Salcombe Maritime Museum, Salcombe, Devon
It’s always good to learn at least a little of the history of places you visit on your UK holidays, so when you’re staying near Salcombe in Devon, go and have a look round Salcombe Maritime Museum.
It’s not an enormous museum but it’s quite easy to get absorbed in the displays and exhibits because it’s all rather fascinating – one of those places where the more you look, the more you’ll find to interest you. Salcombe has always had links with ships and the sea, from way back in ancient times up to the Second World War, and now it’s popular with the yachting fraternity. The displays tell of the history through paintings, models, artefacts, boat building tools and photographs.
Perhaps what piques visitor’s interests the most is The Wreck Room, full of information about the shipwrecks along the South Devon coast, with several finds on show. In The Ship Room there are over 30 paintings of ships built in Salcombe, including the fast clipper-like schooners – the Salcombe Fruiters that transported fresh fruit and spices from all around the globe to England’s ports.
Budding seafarers can have fun in the Young Sailors Corner where there are hands-on models and pirates treasure; they can light the Armada Beacons, send messages in Morse Code or semaphore and dress up as pirates. Ahoy there me hearties!
Open: 1st April-31st Oct 10-30am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-4.30pm. Entry is free.
T: 01548 843080 All information correct at the time of writing