County Rep - Natalie Watson - email
County Reports here
County Museum Website at:
www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/
culturecommunity/museums
The museum sector in Somerset and North East Somerset is varied. The county covers a large area of rural and post industrial environments, coastal, upland, agricultural and low lying landscapes, dotted with market towns, seaside resorts, ports and centres of industry. The museums in the county reflect this diverse heritage: from the large, rich collections of the Somerset County Museums Service, with its world class collections of archaeology and palaeontology, to the specialist Dunster Dolls Museum in the village hall in Dunster.
The County has 51 museums. The County Council, the District Councils of South Somerset and Sedgmoor and the unitary authority of North Somerset all run museums. The National Trust and English Heritage also have properties in the region, but by far the largest number of museums are run by independent charitable trusts and many of these only flourish due to the commitment of volunteers.
The museums have grouped together to form the self-help group Museums in Somerset. It meets 3 times a year to discuss issues of mutual interest, share news, participate in training, plan partnership projects. In 2006 several museums ran a joint project, People’s Choice, during Museums & Galleries Month. We meet at different locations around the county, to give each museum the chance to show off its achievements and delegates the chance to sample the local cafés and heritage.
Institutional Federation members in Somerset include:
Admiral Blake Museum
Castle Cary & District Museum
Chard & District Museum
Crewkerne Heritage Centre
Dunster Dolls Museum
Fleet Air Arm Museum
Frome Museum
Helicopter Museum
Ilchester Town Trust
Museum of South Somerset
North Somerset Museum Service
Shoe Museum
Somerset County Museums Service
Somerset Cricket Museum
Somerset Military Museum
The Bishop's Palace & Gardens
Washford Radio Museum
Watchet Market House Museum
Wellington Museum
Wells & Mendip Museum
West Somerset Rural Life Museum
Westonzoyland Engine Trust
