Archaeological Museums in the UK

High Street, Avebury, Wiltshire  
Alexander Keiller Museum, founded by Alexander Keiller in the 1930s, contains the prehistoric collections from the Avebury complex of monuments, which are of similar age to... more

Baring Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear  
Arbeia Roman Fort & Museum - nowhere else on Hadrian´s Wall can the sheer scale of Roman achievements be better understood than here. Built around AD160,... more

The Mall East, Armagh, Co Armagh  
A visit to Armagh County Museum is an ideal way to experience a flavour of the orchard county. Discover a rich and varied legacy revealed in... more

Beaumont Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire  
Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean is one of the oldest museums in the world - and one of Britain´s finest. It is a treasure house of... more

Churchgate, Spalding, Lincolnshire  
Ayscoughfee Hall Museum is a medieval town house on the banks of the River Welland. Built in 1451 by a wool merchant, it is now the... more

Beamish, Chester-le-Street, Durham  
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum, Britain´s favourite open-air museum, set in over 300 acres of beautiful countryside, vividly recreates life in the North... more

Big Pit, Blaenafon, Pontypool, Torfaen  
The Big Pit: National Coal Museum offers an insight into the life of South Wales miners and their communities and is unique to Wales. The guided... more

Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, West Midlands  
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery was opened in 1885 and is home to one of the world´s largest collections of pre-Raphaelite art, with works by Rossetti,... more

Barnard Castle, Durham  
The first sight of The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle never ceases to amaze. Purpose built in the 19th century by John Bowes and his French... more

Queens Road, Bristol  
Bristol City is the region´s largest Museum and Art Gallery housing an outstanding and diverse range of objects. There is a choice of galleries full of... more

Church Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire  
Buckinghamshire County Museum & The Roald Dahl Children´s Gallery, houses displays that cover the diverse natural, social and cultural history of Buckinghamshire. In addition to curriculum... more

18 High Street, Canterbury, Kent  
Canterbury Royal Museum & Art Gallery with Buffs Regimental Museum is in a splendid Victorian building, housing the city´s picture collections with recent acquisisions that include... more

Castle Park, Colchester, Essex  
Colchester Castle Museum was once the capital of Roman Britain and a visit to the Museum takes you through 2000 years of some of the most... more

Coliseum, Terrace Road, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion  
The Ceredigion Museum & Gallery opened in 1982, and is housed on the ground floor of the old Coliseum building. Described as `one of the most... more

Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex  
Chelmsford Museum & the Essex Regiment Museum was founded in 1835. This local history Museum features `The Story of Chelmsford´ exhibition. The history of Chelmsford and... more

Clarence Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire  
Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum houses Cheltenham´s Arts and Crafts Movement collection of furniture, textiles, ceramics, carvings, silver and jewellery, recognised as an outstanding collection of... more

Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland  
Chesterholm Museum - Vindolanda is a Roman Frontier military and civilian site, which has been the location of extensive excavation for over 30 years with archaeologists... more

Chollerford, Humshaugh, Hexham, Northumberland  
Chesters Fort & Museum was built around 122-123AD and located along Hadrian´s Wall, this is one of the best-preserved examples of a cavalry fort in Britain.... more

29 Little London, Chichester, West Sussex  
Chichester District Museum is housed in an 18th century corn store in the heart of Chichester. The Museum tells the story of Chichester and the surrounding... more

Brunswick Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire  
The City Museum & Art Gallery is a fine Victorian building housing items of national importance since 1860. These include many archaeological finds such as Roman... more

Spring Gardens Lane, Keighley, West Yorkshire  
Cliffe Castle Museum was built in 1833 and originally called Cliffe Hall, it was converted into a museum and art gallery in 1960. Housing displays of... more

Clifton Lane, Rotherham, South Yorkshire  
Clifton Park Museum is situated within Clifton House, built in 1783 as the home of Joshua Walker, the founder of Rotherham Ironworks. Inside is Britain´s finest... more

Brecon Road, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff  
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery was built in 1824, this Georgian castellated mansion was originally home to the Crawshay family and is set in 160... more

The Strand, Derby, Derbyshire  
The Derby Museum & Art Gallery, opened in 1879, houses the internationally important collection of major paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97). Also on display... more

North Road, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria  
The Dock Museum is built over an original Victorian dry dock, this modern Museum tells the history of Barrow-in-Furness. Discover how it grew from a 19th... more

