Welcome to Ilfracombe Museum, the centre of cultural heritage for this beautiful seaside town. Founded in 1932 by the avid collector and explorer Mervyn Palmer, our museum is eccentric and visceral, with birds and mammals adorning the walls, bats in cupboards and butterflies in drawers.

Our vast collection spans centuries and continents. Discover the maritime history of Ilfracombe via our morse code station and send your own messages, make a brass rubbing, follow a trail or dive into the dressing up box! This museum is for families, history buffs and novices. Follow our social media or look on our website for the latest events and exhibitions. We have been Feeding Curiosity Since 1932.

We’re moved to our summer opening hours, and we’re excited to welcome visitors from Monday to Saturday. Our doors open at 10:00 AM and close at 5:00 PM each day (last admission 4pm). With a variety of exhibits and activities, there’s always something new to discover. Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a curious traveler, or a local looking for a delightful day out, Ilfracombe Museum offers a treasure trove of experiences.

CLOSED Sundays

Donate to fund the upkeep of our fabulous museum. Your money will go towards running costs, vital repairs, events, workshops and exhibitions. Thanks for keeping Ilfracombe Museum alive, maybe you can help it flourish!

We have a huge project coming up, we need to relocate. Any donation would be gratefully accepted towards our relocation and renovation fund. Thank you.

We’re open again for 2026! We’ve got lots of exciting workshops, history talks and more coming up this season so keep an eye out on our socials and we’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Shipwreck Trail

As part of Coast Week, and going on throughout the Summer, come and try to crack our new Shipwreck Trail! 

Free trail included with entry to the Museum

Pinhole Camera Drop-in Sessions

Suitable for all ages!

Thursday 27th August

10am-4pm

Come along to the museum to borrow a pinhole camera to take away. Come back when you have taken your picture and we’ll show you how to develop the negative in our darkroom and then how to turn the negative into a positive image on your phone.

A workshop delivered by Ilfracombe Photography Festival

£3 per camera or free with paid entry to the museum

Community Art Project: Folding Paper Boats

Join our community art project and set sail on a journey down memory lane!

We are inviting anyone, residents and visitors alike, visiting the Museum this June to participate in creating a paper boat, each carrying cherished memories of Ilfracombe, its picturesque coast, or any of your nautical experiences.

The project will be running all day throughout the month of June, offering a unique opportunity to connect with your community while celebrating Ilfracombe’s rich maritime heritage.

We will then be working in collaboration with local artist HOSHiKO to create a beautiful art installation displayed in the Museum from September.

Come and be a part of this collective homage to our beloved coastal town!

We’re excited to share that we’re working with North Devon Council and Ilfracombe Town Council on plans to relocate the museum to the Old Post Office on the High Street.

Our current lease is coming to an end and, due to increasing flood risk, we’re no longer able to remain in the existing building.

The good news?

This move gives us a huge opportunity to reimagine the museum for the future — with more space for exhibitions, improved storage and the potential for a café, community space, and better accessibility for everyone.

We’re now preparing a National Lottery grant application to help bring this vision to life. It’s a long-term project, but an exciting one.

This is where you come in…

Over the coming months, we’ll be asking you — our community — what you’d love to see in the new museum. What stories should we tell? What experiences should we create? Your voice will help shape this next chapter.

Let’s build something brilliant together!

In line with other rising costs we have very reluctantly raised the price of our supporters membership

The raise will take effect from Wednesday 1st July 2026 but if your membership needs renewing between July 1st and Dec 31st this year you can still renew at the old rate if you renew before Tuesday 30th June 2026.

The rise will affect all levels of membership with the new prices for our most popular bronze level being: £12 for a concession, £15 for an adult, £23 for a concession couple and £29 for an adult couple, you can revisit as many times as you want and get discounts on our event tickets, still very good value for money!

CLICK HERE to renew your membership now!