Swanage Museum

23/06/2026

𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱

As part of our exciting new chapter for the Swanage Museum and Heritage centre, we are actively connecting with and learning from other museums. Following a fantastic visit today, I highly recommend checking out the new "Treasure Lost and Found" exhibition at the Dorset Museum in Dorchester.

It was wonderful to see the works of incredible local artists like Alfred Palmer and James Fry on display as well. While the paintings in the exhibition are from other collections, it is a fantastic reminder of the incredible artistic heritage we have right here. Thanks to the legacy of the late Robert Field, we are lucky enough to care for our own brilliant paintings by these very same artists right here in Swanage.

Seeing their success elsewhere really highlights what a hidden gem our own museum and Heritage centre is. While we haven't always shouted about our treasures as loudly as we should have in the past, we are ready to step it up a notch! We have something incredibly special here, and we want to really kickstart the Museum and Heritage Centre.
To make this vision a reality, we need everyone on board—our wonderful community, our local supporters, and our council. It's a brilliant reminder of what can be achieved when we all get involved and support our local heritage. Let's work together to make Swanage Museum the thriving hub it deserves to be.

22/06/2026

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗶𝗿:

These historic photos capture an era when the Red Cross and local hospital staff in Swanage cared for children battling tuberculosis (TB).
You might notice the children are in heavy, box-like outdoor beds and some appear strapped in. Far from being cruel, this was the standard of care at the time, delivered by deeply devoted Red Cross nurses and medical staff. For children suffering from bone and spinal TB, being secured into frames kept their bodies completely still to prevent spinal deformities and allow the bones to safely heal.
During this period, effective antibiotics for TB were either completely unavailable or still in their very early, limited stages. Doctors and Red Cross caregivers relied heavily on "open-air therapy" to help the body fight the disease. Science later proved them right: sunlight kills TB bacteria and boosts Vitamin D, while fresh air stops the spread of infection.
While medicine eventually moved entirely indoors once modern drug treatments became fully established, hospitals today are coming full circle. Modern initiatives—like the critical care roof garden at King's College Hospital—remind us that fresh air and nature are still vital ingredients in human healing.

18/06/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 & 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗬𝗢𝗨

The Swanage Museum and History Centre are looking to double our team of volunteers. To keep both facilities open, thriving, and accessible to everyone, we need your help!
Whether you want to share local history, meet new people, or give back to the community, we would love to welcome you aboard. No experience is required.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱:
𝗣𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻: Drop by the museum for a chat.
𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘂𝘀: Send a Direct Message right here on Facebook.
𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘂𝘀: at [email protected]

𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙜 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢!

11/06/2026

We are delighted to welcome you back to the Swanage Museum.
Thank you so much for bearing with us during our brief, temporary closure while we resolve an unexpected maintenance issue.

As an independent museum, covering sudden repairs directly from our own resources is always a bit of a challenge, so your support means more to us than ever right now! Please do come along this week, explore the history, and say hello—every visit helps us keep our doors open. We'd love to see you!

10/06/2026

Due to an unexpected technical issue, the museum will be temporarily closed while the issue is fixed.

We are just as disappointed as you are, as our goal is always to keep this valuable resource open for everyone. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

08/06/2026

08/06/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄
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Swanage has a rich, vibrant past, and the Museum and History Centre is here to protect it. However, keeping these memories alive for the long term requires a collective effort. To ensure we are still here telling Swanage’s stories years from now, we need your support today.

One of the easiest ways to help us right now is by finding us on social media—like, follow, and share our posts to help raise our profile and bring Swanage's heritage to a wider audience. You can also pop into the museum to see how you can get involved and volunteer.

This is your history, your museum, and your Swanage—let’s look after it together.

29/05/2026

Don't forget tonight's talk a Tale of Two Piers.

26/05/2026

What a fantastic morning at Bournemouth University.
It was a real privilege to see Danny, Kashifa and Samay present their assignment on setting up TikTok and Instagram for us, and to watch the brilliant videos they created.

Swanage Museum wishes all of this year’s Bournemouth University students every success in the future.👏

A big part of the changes happening at the Swanage Museum is our aim to engage people of all ages.
Working with Bournemouth University helps widen our reach, connect with other museums and volunteer groups, and gives us fresh ideas to build on.

Yes, we are short of volunteers, and with the small team we have, I hope you can see that we are making changes and moving forward. We’d really appreciate your help if you have some time to spare. Be a part of this.

I’d strongly encourage all our local museums to take the chance to work with Bournemouth University students. It’s genuinely worth it, and you get to meet enthusiastic people who care about making history accessible to everyone.

Bournemouth University

Museum of East Dorset

24/05/2026

𝗨𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧!
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 open after 1pm.

𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 & 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲

Many people don’t realise that Swanage Museum and the History Centre are run entirely by volunteers. We have a very small team, and every hour we open is thanks to their time and commitment.

Because our team is so small, we’re currently on reduced opening hours — including being closed on Wednesdays. Each time the Museum has to close, it directly affects our ability to keep the History Centre open as well. With just a few more volunteers, we could keep both sites open more reliably and continue sharing Swanage’s history with the community.

If you can spare a little time and would like to support your local heritage, we’d be delighted to welcome you.

Please pop into the museum and see our volunteers to join our team.