Sidmouth Museum is a museum in Sidmouth, Devon, England.
The museum is housed in Hope Cottage, a Grade II listed building. The building was extended in 2020 to include more space for exhibits as well as new disabled access. In addition to exhibits relating to prominent local figures and history, it holds significant and diverse collections in areas such as lacemaking, local archaeology, and geology. It is owned by the Sid Vale Association (SVA).
History
Establishment and early period
In 1950 Mary Kilgour invited the SVA to take over a collection of exhibits for which she had shared responsibility with Annie Leigh Browne and Lady Lockyer, wife of Sir Norman Lockyer.
Opening initially at Woolcombe House (now the town council premises), the SVA then moved the museum to its current premises in Hope Cottage in 1970. To this day, it is owned and funded by the SVA.
The museum today
Sidmouth Museum is run entirely by volunteers, most of whom are members of the SVA. It is a seasonal museum, closing for the winter months, during which most of the exhibits are replaced from the museum's considerable archives housed in the town. The museum operates a small shop, which sells the SVA's latest publications as well as Sidmouth-inspired souvenirs and trinkets.
The museum is open from 10 am to 4 pm every day except Saturday, when it closes at 1 pm. It is closed on Sundays. Admission is £2.50, except for SVA members and under 16s, for whom entry is free. Several times a year, the museum holds children's activities days. Children can also complete a quiz trail during their visit.
The museum runs guided geology and town walks through Sidmouth, led by local experts. The museum has committed to the digitisation of its holdings, much of which are too fragile to put on display to the wider public. A notable example of this digitisation effort was the scanning of Sidmouth Shingle, a 10-volume illustrated record of the Sidmouth's coastline, particularly its beaches, which totals over 4,000 pages.
Collections
Though the collections change every year, the museum exhibits items in several areas, including but not limited to geology, lace, famous Sidmouthians (including Sir John Ambrose Fleming and Peter Orlando Hutchinson) as well as local history. The museum currently displays a collection of military medals and offers a display recalling Sidmouth during the Second World War. Before the 2021 season, the museum secured several digitisation grants, which provided the opportunity to present many of the museum's offerings in digital form. As a result, visitors can now access a great deal of information via screens and QR codes. Digitisation means that the museum can display much more in an electronic form than would be physically possible in a relatively small building. Almost the entirety of the museum's art collection, for instance, is accessible via interactive screens.
Reception room
The reception room contains a large roof-high cabinet displaying assorted coronation memorabilia from Queen Victoria to Elizabeth II. The children's area is also located here. In addition, there are exhibits on the last Lord of Sidmouth Manor, Colonel John Balfour, the life of Peter Orlando Hutchinson, fossils and archaeological items from the East Devon area in the 'Life in East Devon - Stone Age to the Romans' display.
Geology room
The geology room contains many rare reptile fossils and amphibian bones which have been found on Sidmouth's beaches, including the remains of the Rhynchosaur, a herbivore reptile. Graphic displays chart the history of Sidmouth's Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, through geological time. Other items on show include a megalodon tooth, belemnite guards and a selection of wooly mammoth teeth, the largest of which weighs .
Sidmouth 1942
In 1942, Kennaway House became home to a RAF Regiment officer cadet training school, and later an aircrew school. The museum's 'Sidmouth 1942' display is based around this wartime role. It is home to the crest of HMS Sidmouth, a Bangor-class minesweeper, which took part in the Dieppe Raid and D-Day.