Suffolk Tourist Guide - Articles
Suffolk Museums
Suffolk Museums
The Amber Museum
The UK’s only purpose-built museum dedicated to the history of amber.
Examples from around the world, plus shop.
15 Market Place, Southwold 01502 723394
Bawdsey Radar Station
Visit ‘The Magic Ear’ - an exhibition about the history of Radar. In 1937,
Bawdsey was the first of the Chain Home Radar stations that played a crucial
role in the Battle of Britain. See Bawdsey Radar Station
Bentwaters Cold War Museum
Musuem housed in a command post or bunker on what was the USAF air base
at RAF Bentwaters. See restored ‘war operations’ rooms and other displays.
Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham.
Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury
Established museum in the birthplace of artist Thomas Gainsborough. The historic townhouse, with an attractive walled garden, displays more of the artist’s work than any other gallery. The collection is shown together with 18th century furniture and memorabilia with work by Gainsborough’s contemporaries and followers.
There is a varied programme of temporary exhibitions of both historic
and contemporary art.
See Gainsborough's House
Suffolk Museums
Heavy Horse Museum
Museum dedicated to the Suffolk working horse breed (or Suffolk Punch), the
oldest such breed in the world and possibly the most perfect working animal
ever bred by man.
Shire Hall, Market Hill, Woodbridge 01394 380643
Ipswich Museum
The museum and gallery has displays of Roman Suffolk wildlife, Suffolk and world geology, the Ogilvie bird gallery, People of the World and much more. High Street, Ipswich 01473 433550
East Anglia Transport Museum
A fabulous working museum where the past comes to life. Travel as often as
you like on preserved historic vehicles or take a trip on the narrow gauge railway.
Chapel Road, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, 01502 518459
Long Shop Museum
Discover Leiston’s unique history and visit the home of the Garrett collection.
An award-winning museum housed in the original Garrett works buildings
including the Grade II listed Long Shop built in 1852 as the 1st production line
for portable steam engines. Four exhibition halls, resource centre, picnic garden
and gift shop.
Main Street, Leiston, 01728 832189
Suffolk Museums
Mechanical Music Museum and Bygones
Small music boxes, polyphons and organettes, larger street pianos and
player organs, large fair organs, dance band and cafe organs plus a number of
unusual items and the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. The interior roof is adorned
with hundreds of old records and horned gramophones.
Blacksmith Road, Cotton, 01449 613876
Mid Suffolk Light Railway Museum
The MSLR, known affectionately as ‘The Middy’ was a classic case of a railway
built late on in the great railway age that never paid its way - indeed, it effectively went broke before it opened, but still struggled on for fifty years. This fine example of quirky English history is remembered in Suffolk’s only railway museum. See Mid Suffolk Light Railway Museum
Moyse’s Hall Museum
Housed in the oldest domestic building open to the public in East Anglia,
Moyse’s Hall dates back over 800 years. Many striking architectural features can
be seen in the building. A museum for 100 years, it houses local history collections relating to the town, Abbey & St Edmund. They also include William
Corder’s scalp from Murder in the Red Barn relics as well as many other curios
from the local area.
Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds 01284 706183
Museum of East Anglian Life
Open-air museum in 75 acres of beautiful countryside. Here you can explore
nearly 3km of woodland and riverside nature trails, learn about fascinating East
Anglian crafts and traditional Gypsy culture and discover fifteen splendidly
restored historic buildings. Plus steam engines, animals, including Suffolk
Punch horses, and more.
See Museum of East Anglian Life
Suffolk Museums
The National Horseracing Museum
The story of the people and horses involved in racing from its Royal origins
to Lester Piggott, Frankie Dettori and other modern heroes. Highlights include:
the head of Persimmon, a great Royal Derby winner in 1896; a special display
about Fred Archer, the late Victorian jockey who committed suicide, which
features the pistol he used to take his life; and the colourful jackets of ‘Prince
Monolulu’, the 1950’s tipster.
High Street, Newmarket 01638 667333
Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum
Over 50 aircraft and 20,000 exhibits reflecting military and civil aviation in
East Anglia.
