Poole Museum (formerly known as the Waterfront Museum) is a currently closed

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

museum situated on the Lower High Street in the Old Town area of

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, and is part of the Borough of Poole Museum Service. Entrance to Poole Museum is free, and the museum is the fifth most visited free attraction in South West England.

History

Opened in 1989 and set in a 19th-century harbour warehouse, Poole Museum illustrates the story of the town and its people. A major refurbishment of the museum took place in 2005 at a cost of £1,300,000 funded by the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

and local fundraising. The renovated museum opened in July 2007 with new public facilities including a terrace and a visitor lounge with views over

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...

and the Old Town and a new glass

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

entrance designed by

Richard Horden Richard Manaton Horden (26 December 1944 – 5 October 2018), was a British architect based in London. Following an early career with Norman Foster, where he worked for ten years, he established his own practice Richard Horden Associates in ...

of Horden Cherry Lee Architects. The centrepiece of the museum is the 2,000-year-old

Poole Logboat The Poole Logboat is an ancient logboat made from a single oak tree. It was excavated in the town of Poole, Dorset, England. The boat is over 2,200 years old and is estimated through carbon dating to have been constructed around 200–300 BCE, ...

, an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

vessel which was found in 1964 during dredging work in Poole Harbour. The museum also has a floor devoted to the history of

Poole Pottery Poole Pottery is a British pottery brand owned by Denby Pottery Company, with the products made in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. It was founded as a manufacturer in 1873 on Poole quayside in Dorset where it produced pottery, before moving ...

and some of the company's products are on display. Other galleries have displays telling the history of Poole from

prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...

through to the 21st century. On the third floor of the museum, with a terrace overlooking Poole Harbour, is Cafe Explore, the museum's new cafe, serving breakfast, lunch and tea dishes and drinks. Attached to the main Poole Museum building, in the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

listed

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

town cellars, is the Local History Centre, containing an extensive library of material involving Poole's heritage supported by microfilmed and digitised material. Poole Museum Service also manages Scaplen's Court Museum and Garden, situated next to Poole Museum. This is a Grade I listed medieval townhouse, which is opened to the public in August. The Garden is open May to September. In 2021 the museum was given a £2.24 million grant by the

National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. A revamp will turn the site into a "world-class cultural centre". In May 2022 it was reported that redevelopment costs had increased by 20%. The museum closed for renovation in December 2022 with plans to reopen in late 2024. In May 2023, the

was removed into safe storage.

Exhibitions

Since 2014, there has been an exhibition showcasing finds from the

Swash Channel Wreck The Swash Channel Wreck is the remains of an early 17th-century armed merchantman possibly of Dutch origin wrecked outside of Poole Harbour. The vessel was approximately 40 m long and has been predicted to be around 600 tonnes. The ship was ...

, one of the most important shipwrecks found in British waters. The exhibition traces the history of this high status early 17th century ship and focuses on the excavation and conservation of the wreck. In 2016, the museum held an exhibition entitled "Lines of Thought" that focused on 70 artworks that reveal inner feelings of the artists. In 2019, a child named Bethan donated a (presumably ordinary) rock to the museum for the enjoyment of all, which was subsequently displayed as “Bethan’s Rock."

References

External links

Poole Museum
- official site {{coord, 50.7125, N, 1.9888, W, region:GB, display=title Museums in Poole Museums established in 1989 Local museums in Dorset 1989 establishments in England Grade I listed buildings in Dorset