List of museums in Leicestershire
This list of museums in Leicestershire, England contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.
Name | Image | Town/City | Type | Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abbey Pumping Station | Leicester | Technology | Science and technology museum, housed in a Victorian sewage pumping station with beam engines restored to working order, and exhibitions on light and optics, historic transport and public health, including an 'interactive toilet'. | |
Ashby de la Zouch Museum | Ashby-de-la-Zouch | Local | website, local history, culture | |
Armourgeddon Military Museum | Husbands Bosworth | Military | website, military vehicles, guns, cannons and military paraphernalia | |
Belgrave Hall | Leicester | Historic house | Victorian period house showing the contrasting lifestyles of an upper-middle-class family and domestic servants | |
Belvoir Castle | Grantham | Historic house | Castle with gardens | |
Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and Country Park | Sutton Cheney | Military | History of the 1485 Battle of Bosworth during the War of the Roses, and the search for the site of the battle. | |
Charnwood Museum | Loughborough | Local | Area history, geology, archaeology and industries | |
Castle Donington Museum | Castle Donington | Local | website, local history | |
Conkers | Moira | Natural history | website, nature, woodlands, visitor centre of The National Forest | |
Donington le Heath Manor House Museum | Coalville | Historic house | 16th-century medieval period house | |
De Montfort University Heritage Centre | Leicester | Education & Medieval | Housed in the Hawthorne Building, it covers the history of The Newarke & Church of the Annunciation, Trinity Hospital building, DMU History and special exhibitions[1] | |
East Midlands Aeropark | Castle Donington | Aviation | Includes complete airframes on external display, engines, aircraft components, photographs | |
Foxton Canal Museum | Foxton | Transportation | History of the Foxton Locks, lives of the canal workers and other aspects of the local canal | |
Fleckney Museum | Fleckney | Local | website, local history | |
Guru Nanak Sikh Museum | Leicester | Religious | website, Sikh art, history, culture; by appointment only. | |
Hallaton Museum | Hallaton | Local | website, local history | |
Harborough Museum | Market Harborough | Local | Local history, culture, industry, Hallaton Treasure | |
Hinckley and District Museum | Hinckley | Local | website, local history, framework knitter`s cottage with 1740s knitting frame. | |
Jewry Wall Museum | Leicester | Archaeology | Alongside Jewry Wall and site of Roman baths. The museum houses Roman mosaics and artifacts alongside archaeological material from prehistoric to medieval Leicester, including the history of archaeology in Leicester.[2] | |
John Taylor & Co | Loughborough | Music | Collection of bells used in clock towers, change ringing peals, chimes, and carillons | |
Kegworth Museum | Kegworth | Local | local history, archaeology.[3] | |
King Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery | Leicester | Archaeology | Visitor Centre at the Greyfriars burial site, with exhibitions on the life and death of Richard III and the archaeological investigation on his remains.[4] | |
Leicester Guildhall | Leicester | Medieval | Medieval half-timbered building with Victorian prison cells, and since 2015, galleries on Medieval Leicester[5] | |
Loughborough Carillon & War Memorial | Loughborough | Military | World War I memorial, carillon, military museum | |
Loughborough Central Station | Loughborough | Railway | 1950s period station museum on the Great Central Railway heritage railroad | |
Lutterworth Museum | Lutterworth | Local | website, local history, Sir Frank Whittle display | |
Measham Museum | Measham | Local | website. Local history. Since 2009 it is housed in part of the disused railway station. | |
Melton Carnegie Museum | Melton Mowbray | Local | Local history and culture, including area Stilton cheese and pork pies. Museum in 1977, in former Andrew Carnegie Library. | |
Moira Furnace | Moira | Industry | 19th-century iron-making blast furnace, with short boat rides on the restored canal. | |
National Gas Museum Leicester | Leicester | Industry | Gas industry museum, on production and supply of gas, and gas related artifacts and domestic appliances. | |
National Space Centre | Leicester | Science | Space science and astronomy | |
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery | Leicester | Multiple | Dinosaurs, geology, art, Ancient Egypt, natural history, world art | |
Newarke Houses Museum | Leicester | Multiple | Local history, room settings from the 17th century and the 1950s and 70s, toys, history of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, period street scene | |
Old Rectory Museum | Loughborough | Local | website, operated by the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society | |
Retro Computer Museum | Thurmaston | Technology | preservation, display, and public experience of computer and console systems | |
Shackerstone Railwayana Museum | Shackerstone | Railway | Station and museum for the Battlefield Line Railway | |
Sir John Moore Heritage Centre | Appleby Magna | Education | website, 1891 Victorian life in the then Sir John Moore Church of England School | |
Stanford Hall | Lutterworth | Historic house | William and Mary period house | |
Stonehurst Family Farm and Motor Museum | Mountsorrel | Multiple | Family farm and automobile museum | |
Stoneygate Tram Depot | Leicester | Transport Heritage | website explores the history of public transport in Leicester and the surrounding areas, and provides bus rides on historic buses | |
Stoneywell | Ulverscroft | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, summer home designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Ernest Gimson | |
Swannington Hough Mill | Swannington | Mill | Operated by Swannington Heritage Trust | |
Wigston Framework Knitters Museum | Wigston Magna | Industry | website, workshop with stocking frame equipment, hand frames for making gloves, mitts and fancy ribbed tops for golf hose | |
William Carey Museum | Leicester | Biographical | website, located at the Central Baptist Church, life and works of pioneer missionary William Carey |
Defunct museums
[edit]- Magazine Gateway Regimental Museum, Leicester, closed in 1996 (collection moved to Newarke Houses Museum).
- Museum of Costume, Leicester, closed in 2000
- City Gallery, Leicester, closed in 2010.
- Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville, closed in July 2015.
- Donington Grand Prix Exhibition, Castle Donington, closed in 2018.
- Cold War Jets Collection, Bruntingthorpe, closed in June 2020.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ De Montfort University Heritage Centre, DMU website, accessed 20 April 2015
- ^ Museum Service site for Jewry Wall Museum, accessed 7 March 2015
- ^ Kegworth Museum website
- ^ Dynasty Death and Discovery: About the Centre, accessed 7 March 2015
- ^ Leicester City Council Museums: Leicester Guildhall