All about Suffolk Museums

Welcome!

Welcome to Suffolk Museums. Suffolk is a beautiful corner of England, rich in heritage for you to explore. You can discover maritime heroes along the beautiful coastline or see the legacy of treasure left by our ancestors at famous archaeological sites. There is the opportunity to experience the thrill of horseracing or marvel at a Gainsborough or Constable painting. You may prefer to take a relaxing stroll back in time through the life of a Suffolk villager in one of the picturesque guildhall, manor house or rural life museums. Whatever you choose, you can explore Suffolk Museums and bring history to life! Click here to begin exploring.

Reminiscence in Suffolk

Rekindling Memories and Rekindling Memories at Home are two reminiscence projects that have resulted in the creation of boxes available for loan.

Rekindling Memories Key Suffolk
museums have produced loan boxes that are full of objects and images to stimulate memories, conversation and fun. These can be borrowed directly from the museums.
PDFs: Leaflet front and Leaflet inside

Rekindling Memories at Home
8 Suffolk museums and the Alzheimer's Society have developed suitcases for use in people's homes. They can be borrowed directly from the Suffolk branches of the Alzheimer's Society.
PDFs: Leaflet front

Calling all volunteers!

Did you know that there are over 1,000 people volunteering in Suffolk museums? You could join them! Volunteering in a museum is a wonderful way to find out more about your local area, meet new people and feel part of the community. This website can help you find a museum near you that needs your help.

From documenting coins to driving trolleybuses, there's a huge range of activities that anyone can take part in. You don't need to have qualifications or specialist knowledge, just enthusiasm. The activities that volunteers are doing every day in Suffolk are many and varied all needing different skills and abilities. Volunteers in museums meet and greet visitors, look after collections, become museum trustees, run a variety of education programmes and much more.

If you've got some spare time on a regular basis, and would like to do something interesting and rewarding, your journey starts here.

With over 40 museums in Suffolk there's bound to be one nearby with something to interest you. Click here to begin your search...

Families and friends

Do you have children with enquiring minds and a lot of energy for exploring? A visit to a museum is a great way to help your children learn while having fun!

Do you fancy a trip down memory lane? A visit to a museum is a good way to share days gone by with your family. It can help younger generations understand the lives of their older relatives. A visit to a museum can bring families together.

Isn't it about time all your family got together? We all have busy lives. We are often too busy rushing around to make time for our families. A visit to a museum is a great way to spend quality time with each other. It is a chance to relax and catch up with each other. You might even learn something too!

Do you have friends or family visiting Suffolk and don't know where to take them? A visit to a museum is a great way to spend time with family and friends. Click here to give you lots of ideas.

Schools

Whatever the topic you are teaching, Suffolk Museums will help bring it to life!

• Discover the homes and lives of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Tudors, Victorians and people in Britain since the 1930s
• Discover shape, space and measures among the collections
• Experience the forces and motion of buses, trams, steam engines and watermills in action
• Explore colour and pattern through portraits, sculpture and other art forms

You will find all these and more in our museums, along with friendly and helpful staff who will help plan your visit and make best use of it.

Do not miss the opportunity to handle real objects, explore your local heritage and take part in stimulating activities lead by museums staff.

Visits can be tailored to your particular needs and many museums have specially designed teachers' packs for your use.

Alternatively, you can take the museum into your classroom, community hall or meeting place. Look out for those museums that have topic boxes full of objects available to loan.

This website gives you a complete list of resources available for schools from museums in Suffolk. Click here to find out more.

Group visits

Whatever your age, there are always opportunities to learn in museums.

Many museums can often make special out of hours arrangements for visits by groups. This includes Scouts, Guides, local history groups and all other community groups.

You may be an individual interested in learning. Some museums offer guided tours or a programme of lectures to choose from. These are always a good opportunity to meet like-minded people. Museums can put you in touch with your local history group or other community groups that they might work with.

Click here to find out more.

Our supporters

This website was funded by Awards for All, Association for Suffolk Museums and Suffolk County Council

This website was made
possible by the Suffolk Museums Partnership.

Suffolk Museums Partnership is Suffolk County Council (lead partner), Association for Suffolk Museums, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, Forest Heath District Council, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and East of England Museums, Libraries & Archives Council working together.