Old Rectory Museum

Set in the Medieval centre of Loughborough The Old Rectory building represents 800 years of the town’s heritage. Standing in its own grounds on Rectory Place on the edge of the modern town centre the Old Rectory represents a rare survival of a stone built 13th century manor house.

The home of the Rectors of All Saints Parish Church for most of its life it probably represents one of the oldest Rectories in the country. The building was rescued when what seemed to be an eighteenth and early nineteenth century house was being demolished in the 1960s.

The Old Rectory now houses a museum run by the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society.

Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum

The Loughborough Carillon is first and foremost a war memorial to the fallen in two world wars, but it is also a museum  with artifacts, documents and items that recall the events of those wars as they relate to Loughborough people.
The carillon tower is owned by the local authority, but administered by a board of trustees.  On a day-to-day basis it is run by a team of volunteers.

The museum is a great place to find out about the past, whether that means simple curiosity about the wars fought in the 20th century, seeking information about an ancestor or more serious research about events and those who took part in them.

It’s also a good place to teach the next generation about their history through the people who where there and the artifacts they left behind. 

Castle Donington Museum

Castle Donington Museum Trust was founded in 1994 to provide and maintain a Local History Museum, reflecting the long and interesting history of this community overlooking the River Trent, which brought, in their turn, Saxons, Romans, Vikings and Normans to the heart of England.

In 2001 we staged our first exhibition in the Stone House, a grade two listed building and each year we mount a new exhibition, illustrating some aspect of the life of Castle Donington and its inhabitants over the centuries.

We are an accredited museum, run entirely by a group of volunteers and we have won a number of regional awards for our exhibitions, other projects and events which we run throughout the year.

Grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sponsors have enabled us to create a good working environment with the conditions necessary for the proper care of the museum’s growing collection.

Mundesley Maritime Museum

The Mundesley Museum is in the North Norfolk Coastal village of Mundesley. The museum sits in a coastguard lookout which was built in 1928. Inside the building we feature Maritime history and Mundesley Maritime/Coastal History. The museum features photographs, prints and information illustrating local fishing and trade from the 19th century, equipment from 1930/40s. 
Not only do we feature Maritime history we also have information on; Mundesley Railway, Mundesley Minefield and locally found Fossils (such as a Mammoth!, Elephant! and Hippopotamus!). 

University of South Wales Art Collection

Oriel y Bont art gallery was created in 1983 to provide a unique educational and cultural resource, and a strong sense of contemporary and historical place and identity.

The University of South Wales’s Art Collection has fully accredited Museum Status and consists of a variety of types of artwork produced since 1910, plus related archive material. The Collection focuses upon the visual culture of south Wales mainly since 1939.

The exhibition spaces are located within Tŷ Crawshay, a listed building dating to the mid nineteenth century, originally owned and occupied by the wealthy industrialist William Crawshay II (1788-1867).

Beeston Castle

Crowning a rocky crag and boasting spectacular views, Beeston is one of the most dramatically sited medieval castles in England. On a clear day you can see all the way from the Pennines to the Welsh mountains.  With a 4,000 year history and a 40-acre woodland park Beeston Castle has something for everyone to enjoy. 

The Great Laxey Wheel

The Great Laxey Wheel or Lady Isabella (as she is also known) is the largest working waterwheel in the world.  A brilliant example of Victorian engineering she was built in 1854 to pump water from the Laxey mines. Today a climb to the top is rewarded with panoramic views across the Laxey Valley.

Situated in the East

The Great Laxey Wheel is the largest surviving working wheel of its kind in the world.  Designed by the Victorian engineer, Robert Casement, the wheel was built in 1854 to pump water from Glen Mooar part of the ‘Great Laxey Mines’ industrial complex.

The impressive 22m (72.5 feet) diameter structure found immediate popularity and has remained one of the Island’s most dramatic tourist attractions for over 150 years.

Thinktank

Thinktank, Birmingham’s award winning science museum, offers an enlightening and fun packed day out for the family.

From steam engines and talking robots through to gurgling guts and a chocolate wrapping machine, Thinktank has over 200 hands-on displays on science and technology.

Housed inside the impressive Millennium Point building at Thinktank you will find four floors of hands-on exhibits and historical collections that will amaze and inspire you, showing you the science of the world all around us.

Including the Science Garden, Planetarium and an exciting programme of events and activities, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Struttʼs North Mill

Strutt’s North Mill played a vital role in the UK’s Industrial Revolution and is of architectural and historic importance. It is one of a chain of mills that form part of UNESCO’s Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site. Our knowledgeable guides will take you on a tour of the mill and explain more about its social, historic and industrial background.

Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology

The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, owned by the University of Reading and an integral part of the Department of Classics, is recognised as the fourth largest collection of Greek ceramics in Britain. The collection primarily consists of material from the Greek and Greco-Roman civilisations of the Mediterranean, most notably Greek and Etruscan ceramics and terracottas. Other artifacts include prehistoric pottery, as well as metal and stone artifacts of Greek and Roman date. There is also an important collection of Egyptian antiquities, ranging from the Pre-dynastic to the Roman period.

There are approximately 2000 objects in the museum, not all of which can be displayed at any one time. However temporary displays are changed periodically and less valuable items may be handled by school groups.

The museum is open between 9 am and 4.30 pm on weekdays during university term time and Tuesday to Thursday in the university holidays and admission is free. The museum is also used for various educational activities so visitors may find themselves sharing the space with a class.

The Ure Museum is accessible to people with disabilities, who may prefer to enter the building from its East entrance (opposite the Student Union), turning right and then right again upon entry to the building. WCs and refreshment facilities are available both within our building and in an adjacent building.