Museums and Groups in Cumbria

There are plenty of ways to get involved with the history and archaeology of Cumbria. Why not visit a museum or join an archaeological society?

Many Portable Antiquities Scheme finds can be seen on display at museums around the county (see the links that accompany the descriptions below).

Museums

Dock Museum

The Dock Museum at Barrow-in-Furness holds an archaeology collection that includes the Neolithic Langdale axes, exciting cave collections from Heaning Wood and Kents Bank. The museum also features many finds made by local metal detectorists. The Dalton Roman silver bracelet is on display here (PAS-A7DC11).

Kendal Museum

Kendal Museum houses local and global collections including prehistoric artefacts such as Mesolithic tools from the Limestone Uplands of Southern Cumbria and a large collection of Neolithic axe material from the Central Fells, Cumbria. A vast collection of Roman material from a variety of Roman sites is also displayed. A number of PAS finds are on display here including medieval coin hoards (LANCUM-E19253 and LANCUM-30BA12) and Roman coin hoards (LANCUM-A7E363 and LANCUM-AFF497).

Keswick Museum

Keswick Museum’s archaeology collection has circa 200 items including local pre-historic worked stones and axes, Roman ceramics and coins, and medieval objects from key local sites such as Lords Island, seat of the Earls of Derwentwater.

Penrith and Eden Museum

The Museum collects and displays material reflecting the history and culture of Penrith and the Eden Valley. The collections are comprised of thousands of fascinating objects, including finds from the Roman period, mementos of Penrith’s local heroes and an extensive geology collection.

Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery

Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery is located in Carlisle, housing collections that tell the stories of continuous change, from the earliest Cumbrians in prehistoric times to Roman and Viking invaders of Cumbria; the turbulent story of Carlisle in medieval times; its transformation from rural market town to busy centre of railways, industry and tourism.