Portland Museum

Portland Museum Portland Museum was founded in 1929 by Dr Marie Stopes, the famous author, paleobotanist and birth control pioneer.

In 1930, Stopes gifted the two 17th century thatched cottages that house its collection to the people of Portland. Situated just above the spectacular Church Ope Cove, the museum sits in an area rich in history that features dinosaurs, fossils, shipwrecks and smugglers, Rufus Castle, Pennsylvania Castle and the ruins of St Andrew’s Church. It houses a collection on locally based themes of quarryin

g and the Portland Stone industry, maritime history, archaeology, folklore and local customs, and fossils and the Jurassic era. Portland Museum Trust is a registered charity and welcomes not only visitors but anyone interested in becoming a volunteer. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity in all our activities and strive to create a work place that reflects the community we serve. We welcome everyone irrespective of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. To get in touch, please contact us on 01305 821804 or [email protected]

The Museum is open today with last admittance at 3.30. Come and see our quirky collection and visit our mammoth exhibiti...
28/05/2026

The Museum is open today with last admittance at 3.30. Come and see our quirky collection and visit our mammoth exhibition with bones featured in the BBC documentary, discovered by Sally and Neville Hollingworth. We have a mammoth trail with a fossil prize and an I-spy. Our beautiful garden is great for picnics and we even have a dinosour footprint for you to find! Thanks Sally Poyton for the pirate mammoth illustration.

TIS PIRATE'S CRAFT DAY!All you nipper pirates get down to the museum. It's time to parley.We've got loads of crafting fo...
27/05/2026

TIS PIRATE'S CRAFT DAY!
All you nipper pirates get down to the museum. It's time to parley.
We've got loads of crafting for you to do, and we've liberated a cargo of finest rum* and ship's biscuits* for you young 'uns to feast on. Treasure is waiting for anyone who can complete Blackbeard's treasure hunt .
We're here all day so set sail for the crafty party.

*may not be rum
*might be cakes

Raise the anchor and steady yer sea legs — Izzy, our legendary face‑painting sorceress of the seven seas, is sailing bac...
26/05/2026

Raise the anchor and steady yer sea legs — Izzy, our legendary face‑painting sorceress of the seven seas, is sailing back into Portland Museum for Pirate Day.

She’s armed with brushes sharper than a cutlass and glitter brighter than buried treasure. Your mini‑buccaneers will leave looking fearsome, fabulous, or fossil‑tastically fierce.

✨ Glitter tattoos — sparkle fit for a pirate queen
🎨 Face painting — from parrots to pirates to sea monsters
🦴 Paint‑Your‑Own Fossils — unleash your inner archae‑ARRRR‑logist

Whether your crew wants stripes, scales, sparkles or skulls, Izzy’s got the magic to make them shine brighter than a lantern in the crow’s nest.

📅 Wednesday 27 May
🕙 10:30am–3:30pm
📍 Portland Museum

Come get glammed, glittered, and geologically glorious — Pirate Day awaits, me hearties.

💰 Please note: these activities carry an additional charge.

🏴‍☠️ Win a Treasure Trove at Pirate Day!Ahoy, mateys — our Pirate Day just got even more arrr‑mazing! We’re raffling off...
25/05/2026

🏴‍☠️ Win a Treasure Trove at Pirate Day!

Ahoy, mateys — our Pirate Day just got even more arrr‑mazing! We’re raffling off two swashbuckling pirate gift bags, each packed with enough loot to make even the saltiest sea‑dog smile.

Inside each treasure bag you’ll find:
🦜 Pirate puppets & parrots
💰 Chocolate coins (perfect for hungry buccaneers)
🎨 Colouring books & crayons
🏴‍☠️ Stickers for decorating your ship, treasure chest, or favourite crewmate

These bags are bursting with b***y, and you could be the lucky landlubber who sails away with one.

Join us on Wednesday 27 May, dive into a day of crafts, trails, fossils, face painting and fun — and don’t forget to grab your raffle ticket. You might just X‑mark‑the‑spot your way to victory.

Hoist the sails, gather your crew, and get ready for a day of pure plunderful joy.

If you missed our Mammoth Day, don’t worry — the half‑term fun is only just getting started.Next up is one of our most p...
24/05/2026

If you missed our Mammoth Day, don’t worry — the half‑term fun is only just getting started.
Next up is one of our most popular family events of the year… Pirate Day!

All hands on deck for Portland Museum’s Pirate Day, sailing in on Wednesday 27 May, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm!

Join our crafty crew for a day of swashbuckling creativity:
🦜 Create your own colourful parrot — maybe Polly’s cousin from Treasure Island!
🏴‍☠️ Design your own pirate flag for your imaginary ship — the more fearsome, the better!
🎩 Craft your captain’s hat — a tricorne fit for the most fashionable rogue on the high seas!
💎 Make your own pirate badge to show off your buccaneer brilliance!

