Poole Museum

{{Short description|Local history museum in Dorset, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} thumb|The entrance to Poole Museum '''Poole Museum''' (formerly known as the '''Waterfront Museum''') is a maritime museum, gallery and cultural centre, situated on the Lower High Street in the Old Town area of Poole, Dorset, and is owned by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Entrance to Poole Museum is free,<ref name="museum">{{cite web | year = 2009 | url = http://www.poole.gov.uk/go.php?structureID=U464057c6c5aa7&ref=N49C39E3D78ED5 | title = Discovering Poole - An Artist's Haven | publisher = Poole Borough Council| accessdate = 2009-07-27}}</ref> and the museum was the fifth most visited free attraction in southwest England in 2015.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14686899.Most_visited_attraction_in_Dorset__Poole_Museum_/| title= Most visited attraction in Dorset? Poole Museum!| last=Wilson| first=Kate| work=Bournemouth Daily Echo| date=17 August 2016| accessdate=4 September 2016}}</ref>

The Local History Centre is attached to the museum in a Grade I listed medieval town cellars.<ref name="EH1">{{NHLE|num=1217514|desc=The Waterfront Museum, Local History Centre|accessdate=19 June 2014}}</ref> Poole Museum Service also manages Scaplen's Court Museum and Garden, situated next to Poole Museum.

==History and exhibits== [[File:Town Cellars with the 2,000 year old Logboat in the centre.jpg|thumb|The Poole Logboat is the centrepiece of the museum]]

The Poole Museum opened in 1989 in a 19th-century harbour warehouse. A major refurbishment of the museum took place in 2005 at a cost of £1,300,000 funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and local fundraising.<ref name="bbc"/> The renovated museum opened in July 2007 including a terrace, visitor lounge, and new glass atrium entrance designed by Richard Horden of Horden Cherry Lee Architects.<ref name="museum"/>

In 2021, the museum was given a £2.24 million grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.<ref name="BBClg">{{cite news |date=10 January 2021 |title=Poole Museum gets £2.2m lottery grant for revamp |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-59938900 |work=BBC News |access-date=17 January 2021}} </ref> In May 2022 it was reported that redevelopment costs had increased by 20%.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-13 |title=Poole Museum redevelopments costs increase by £1.4m |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-61428931 |access-date=2022-05-15}}</ref> The museum closed for renovation in December 2022 with plans to reopen in late 2024.<ref name="BBCclose">{{cite news |date=6 January 2022 |title=Poole Museum goes on tour during renovation work |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-64177307 |work=BBC News |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref> In May 2023, the Poole Logboat was removed into safe storage.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-11 |title=Poole Museum: Iron Age logboat moved ahead of revamp |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-65551360 |access-date=2023-05-11}}</ref>

The Poole Museum reopened in November 2025 after a seven-year redevelopment project costing £10 million. All three of the museum's historic buildings were restored, and three new maritime galleries were opened.<ref>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Geraldine Kendall |date=31 October 2025 |title=Poole Museum to reopen after seven-year transformation |url=https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/10/poole-museum-sets-reopening-date-after-seven-year-transformation/ |work=Museums Journal |publisher=Museums Association |access-date=12 December 2025}}</ref> The main focus of one of their new galleries is a preserved 13th-century shipwreck known as the Mortar Wreck, alongside various artifacts the vessel was carrying when it sank.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kuta |first=Sarah |date=11 December 2025 |title=You Can Now See 750-Year-Old Artifacts Recovered From England’s Oldest Shipwreck |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-now-see-750-year-old-artifacts-recovered-from-englands-oldest-shipwreck-180987808/ |work=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=12 December 2025}}</ref>

The centrepiece of the museum is the 2,000-year-old Poole Logboat, an Iron Age vessel which was found in 1964 during dredging work in Poole Harbour.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/6292774.stm | title = Museum finally set to open doors | publisher = BBC News | access-date = 2008-07-28 | date=2007-07-11}}</ref>

The museum displays a stone named Bethan's Rock that a five-year-old child donated in 2019, after she learned about museums and their preservation activities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Orrmalm |first1=Alex |last2=Tesar |first2=Marek |title=Imagining tiny archives: exploring young children’s collecting of nature things |journal=Archives and Records |date=September 2024 |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=219–237 |doi=10.1080/23257962.2024.2371454 |issn=2325-7962}}</ref><ref name="Almroth-Wright">{{Cite web|last1=Almroth-Wright|first1=Indy|last2=Harris|first2=Steve|date=8 October 2025|location=London|title=Bethan's Rock: Beloved exhibit returns to museum|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly1ee1yw8ro|publisher=BBC News|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref> The museum also features a wooden hippopotamus sculpture by Peter Hand that was previously at the Dolphin Centre.<ref name=Russellhippo>{{cite news |last=Russell |first=Rachel |date=11 October 2025 |title=Wooden 1960s animals back on display |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyr97njgq7o |work=BBC News|publisher=BBC |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref><ref name=Henderson /> When first introduced in 1969 it was designed for children to play on.<ref name=Henderson>{{cite news |last=Henderson |first=Diana |date=21 November 2013 |title=Dolphin Centre’s wooden animals on their way back to town’s shopping hub after Facebook campaign |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10824595.display/ |work=The Bournemouth Echo |publisher=Newsquest Media Group |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.poolemuseum.org.uk/}}

Category:Museums in Poole Category:Museums established in 1989 Category:Local museums in Dorset Category:1989 establishments in England Category:Grade I listed buildings in Dorset