Speke Hall
Beyond the black & white is a Tudor house with a Victorian personality
Speke Hall is a rare Tudor timber-framed manor house in a most unusual setting on the banks of the River Mersey. Restored and brought back to life in the 19th century, it is a unique and beautiful mixture of Tudor simplicity and Victorian Arts and Crafts’ aesthetics.
Built by the devout Catholic Norris family – keen to impress visitors with the grandeur of their home and in particular the magnificent Great Hall – this beautiful building has witnessed more than 400 years of turbulent history. From the Tudor period when a secret priest hole was an essential feature, to years of neglect and decay in the 18th and 19th centuries (including a spell when it was used as a cow shed) and then being dragged into the Victorian era of improvement and technology, the Hall has seen it all.
In the 21st century, Speke Hall and its surrounding estate now provide a real oasis from the hurly burly of modern life. As you come through the gates, relax, take a breath and enjoy all that this wonderful place has to offer. The Hall is surrounded by beautiful restored gardens and protected by a collar of woodland.
Beatrix Potter Gallery
Beatrix Potter’s original artwork on display in a 17th-century house
The Beatrix Potter Gallery displays original items from our collection in this year’s exhibition ‘The Right Sort of Woman’. For anyone who has ever been enchanted by Beatrix’s endearing characters, the gallery is the place to go to marvel at these miniature masterpieces.
This unique space occupies a 17th-century building which served as the office of Beatrix’s solicitor husband. For a perfect day out, why not follow in Beatrix Potter’s footsteps to Hill Top, then spend time outdoors?
Hawkshead village is an excellent base for exploring the countryside that inspired Beatrix and many other artists, authors and poets.
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery
A collection 360 million years in the making.
Visit Buxton Museum and Art Gallery to discover the archaeology, geology, art and history of the Peak District. There’s always something new to see in our changing programme of exhibitions, events and workshops.
Read MoreWhitburn Community Museum
Visit the museum to see learn about the history of the town; Levi’s factory, coal mining in the area and other aspects of our history. The museum is located inside the Whitburn Library, we also hold touring exhibitions.
Read MoreBlackridge Community Museum
Explore Blackridge’s past and get to know the present Blackridge. The museum is also host to regular temporary exhibitions.
Read MoreElizabethan House
Delightful treasury of 16th-century domestic history
An amazing ‘hands on’ museum to enthrall all ages.
This 16th-century quayside building reflects the life and times of the families who lived here from Tudor to Victorian times. Decide for yourself if the death of Charles I was plotted in the Conspiracy Room.
Please note: Elizabethan House Museum is managed by Norfolk Museums Service.
Nautical Museum
Situated in Castletown
For more than 200 years the Nautical Museum in Castletown was home to the Peggy, the earliest example of a British schooner, and the only surviving shallop of her kind. The Peggywas built by the inventive Captain George Quayle, who in his time was a businessman, banker, soldier and alleged smuggler.
Extensive archaeological investigations have been completed in the boatyard yielding new information on the Peggy story and revealing an 18th century private dock. The Peggy has temporarily been removed to a specialist building for a long-term programme of stabilisation, conservation and study. This is likely to take place over a 5 year period.
See the new ‘Quayle Gallery’ telling more of the personal story of George Quayle and his family as well as the Peggy, showcasing previously unseen objects uncovered in recent archaeological excavations. Exhibits include a leather pistol holster, a flintlock pistol mechanism, some coconut shell drinking cups and what is believed to be an eighteenth century microscope.
Read More
The Grove Museum
Built by the Gibbs, a wealthy merchant family from Liverpool as their summer retreat. Later it became the permanent family home. The Gibb sisters, Alice and Janet continued to live in the house until their deaths in the 1970’s. The house provides a real insight into the lives of this family from Victorian times to the 20th Century.
Read MoreThe National Folk Museum at Cregneash
Situated in the South
Settled on an upland plateau, in the shadow of Meayll Hill and overlooking the Calf of Man, Cregneash was one of the last strongholds of the Manx language and customs which characterised the traditional crofting way of life.
Step inside the original cottages to find out how the crofter lived through an engaging experience that includes domestic skills and craft demonstrations as well as stories of their rugged self-sufficient lifestyles.
A walk around Cregneash will reveal some indigenous Manx animal breeds and traditional farming practices. Take some time to enjoy the ever changing seasons and unique natural history.
Take care: For your own comfort and safety, wear sensible shoes and take care on uneven surfaces whilst visiting this site.
Read MoreNational Gallery
The National Gallery in London houses the national collection of Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries, with works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and more.
Read More