Chequer Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire  
Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery is a purpose built Museum, opened in 1964 to display various collections of natural history, archaeology, local history and fine and... more

Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, Teesside  
The Dorman Museum was completely refurbished and expanded to give eight galleries filled with different themes, stories and objects. Explore `Earth in Space´ or take a... more

Elvet Hill, Durham  
Durham University Oriental Museum opened in 1960, and is the only museum of its kind in the country devoted solely to Oriental art and archaeology. The... more

Salthill Road, Fishbourne, Chichester, West Sussex  
This site of Fishbourne Roman Palace was discovered in 1960 when a water main was being laid. Evidence suggests that it was developed from three phases... more

Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire  
The Fitzwilliam Museum was founded in 1816 by Richard, 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam and is the art museum of the University of Cambridge. One of the oldest... more

Pendeen, Penzance, Cornwall  
At Geevor Mine, walk through 18th century tunnels on a guided tour, see how the extracting and processing of tin actually took place, deep in the... more

27 Grosvenor Street, Chester, Cheshire  
The Grosvenor Museum houses Chester´s biggest collection of its local and international history, spread over three floors of a classic 19th century building. In the Roman... more

Guildhall Yard, London  
Guildhall Art Gallery & Roman London´s Amphitheatre was established in 1885. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1941 and the new Art Gallery was... more

Ffordd Gwynedd, Bangor, Gwynedd  
This is Gwynedd´s only general museum which displays and cares for the Bangor University collection and the collections of Gwynedd Council Museum Service. The Museum collections... more

Jordan Well, Coventry, Warwickshire  
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is undergoing a major redevelopment. When complete in the first half of 2008 it will include major new exhibitions on... more

36 High Street, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire  
Hull & East Riding Museum is situated in an area of historic buildings and cobbled streets known as the Museums Quarter and boasts some of the... more

The University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, Glasgow City  
The Hunterian Museum is Scotland´s first public museum, established in 1807 and located within the Gothic splendour of the University of Glasgow. Based on the vast... more

Castle Wynd, Inverness, Highland  
At the newly refurbished Inverness Museum & Art Gallery you can discover Highland heritage in displays, exhibitions and events with an extravaganza of archaeology, art, natural... more

High Street, Ipswich, Suffolk  
Ipswich Museum was founded in 1847, the Museum´s exhibitions include the Romans in Suffolk, Anglo-Saxons in Ipswich, mankind galleries, local and world geology and a Victorian... more

Coppergate, York, North Yorkshire  
At JORVIK, get face-to-face with the Vikings on the very site where archaeologists discovered the remains of the place they once called home. Discover what life... more

St Nicholas Circle, Leicester, Leicestershire  
Jewry Wall Museum is Leicester´s Museum of Archaeology, set amongst the remains of the Roman town´s public baths. Its centrepeice is the 2000-year old Jewry Wall,... more

Argyle Street, Glasgow, Glasgow City  
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum re-opened in July 2006 following a £35 million restoration project. 8,000 objects are on display along with the new hands-on Discovery... more

Market Square, Lancaster, Lancashire  
Lancaster City Museum is situated in the former town hall and spread over two floors with collections illustrating the history and archaeology of Lancaster and North... more

The Parade, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire  
This award winning Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, Royal Pump Rooms has a fine art collection, an exhibition on the history of Royal Leamington Spa,... more

169 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex  
The building of Lewes Castle began soon after the conquest of 1066 and continued for nearly 300 years and is unusual for its two motttes (artificial... more

Holy Island, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland  
Lindisfarne Priory is one of the holiest sites of Anglo-Saxon England and renowned as the original burial place of St Cuthbert. Founded in 635 by St... more

St Faiths Street, Maidstone, Kent  
At Maidstone and Bentlif Art Gallery you´ll find something for everyone - outstanding collections, special exhibitions, a shop and a café. Housed in a beautiful Elizabethan... more

The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester  
Explore the world and travel through the ages at The Manchester Museum. In the Museum´s 15 galleries you can come face to face with live reptiles,... more

High Street, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex  
Marlipins Museum, once a Customs House, now holds artefacts from the long history of the Shoreham area and the maritime past plus a collection of local... more

No 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London  
The Museum in Docklands unlocks the history of London´s river, port and people in a spectacular Georgian warehouse. Explore the story of Londoners from across the... more