Update 19th July: We strongly suggest booking a ticket in advance to be sure of your visit. Face coverings must be worn in the museum unless visible proof of exemotion is shown. . Please book your tickets here

Welcome to Ilfracombe Museum

Ilfracombe Museum Trust CIO

Explore a world of curiosities at our friendly museum. Discover the story of Ilfracombe’s rich history and find objects from around the world. Be amazed at the variety of our collections, from natural history and archaeology, art and photography, costume and domestic history. There’s something here for everyone to enjoy.

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Plan Your Visit

We are open Mon to Friday and Saturday afternoons. We strongly recommend booking in advance as visitor numbers are restricted

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Visitor Information

What’s On

We’ve got lots of exciting free family activities for you to take part in – click the Stay Curious button

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Explore a world of curiosities at our friendly museum

Ilfracombe’s great value family attraction

A fascinating place to visit come rain or shine

Overflowing with the curious and the wonderful, we have unimaginable finds from around the world – from a shrunken head to pickled bats! There is something here for everyone and children visit free! A great experience for all the family.

The whole family will be intrigued by the variety of displays. Peer into drawers and peek into cupboards; wander through eight different rooms and uncover the museum’s hidden treasures. You won’t be disappointed by your visit to one of North Devon’s best museums!

There’s more to discover than you’d ever imagine!

Museum gift shop – browse our great gift range

Children’s quizzes, brass rubbing & regular children’s activities.

Under 16s FREE. Disabled access.

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Today Ilfracombe museum is at the Lynton and Barns $Today Ilfracombe museum is at the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Gala! Loads to see here today and tomorrow! #steamrailway$

More from the museum's day at the #LyntonandBarnstapleRailwaygala

Today is National Punctuation Day so we thought it $Today is National Punctuation Day so we thought it would be the ideal day to post some school photos to remind you of what you may remember as some of the 'best days of your life'. Ilfracombe Junior School began life as the Ilfracombe Grammar School, founded in 1935 and the Infants School has had several titles over the years. 1909 Ilfracombe Elementary School, 1920 Ilfracombe Secondary School, 1935 Ilfracombe Senior Council School, 1945 Ilfracombe Secondary Modern and finally in 1970 it became Ilfracombe Infant School. The Ilfracombe Academy was originally the Ilfracombe School and Community College and was opened in 1970 (note: Margaret Thatcher never actually came although as Secretary of State for Education, she was supposed to perform the opening ceremony. Lord Belstead came instead. There have been so many small schools in Ilfracombe but in more recent times, these three remain. #ilfracombe #schooldays #imuseum #localmuseum #ilfracombejuniorschool #ilfracombeinfants$

Supporting your local small museum is easy! You co $Supporting your local small museum is easy! You could sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep in touch with what's going on. Just head to our website at www.ilfracombemuseum.co.uk and fill in your details. We will never bombard you, we promise! #smallmuseum #ilfracombe #keepitlocal$

Avast Ye! It's Talk Like A Pirate Day! We bet noto $Avast Ye! It's Talk Like A Pirate Day! We bet notorious 19th century local smuggler Hannibal Richards talked like a pirate. Can you see the smuggling steps cut into the rock on the left of this picture of Lee Beach? Richards and his gang used these to transport their booty! Shiver me timbers!! #leebay #smuggling #pirates #talklikeapirateday #beach #rugged #museums #ilfracombe #ahoy #yohoho #history$

Is it just us or does it feel like autumn now? The $Is it just us or does it feel like autumn now? The leaves are starting to turn and fall, and it's the perfect time for leaf painting. If you need some inspiration look no further than this beautiful Chinese leaf painting, displayed in our main gallery. Come and visit us to see the full set! #leafpainting #museums #ilfracombe #autumn #chineseart #art #painting #detailed #leaf #nature #fall$

Did you know that our little town raised enough mo $Did you know that our little town raised enough money during the hardships of World War Two, to pay for a naval ship? Today we have a photo of HMS Ilfracombe for you, and here is her story. HMS Ilfracombe was a minesweeper that carried out the essential but mundane work of clearing the seas of enemy mines. Cables were towed underwater behind these ships, trawling for mines that were then cut free and destroyed. Minesweepers and their crew were the unsung heroes of the navy, and it was dangerous work. HMS Ilfracombe was launched in January 1941, having been built in Glasgow. She was a small minesweeper, 174 ft. long, with a typically shallow draught of less than 10 feet. By 1941, the British government was drastically short of weaponry and money. The imminent threat of German invasion from only a few miles across the Channel meant a massive program of arms manufacture, ship and aircraft building was urgently needed. A clever scheme was used to raise funds for the war chest – the British public were asked to ‘invest in the war’ by buying war bonds and National Savings certificates. Special fundraising weeks were organised for specific causes, such as War Weapons Week, where the slogan was ‘Lend to Win!’ The target was daunting – £136,485 in just six days! Near the end of the week a desperate committee warned the readers of the Ilfracombe Chronicle that only £44,500 had been raised: ‘You are asked not to give but to INVEST. Your Country this week is awaiting your answer. You MUST act today or tomorrow.’ The warning worked – by the end of the week Ilfracombe district had raised £122,152, enough for the town to adopt HMS Ilfracombe. The ship carried Ilfracombe’s town crest on her Quarter Deck. Her actual duties during wartime were, of course, not revealed to the town for security reasons. All that remains of her, the ship’s crest, is displayed in Ilfracombe Museum’s Maritime room.$

