worn across Persia, India and the Ottoman Empire from the 1600s into the 1900s. Its metal dome protected the head, while the chainmail aventail shielded the neck and shoulders, and a sliding nasal bar protected the face.

Interestingly, even as Persia’s military modernised during the 19th century, traditional armour such as this continued to appear in parades, costumes and as souvenirs.

We don’t yet know exactly how this particular helmet came to be part of our collection - but that’s part of the fun of uncovering the stories behind our objects!

Look out for Harriet’s discovery in our new Spotlight Case (currently upstairs in the lecture room) 🙌🏻

✨ Down to Brass Tacks is helping us uncover, research and better understand the thousands of objects in our collection - one object at a time - thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund ✨

heritagefunduk

25/08/2026

History on your doorstep...

Are you a teacher or a teaching student? Did you know the Museum offers school sessions covering the First World War, The Second World War and Remembrance? Would you like to find out more about the educational offer at both the Museum and Carlisle Castle?

Then the Teachers' Twilight event is for you!

The October Twilight event will include:
* a showcase of our resources
* familiarisation of the Castle and Museum sites
* an insight into the workshops on offer
* support with your risk assessment
* help with admin and booking arrangements
* dedicated staff to discuss your requirements
* free refreshments
* a timeslot that has minimum impact on your evening

Why not book onto this free Teacher Twilight session on 15th October to find out more?
Use the QR code below or email: [email protected] to book your place before 8th October.

Feel free to share this post to all your teaching friends or put the poster in your staff room.

English Heritage Cumbria Cultural Learning Network - CCLN Cumbria Students Union Dumfries And Galloway University of Cumbria Carlisle Newsletter Westmorland and Furness Council Cumberland Council Cumberland Libraries BBC Cumbria

24/08/2026

📦👀 We’re opening the museum’s boxes - and we need your help! 📦👀

What’s inside? What does it do? Who did it belong to? And what should we do with it?

In this weeks Wednesday Workshop, young museum detectives can get hands-on with our Down To Brass Tacks project: opening collection boxes, investigating the objects inside and having a go at deciding how they could be displayed and cared for.

It’s a chance to get behind the scenes, handle some of the stories from our collection and see what really goes on behind the museum displays.

Come along this Wednesday and see what you discover…

🗓️ Wednesday 26th August
⏰ Between 11am and 3pm
📍 Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, inside Carlisle Castle
🎟️ Wednesday Workshops are included free with your standard admission

Cumbria Guide Love Carlisle Carlisle Castle

23/08/2026

Hot Aire keeping out of the heat at Carlisle Castle today

Address

Alma Block, The Castle
Carlisle
CA38UR

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441228532774

Website

http://cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/

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