No booking needed — just drop anchor and join the fun.
🎟️ Prices:
Islanders: £2.50 child / £1 adult
Non‑islanders: £3.50 child / £2.50 adult
(Some activities have small extra costs.)

🦣 A Mammoth‑Sized Thank You!What a day! May Mammoth Madness was a roaring success! Full of laughter, discovery, and preh...
24/05/2026

🦣 A Mammoth‑Sized Thank You!

What a day! May Mammoth Madness was a roaring success! Full of laughter, discovery, and prehistoric fun.

A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers who made the event possible, keeping everything running smoothly and welcoming visitors with smiles.

Grateful thanks to our experts, who shared their wisdom and helped guests uncover the secrets of their fossil finds.

And an especially massive thank you to Sally Poyton, who spent the day waxing lyrical about mammoths and her brilliant book Mammoth Rider. You can now find Mammoth Rider in the Portland Museum gift shop — each copy comes with a signed bookplate and a mammoth bookmark!

It was a day to remember and we couldn’t have done it without you all.

May Mammoth Madness is in full swing, and there’s still time to join the fun!Fossils, crafts, games, storytime with Sall...
23/05/2026

May Mammoth Madness is in full swing, and there’s still time to join the fun!
Fossils, crafts, games, storytime with Sally Poyton, and plenty of mammoth‑themed mischief.
We’re here until 3:30pm, so if you’re nearby, come on down and be part of the adventure.

🦣 Tomorrow’s the big day!Portland Museum’s May Mammoth Madness kicks off at 10:30am — a full day of fossil fun, creative...
22/05/2026

🦣 Tomorrow’s the big day!
Portland Museum’s May Mammoth Madness kicks off at 10:30am — a full day of fossil fun, creative crafts, and mammoth-sized adventures!

🦴 Meet the experts, build your own mammoth skeleton, paint fossils, and enjoy silly games and yummy treats.
📚 Don’t miss the book reading and signing with Sally Poyton, author of Mammoth Rider!

📍 Portland Museum, Wakeham
🕒 Saturday 23 May, 10:30am–3:30pm
🎟️ Standard: £3.50 child / £2.50 adult
Islanders: £2.50 child / £1 adult

Come celebrate prehistoric wonders with us — it’s going to be mammoth!

🦴 Game of Bones: You know nothing, bone‑Snow!Step into the realm of prehistoric power at May Mammoth Madness and test yo...
21/05/2026

🦴 Game of Bones: You know nothing, bone‑Snow!

Step into the realm of prehistoric power at May Mammoth Madness and test your wits in our Game of Bones! Can you tell your femur from your fibula, your tusk from your tooth?

⚔️ Our very own “Jon Bone‑Snow” (aka Dr Neville Hollingworth) will be guarding the specimens — but beware, winter isn’t coming… the Ice Age already did!

🏆 Guess correctly and claim your place on the fossil throne!

📅 Saturday 23 May
📍 Portland Museum, Wakeham

🦣 Think you’ve got mammoth‑sized aim? Step right up to our Mammoth Hoopla at Portland Museum’s May Mammoth Madness!🎯 To...
21/05/2026

🦣 Think you’ve got mammoth‑sized aim?
Step right up to our Mammoth Hoopla at Portland Museum’s May Mammoth Madness!

🎯 Toss your hoops onto our friendly woolly mammoth and climb the scoreboard — prizes await the top scorers!
🌟 Fun for all ages, with a mix of skill, laughter, and prehistoric charm.

📅 Saturday 23 May
🕙 10:30am–3:30pm
📍 Portland Museum, Wakeham

Come test your aim, win a prize, and join the mammoth‑sized fun!

🦣 Get Creative at May Mammoth Madness!Ever wondered what a mammoth might wear to keep warm? At Portland Museum, you can ...
20/05/2026

🦣 Get Creative at May Mammoth Madness!
Ever wondered what a mammoth might wear to keep warm? At Portland Museum, you can design your own Cold Region Elephant just like this colourful creation — complete with ear warmers, boots, and a cosy coat!

Bring your imagination and join us for a day packed with hands‑on fun: crafts, games, fossil finds, storytelling, and plenty more mammoth‑themed adventures to get stuck into.

📅 Saturday 23 May
🕙 10:30 am – 3:30 pm
📍 Portland Museum, Wakeham

🎟️ Tickets:
Standard — £3.50 child | £2.50 adult
Islanders — £2.50 child | £1 adult

Come along for a colossal day of creativity and discovery — it’s going to be huge!

Address

217 Wakeham
Portland
DT51HS

Telephone

+441305821804

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