Facilities for Visitors
Gold Hill Museum will be open every day 10.30a.m. – 4.30p.m. from Saturday 23 March until and including Sunday 03 November 2024, with latest admission at 4.10p.m. Some of our hands-on facilities may not be available and visitors should please observe social distancing. We welcome well-behaved dogs
Gold Hill Museum is free to enter, though donations are welcome
There are six rooms with permanent displays, on two floors, and two rooms for temporary exhibitions. All our displays are monitored by CCTV
There is a separate Education Room, the Anna McDowell Garden Room, equipped with built-in projector, screen, Hearing Loop, and adjacent kitchenette
All our rooms are accessible to wheelchair and buggy users, as is the toilet, where there are nappy-changing facilities
The lift may be used to the first floor – please ask one of our helpful volunteer stewards
A folding wheelchair is available for use by visitors – again, please ask one of our stewards
Interested persons may use our Library and Local History Archive for research purposes, but please make an appointment in advance
Visitors are welcome to browse in the Museum Shop and in our second-hand book corner
Visitors may borrow a double-sided guide to the Museum, which highlights objects and features in each of the rooms. You may wish to purchase our 32-page full colour Souvenir Guide, keenly priced at £3.50, which provides a more detailed history of Shaftesbury, the Museum buildings, and the artefacts on display. This profusely illustrated Souvenir Guide, first published in 2023, was entirely the work of our volunteers
There are an Explorer’s Quiz and two baskets of activities in Rooms 2 and 4 for younger visitors. Basil, Lavender, Poppy, Rocket, Rosemary, and Snowdrop are our Dorset Button Mice; they are hiding in six different display cases and waiting to be discovered by visitors of all ages
The secluded, award-winning garden offers views over the Blackmore Vale and seats for quiet contemplation in sun and shade
Facilities available within a short walk of the Museum
The nearest café, the Salt Cellar, is within 20 yards of the Museum gate, at the top of Gold Hill. Other cafes and coffee shops are less than two minutes’ walk away, in the High Street. Fine dining and overnight accommodation are available at the Fleur de Lys in Bleke Street
It is approximately five minutes’ walk to the nearest [pay] car park. For directions, please refer to Find Us
Disabled visitors may drive to the Museum entrance at the top of Gold Hill, but parking is not permitted on Gold Hill itself
