The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Details
Accessibility
- The site is entirely accessible for those with pushchairs or in a wheelchair. We also have a lift to access the floors, gender neutral toilet, a toilet for disabled visitors and a manual wheelchair available.
- We have free car parking (for a maximum of three hours) and designated car parking for our disabled visitors.
- We have baby-change facilities.
- Free WiFi
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/learning/group-visits
Brief description
"Come and visit our unique museum, built over a 19th century dry dock in an channel-side location. Indoors there are galleries exploring the history of the people and industries of the Barrow-in-Furness area, changing exhibitions, gift shop and café. And outside is a sea themed playground, picnic tables, sculpture, lifeboat and Walney Channel.
"Beautiful place and outstanding atmosphere. Came here on a bad day and it changed my mood instantly." Visitor comment
There are some spectacular places to combine with your visit to the Dock Museum. Barrow-in-Furness has miles of beautiful sandy beaches. There are nature reserves at the north and south ends of Walney island and at Roan Head. The area is a good place to explore by bicycle and the Dock Museum is on the route of the Walney to Wear cycle route linking Walney to the mouth of the River Wear. And Furness Abbey: a monastery founded in the twelfth century that became one of the most important Cistercian monasteries in the country.
For more information go to https://visitbarrow.org.uk/ "
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/visit-us/great-day-out
Address
The Dock Museum
North Road
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria, LA14 2PW
Phone
Website
https://www.facebook.com/TheDockMuseum/
Directions
By Car:
"Enter Barrow from the A590 or A5087. Follow the brown and white tourist signs. The Dock Museum's address is North Road, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2PW.
Car parking is free for three hours. Six car parking spaces for disabled visitors are also provided.
The Dock Museum does have a charging point for electric vehicles, charges do apply."
Opening Times
Monday - Closed
Tuesday - Closed
Wednesday -11:00am - 4:00pm
Thursday -11:00am - 4:00pm
Friday -11:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday -11:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday - 11:00am - 4:00pm
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/opening-times
Always check with the venue directly for up-to-date information including opening times and admission charges as they may be subject to change
Transport
by Train:
"There are direct links from Carlisle, Manchester and Lancaster by train. The museum is a 1 mile walk from the train station. Details about trains coming into Barrow can be found on the Northern Railway website."
By Bus:
For comprehensive public transport information visit Westmorland and Furness Council's Public Transport pages.
The three main routes into Barrow are:
X6 from Kendal via Grange-over-Sands, Newby Bridge and Haverthwaite
6 from Windermere via Newby Bridge
Amenities
The Bridge Cafe:
The café is open 11am-3pm with last food orders at 2.30pm
The café offers a tempting range of light meals and snacks, cakes and speciality teas and coffees. See our sample menu below.
They also cater for gluten-free and vegetarians.
If you'd like catering for a group in the café, please contact our Café Manager Janine to make suitable arrangements. Dockdutymanager@barrowbc.gov.uk.
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/visit-us/bridge-cafe
Playground and surrounds:
Outside the museum we also our sea themed playground and picnic benches for you to use.
The museum site is an interesting area to explore. The Dock Museum takes its name from the dry dock in which it is half-built. The dock was opened in 1872 and is a Grade II* listed building. Fishing boats are moored at the pier near the museum. Reminders of Barrow's past can be examined on site, from a beautiful Watson-class lifeboat to a crane hook from the shipyard.
The nearby Channelside walks are very popular. With small children, it takes about thirty minutes to walk along Walney Channel and back to the playground. The walk can be extended to the former slagbank with great views over Barrow. There is a pleasant landscaped walk from the museum to Walney Bridge (where visitors and locals alike enjoy going to the the nature reserves and beaches of Walney).
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/visit-us/playground-surrounds
Group Visits:
We welcome group visits of all ages. The Dock Museum is a special place as it's built into a former dry dock. The beautiful sandstone walls and scale of the dock are impressive features in their own right.
We have a large and varied museum looking at the history of Furness from the end of the Ice Age right up to the present day. We look at the fascinating story of the impact of the Vikings (and the newly discovered Viking hoard) the remarkable growth of the town in the Victorian period and recreate a claustrophobic Anderson shelter in our Second World War gallery. Shipbuilding has been a major industry in Barrow for more than one hundred years and our superb ship models and displays look at this innovative and changing area.
We also have a lively programme of temporary exhibitions to capture the visitor's attention.
Facilities:
We hope to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Our friendly staff can help before and during your visit (even after if you have some more questions!).
- The site is entirely accessible for those with pushchairs or in a wheelchair. We also have a lift to access the floors, gender neutral toilet, a toilet for disabled visitors and a manual wheelchair available.
- We try to keep all age ranges interested and entertained. We have a range of quizzes for younger visitors (with prizes), a film show and galleries that explore Barrow's fascinating history. For a list of our temporary exhibitions
- The Bridge café offers a tempting range of hot and cold meals and snacks, daily specials board, homemade cakes and speciality teas and coffees.
- We have free car parking (for a maximum of three hours) and designated car parking for our disabled visitors.
- We have baby-change facilities.
- Free WiFi
Coach trips:
Our meet and greet service for coach tours is always popular and we're happy to provide a short introduction to the Dock Museum. Longer tours of the museum are also available but have to be booked ahead of your visit.
A coach drop off and pick up point is available directly outside the Dock Museum.
Please phone ahead to let us know about your visit and to make arrangements.
All group visits to the Dock Museum are free.
Please contact us to arrange your visit:
01229 876400
We are open Wednesday to Sunday from 11-4pm. Last admission is at 3.30pm.
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/learning/group-visits
School Visits:
Our tours are free of charge but we ask for a £20 donation if possible.
Led by our experienced staff we will offer the following Key Stage I and II tours here at the Museum. All tours are subject to staff availability
To enquire about any of the following tours, please contact DockDutyManager@barrowbc.gov.uk
https://dockmuseum.org.uk/learning/school-visits
Travel Information
For further travel information please see: www.traveline.info
Or call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33
(Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company's access charge)
Location
Nearest Venues
Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall, Cumbria
808 metres*
St George the Martyr Church, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
1,321 metres*
1,427 metres*
*Distances are calculated in a straight line from the current venue, please allow extra time/distance based on available paths or roads.