Buckeroo Way, The Street, Flixton, Bungay 01986 896644
The Amber Museum
The UK’s only purpose-built museum dedicated to the history of amber.
Examples from around the world, plus shop.
15 Market Place, Southwold 01502 723394
Bawdsey Radar Station
Visit ‘The Magic Ear’ - an exhibition about the history of Radar. In 1937,
Bawdsey was the first of the Chain Home Radar stations that played a crucial
role in the Battle of Britain. See Bawdsey Radar Station
Bentwaters Cold War Museum
Musuem housed in a command post or bunker on what was the USAF air base
at RAF Bentwaters. See restored ‘war operations’ rooms and other displays.
Bentwaters Parks, Rendlesham.
Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury
Established museum in the birthplace of artist Thomas Gainsborough. The historic townhouse, with an attractive walled garden, displays more of the artist’s work than any other gallery. The collection is shown together with 18th century furniture and memorabilia with work by Gainsborough’s contemporaries and followers.
There is a varied programme of temporary exhibitions of both historic
and contemporary art.
See Gainsborough's House
Suffolk Museums
Heavy Horse Museum
Museum dedicated to the Suffolk working horse breed (or Suffolk Punch), the
oldest such breed in the world and possibly the most perfect working animal
ever bred by man.
Shire Hall, Market Hill, Woodbridge 01394 380643
Ipswich Museum
The museum and gallery has displays of Roman Suffolk wildlife, Suffolk and world geology, the Ogilvie bird gallery, People of the World and much more. High Street, Ipswich 01473 433550
East Anglia Transport Museum
A fabulous working museum where the past comes to life. Travel as often as
you like on preserved historic vehicles or take a trip on the narrow gauge railway.
Chapel Road, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft, 01502 518459
Long Shop Museum
Discover Leiston’s unique history and visit the home of the Garrett collection.
An award-winning museum housed in the original Garrett works buildings
including the Grade II listed Long Shop built in 1852 as the 1st production line
for portable steam engines. Four exhibition halls, resource centre, picnic garden
and gift shop.
Main Street, Leiston, 01728 832189
Suffolk Museums
Mechanical Music Museum and Bygones
Small music boxes, polyphons and organettes, larger street pianos and
player organs, large fair organs, dance band and cafe organs plus a number of
unusual items and the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. The interior roof is adorned
with hundreds of old records and horned gramophones.
Blacksmith Road, Cotton, 01449 613876
Mid Suffolk Light Railway Museum
The MSLR, known affectionately as ‘The Middy’ was a classic case of a railway
built late on in the great railway age that never paid its way - indeed, it effectively went broke before it opened, but still struggled on for fifty years. This fine example of quirky English history is remembered in Suffolk’s only railway museum. See Mid Suffolk Light Railway Museum
Moyse’s Hall Museum
Housed in the oldest domestic building open to the public in East Anglia,
Moyse’s Hall dates back over 800 years. Many striking architectural features can
be seen in the building. A museum for 100 years, it houses local history collections relating to the town, Abbey & St Edmund. They also include William
Corder’s scalp from Murder in the Red Barn relics as well as many other curios
from the local area.
Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds 01284 706183
Museum of East Anglian Life
Open-air museum in 75 acres of beautiful countryside. Here you can explore
nearly 3km of woodland and riverside nature trails, learn about fascinating East
Anglian crafts and traditional Gypsy culture and discover fifteen splendidly
restored historic buildings. Plus steam engines, animals, including Suffolk
Punch horses, and more.
See Museum of East Anglian Life
Suffolk Museums
The National Horseracing Museum
The story of the people and horses involved in racing from its Royal origins
to Lester Piggott, Frankie Dettori and other modern heroes. Highlights include:
the head of Persimmon, a great Royal Derby winner in 1896; a special display
about Fred Archer, the late Victorian jockey who committed suicide, which
features the pistol he used to take his life; and the colourful jackets of ‘Prince
Monolulu’, the 1950’s tipster.
High Street, Newmarket 01638 667333
Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum
Over 50 aircraft and 20,000 exhibits reflecting military and civil aviation in
East Anglia.
Buckeroo Way, The Street, Flixton, Bungay 01986 896644