Today is 'Collect a Rock day'. We don't want you t $Today is 'Collect a Rock day'. We don't want you to go out and take stones and pebbles from the beaches but take a moment here to enjoy some of the beautiful beach art created locally by Jill Burley. Try stacking pebbles with the children on the beach, making a mandala in the sand or using pebbles to make a picture or design. Keep safe, be tide aware and always stay #seasafe We have a great collection of stones, fossils and shells here at the museum - come down and see us today, last entry at 4.30pm. Photos with thanks to Jill Burley. #beachart #ilfracombe #seasafe #beachaware #museum #naturalart$

Today at sunset, the Jewish day of Yom Kippur will $Today at sunset, the Jewish day of Yom Kippur will begin. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It's the day of atonement after the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. On this day, Jews ask God for forgiveness for their sins to secure their fate. ... Then, Jews are able to feast, breaking the fast. From April 1940 to February 1942 Ilfracombe was the base for a Pioneer Corps training centre, receiving exiles and refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe who had joined the Pioneer Corps to avoid internment in British camps. These men were put to work doing practical tasks for the Allied war effort. Many of them were classically trained musicians, highly educated writers and skilled professionals, and most were Jewish. In Ilfracombe they received basic training and English lessons, and then were deployed to camps elsewhere. Six Nobel Laureates passed through the training camp at Ilfracombe. Musicians who had played with top Viennese orchestras would perform at Ilfracombe’s Garrison Theatre in aid of local charities. ‘Coco the Clown’, Robert Maxwell, and Martin, son of Sigmund Freud were among those who came here. To serve Jewish religious needs, a room above the Capstone Hotel, St James’ Place, Ilfracombe, was used as a synagogue during the Second World War. Several Jewish families that already lived in Ilfracombe helped set up this congregation. The rabbi was Revd. Benjamin Wykansky, a British army chaplain. Bar mitzvahs were performed here as well as regular services. The only known Jewish wedding to have ever taken place in Ilfracombe took place here in 1945. When American forces began to arrive in the area in late 1943 in preparation for D Day, the Jewish population in Ilfracombe grew yet again, and the 1000- seat Garrison Theatre had to be used for the most important Jewish festival days. #pioneercorps #ilfracombe #ww2 #1940s #museum$

Ilfracombe has a long history of creating living l $Ilfracombe has a long history of creating living letters - from Peace in 1918, Sport Relief in 1986, the Queen's Jubilee in 2012 and our celebration of 100 years since the end of the Great War in 2018. I was in the Ilfracombe School Sport Relief photo, who else remembers taking part? Capstone has the perfect space for Ilfracombe community pictures - we'd love to see your pictures too!$

Coming soon! At the end of this month, on Saturday $Coming soon! At the end of this month, on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th September we are pleased to announce that as in previous years we will be taking a stall and some of our railway exhibits to the Lynton and Barnstaple Autumn Gala. We will be running our popular 'mystery item' competition whilst we're there so if you're in the area, come and see us and have a go - you could win a free ticket to the museum! Originally opened in 1898, and closed in 1935; what you can see today at Woody Bay is just the beginning of an exciting project to rebuild one of the world's most famous and picturesque narrow-gauge railways; the legendary Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. More information at https://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/railway Looking forward to seeing you there! #railway #lyntonbarnstaplerailway #museum #ilfracombe$

Today in the US is Patriot Day, it honours the mem $Today in the US is Patriot Day, it honours the memory of those who were killed in the 9/11 attacks in 2001. We remember those who died and we are very thankful for the emergency services in New York who gave everything. Here in Ilfracombe we have a proud history of firefighters and we are thankful every day for them. From the 'Great fire of Ilfracombe' in 1896 to the Arcade and Candar fire in 1983 and all the other fires over the years - our brave firefighters risk their lives every time there is a shout.$

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