Top 10 Specialty Museums in Bristol, England

Step back in time when you board Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Discover the true stories behind the ship that changed the world. Experience the sights, sounds and smells of life on board for Victorian passengers and crew. Descend under water below the glass ‘sea’ to touch the world’s first great ocean liner.

WE ARE TEMPORARILY CLOSED IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE. We are the proud recipients of Visit Britain’s ‘Good to Go’ badge and have put all necessary measures in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit once we reopen. When we do, ALL VISITS MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE. Our usual opening hours are: Tues 10 - 4, Wed 10 - 4, Thurs 10 - 12, Fri 10 -4. For more info visit website. Our museum tells the incredible story of George Muller who provided a home and an education for over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime. Our new museum is located in one of the original Orphan Homes in Ashley Down, Bristol.

An Art Gallery, Gadget and Gift Shop showcasing local artists absurd whimsical inventions. The Museum embraces a fictional universe steeped in the golden victorian age of scientific exploration and steam power.

Mini-museum in a phone box opened as part of a heritage trail event on 8th June 2019. It celebrates the origins of the Sea Mills estate which surrounds it. The Museum is temporarily closed due to Covid-19 restrictions but much of the contents can still be viewed from outside.

The New Room in Bristol is the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world (originally built in 1739 and extended in 1748) and the cradle of the early Methodist movement. It was built and used by John and Charles Wesley and the early Methodists as a meeting and preaching place and the centre for helping and educating the needy members of the community. The chapel itself is on the ground floor (where there is also a shop) and is accessible from either the Broadmead or Horsefair courtyards. Upstairs, there is an admission charge Arts Council accredited museum which tells the story of John and Charles Wesley and their life and work in Bristol.

Discover what a Bristol sugar plantation and slave owner's home might have looked like around 1790. Eleven rooms spread over four floors reveal what life was like above and below stairs, from the kitchen in the basement where servants prepared meals to the elegant formal rooms above.

The Museum tells the story of 150 years of psychiatric care through a unique and extraordinary collection of objects, and photographs, creating a vivid picture of life and work in the former hospital. The Museum is situated within the Victorian chapel in the grounds of the building which opened in 1861 as Bristol Lunatic Asylum. It was a psychiatric hospital for many years with over a 1000 patients residing there. In 1994, Glenside Hospital closed. Since the 1880's some form of Nurse Training has been delivered on this site. The Museum has a special First World War exhibition telling the story of the people and place who were there. The Asylum was requisitioned by the War Office and became Beaufort War Hospital from 1915 to 1919 specialising in orthopaedics. The Museum is entirely run by volunteers and is open every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 10.00am-12.30pm. The volunteers will open the museum at other times for groups by appointment. Did you know: The collection was begun by Dr Donal Early, a consultant psychiatrist at the hospital and was first displayed in 1984 on the balcony in the dining room. Did you know: The Asylum used to be self-sufficient, with land, gardens and green houses providing fruit and vegetables. The site used to have a piggery, as well as farming chickens and cows. After 97 years providing food and money for the hospital the pigs were wiped out by swine fever in 1958 and not replaced. The smell and yearly infestation of summer flies departed with them. Did you know: Within the Glenside Campus walls there are over 1000 trees, some 180 different types

The Architecture Centre champions better buildings and places for people. By demonstrating the value of good design we aim to increase public awareness and enjoyment of the built environment, and stimulate demand for design excellence. The Architecture Centre exists to foster a greater understanding and enjoyment of architecture and to promote the value of a better built environment. We believe that by increasing public awareness and working with those responsible for development, we will help raise expectations and thereby provide both opportunities and demand for better buildings and places. Every aspect of the work undertaken by The Architecture Centre aims to: Widen public awareness Develop understanding and appreciation Demonstrate the value of good design Encourage good practice The Architecture Centre is the leading regional expert on engaging the public with the built environment and championing the creation of better quality neighbourhoods, buildings and public spaces. Based in Bristol and relating directly to that particular urban environment we respond equally to the needs of the wider South West region. The Centre’s programme includes exhibitions, events, lectures and critical debate, work with artists, and visits to inspiring buildings. Our learning programme delivers engaging built environment education to children and young people in the South West. We promote the value of good design - empowering communities undergoing change to shape their environment for the better, and working with built environment professionals, local authority officers and councillors to achieve design excellence. The Centre is based on Bristol’s Harbourside and our gallery is open to the public 5 days a week (we are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). Please visit our website for more information on opening times and current exhibition and events programme.

See amazing film and photographs, listen to moving personal stories, encounter rare and quirky objects and add your own memories of Bristol through the interactive displays. From prehistoric times to the present day, M Shed tells the story of the city and its unique place in the world.