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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

Name: Cumbria's Museum of Military Life
Address: Alma Block, The Castle, Carlisle, CA38UR, GB
Telephone: +441228532774
Price range: ££

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Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life tells a 300-year story of courage, loyalty and service. A range of cakes, sandwiches and sausage rolls .

Cumbria‘s Museum of Military Life was founded in 1932 and tells the 300-year story of Cumbria’s army regiments through books, documents, photographs and artefacts. Having recently moved to the newly refurbished Alma Block in Carlisle Castle the Museum is full of new features including audio/visual displays, impressive graphics, interactive activities for young people and environments depicting life in the World Wars. Our small on site Café serves freshly ground coffee, tea, cold drinks and Cream of Galloway ice cream. The Museum also offers research services for families looking to research those who served with The Border Regiment and it's successors. We also accommodate school groups and have a program of outreach services for schools, groups and clubs.

24/10/2026

🍂 Half term plans? We’ve got you covered! 👀

Fancy a little exploring this October half term? Come along and have some fun at the Museum!

🥁👣 We’re open from 10am to 4pm all next week, and we’ve got plenty of interesting activities on the go - from drum making to exciting new museum trails.

Whether you’re joining us for a workshop or simply fancy a wander through history, there’s plenty to discover…

We can’t wait to see you! 😊

📍 Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, inside Carlisle Castle
🗓️ Monday 26th October to Sunday 1st November
⏰ 10am to 4pm

23/10/2026

🍾 A bottle of ch*****ne with a LOT of history…

🥂 Happy Global Ch*****ne Day 🥂

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ve probably heard us talk about this bottle before… and we make absolutely no apologies for it! 😂

But rather than going through the whole story again, we thought we’d share a little throwback to June 2014, when the BBC reported on our fabulous little bottle as it made its way towards display here at the Museum.

Fancy a read? You can find the original article here: 👉🏻 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-27714433

Some stories are simply too good not to tell again and again 🥂

*****neDay *****neBottle

22/10/2026

🔎 Down to Brass Tacks: A moment in Carlisle’s history

📸 ‘HRH Princess Louise leaving Citadel Station. 24th September 1908.’

Sometimes, the clues to a collection item’s story are right there in front of us!

This photograph captures a moment in Carlisle’s past, with an inscription identifying Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, leaving Citadel Station in September 1908.

But photographs can tell us more than just who’s in them and when they were taken. The details, the people in the background and the setting can all help us piece together the bigger picture.

As part of our Down to Brass Tacks project, we’re working to uncover the stories behind our collection - one clue at a time 👀

heritagefunduk

21/10/2026

🗓️ ON THIS DAY | 21 OCTOBER 1966

Today marks the anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, one of the darkest days in Welsh history.

On 21 October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed and sent a black slurry avalanche onto the village of Aberfan in South Wales, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes. 144 people lost their lives, including 116 children.

In the days that followed, soldiers of the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment were among those who travelled to Aberfan to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts.

The regiment’s involvement is a reminder that military service extends far beyond the battlefield, with soldiers also called upon to support communities far and wide in their most difficult moments.

20/10/2026

✍🏻 Greetings from The Border City ✍🏻

I came across this lovely old photograph on the Facebook group ‘Old Photos of Carlisle and Surrounding Area’, and couldn’t resist sharing it!

🏰 Featuring the gateway to Carlisle Castle, the image carries a handwritten message that reads, ‘Greetings from the Border City’ - a little reminder of this castle’s long standing place in our local history 🏰

🤔 I wonder how many more old postcards of Carlisle are tucked away in drawers, albums and boxes, waiting to be rediscovered…

19/10/2026

Today our tree has been wrapped in knitted poppies, ready for Remembrance. Poppies made 10 years ago to comemmorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme continue to provide a focal point for Remembrance within Carlisle Castle, the former depot of The Border Regiment.

18/10/2026

🎁👀 Bored of buying everyone socks for Christmas? Looking for something a little more unusual this year? We’ve got just the thing!

Our museum shop is full of quirky gifts, military-themed goodies and unique finds for the history lovers (and the hard-to-buy-for people!) in your life.

⚔️ Whether you’re shopping for a military enthusiast, a history buff or someone who simply loves something a bit different, why not pop in and have a browse?

Get ahead of the Christmas rush, support your local museum, and find a fun gift with a little more history behind it 😉

17/10/2026

☀️ It’s a beautiful day for a visit to your favourite Military Museum (that’s us, hehe!) 🎖️

Fancy getting out and about today? Why not pop in and spend a little time exploring the stories, people and objects that bring our local history to life?

👋🏻 We’d love to see you!

📍 Find us in the Alma Block, inside Carlisle Castle
⏰ Open 10am–5pm

16/10/2026

Down to Brass Tacks: From Egypt, with love… ❤️

A photograph in front of the pyramids and Sphinx, and a cushion cover embroidered with a regimental badge. Two very different objects, connected by one soldier: Arthur Hulme of the 4th Battalion, Border Regiment.

📸🪡 One photograph captures Arthur alongside fellow soldiers in Egypt, while another object tells a more personal story: a cushion cover embroidered with the Border Regiment badge, sent to his wife.

Together, these objects offer a glimpse into the life of a soldier beyond the uniform - from experiences overseas to the personal connections that linked him with home.

As our Down to Brass Tacks project continues, our team and volunteers are documenting objects from the collection and working to uncover the stories behind them.

🔎 Every object has a history. We’re just helping bring those histories to light!

✨ Our Down to Brass Tacks Project has been made possible thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund ✨

heritagefunduk

15/10/2026

👀 Caught these two conspiring…

What are Jay and Jules plotting now?

Well, we can’t reveal all our behind-the-scenes secrets - but our volunteers are always a big part of the conversation! From finding new ways to get involved with the collection to planning future projects, there’s always something happening behind the scenes at CMOML.

Watch this space… 👀😉

Address

Alma Block, The Castle
Carlisle
CA38UR

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441228532774

Website

http://cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/

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