The former colliery at Woodhorn Museum

Museums in Northumberland

Museums and history
Enter our museums and step back in time. A visit to one of Northumberland's many museums makes for an interactive and immersive experience. From the smallest museum in the country, to outdoor marvels such as Hadrian's Wall, there's something for everyone.

A collection of our history

Where else would you find one of the smallest museums in the country, a museum dedicated to bagpipes and a legion of Roman museums?

Marvel at fascinating and quirky displays paying tribute to and preserving Northumberland’s history.

What’s more, some of them are free, such as Blyth Battery, the military museum located in unique coastal defence buildings.

If you like your history in bite-size pieces, pop into the Ferryman’s Hut in Alnmouth. Said to be the smallest museum in the country, it displays village photos, trinkets and memorabilia. One of the country’s most unusual museums is the Bagpipe Museum in Morpeth Chantry, a space celebrating the history of Northumbrian bagpipes - very different to the Scottish variety! Aviation enthusiasts should wing it to Bamburgh Castle’s Armstrong and Aviation Museum. The award-winning Woodhorn celebrates Northumberland’s proud mining heritage.

Delve into Roman history at Hadrian’s Wall where alongside museums displaying astonishingly well preserved finds, there are ruins to discover and regular reenactments to join in.

Art lovers can head to the birthplace of Thomas Bewick at Cherryburn, the famous Northumberland artist who revolutionized print art in Georgian England.

With such a cornucopia of museums, going back in time makes for a fun day out in Northumberland. The county has a whole host of historical sites, gardens and hidden gems to explore. Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at our five family days out blog.

Museums in Northumberland

Recommended
Housesteads Roman Fort Sponsored
Historic sites

Housesteads Roman Fort

Set high on a dramatic escarpment on Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Housesteads Roman Fort takes you back to the Roman Empire.
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Bamburgh Castle Sponsored
Historic sites

Bamburgh Castle

Experience a different level of Northumberland at England's finest fortress Bamburgh Castle, home of the real Last Kingdom of Bebbanburg.
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Heatherslaw Corn Mill Sponsored
Historic sites

Heatherslaw Corn Mill

Restored working 19thC cornmill, producing stoneground wholemeal flour and stocking a range of cereals. Exhibitions and demonstrations daily, produce available in gift shop and tearoom.
Roman Army Museum (Carvoran) Hadrian's Wall Sponsored
Museums

Roman Army Museum (Carvoran) Hadrian's Wall

Lying in magnificent countryside next to a sweeping section of Hadrian's Wall and based at the site of Carvoran Roman Fort.
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Vindolanda (Chesterholm) Hadrian's Wall Sponsored
Historic sites

Vindolanda (Chesterholm) Hadrian's Wall

Visit Roman Vindolanda today and you will find one of the North East’s most famous and not to be missed tourist attractions lying in the beautiful landscape of Hadrian's Wall Country.
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Ad Gefrin Sponsored
Museums

Ad Gefrin

A fully-immersive Golden Age of Northumbria Experience and a whisky distillery creating the first Northumbrian English Single Malt Whisky.
Lady Waterford Hall Sponsored
Museums

Lady Waterford Hall

Step back in time at Ford & Etal Estates with a visit to Lady Waterford Hall and learn of a woman ahead of her time.
© English Heritage Sponsored
Historic sites

Lindisfarne Priory

Experience the serenity of Lindisfarne Priory, cross the dramatic causeway to reach the island of Lindisfarne, on a journey that will stay in your memory forever.
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Alnwick Castle Sponsored
Historic sites

Alnwick Castle

The second largest inhabited castle in the UK, home to the Percy family for 700 years and filming location.
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Lindisfarne Castle Sponsored
Historic sites

Lindisfarne Castle

Iconic Tudor Fort converted into an intimate holiday home in 1903 for Edward Hudson by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
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Mountain biking in purple heather
Family walk in Northumberland
Couple enjoying a boat trip
Hadrian's Wall
Surf Northumberland
Outdoor adventures in Northumberland

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